Eric Comrie made 26 saves for his second shutout in two months, leading the Winnipeg Jets to a dominant 4-0 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night in a high-stakes meeting between Western Conference division leaders.
The victory brought Winnipeg closer to clinching the Central Division title and strengthened its bid for the Presidents’ Trophy. The Jets now sit three points ahead of Washington in that race and four points clear of Dallas in the Central Division standings.
Vegas, meanwhile, has seen its lead in the Pacific Division shrink following consecutive losses. The Los Angeles Kings pulled within three points of the Golden Knights after defeating the Utah Hockey Club 4-2.
Mark Scheifele, Adam Lowry, Colin Miller, and Cole Perfetti scored for Winnipeg. Nino Niederreiter added two assists. Comrie, serving as a backup to star netminder Connor Hellebuyck, notched his first shutout since Feb. 4 against Carolina.
Adin Hill allowed three goals on 19 shots through two periods before being replaced by Akira Schmid for the third. Schmid called up from Henderson and stopped both shots he faced.
Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers briefly left the game twice after being struck by the puck but was able to return.
Game Takeaways
Jets: Winnipeg effectively clogged up the neutral zone, holding Vegas to just 13 shots and two high-danger scoring chances over the first two periods, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Golden Knights: Once in firm control of the Pacific Division, Vegas now faces pressure from Los Angeles and risks a first-round playoff matchup with Edmonton if they slide in the standings.
Key Moment
Scheifele’s first-period goal marked the 799th point of his NHL career. Only Blake Wheeler has reached 800 points as a member of the Jets.
Key Stat
Winnipeg’s 52nd win ties the franchise record set in the 2017-18 and 2022-23 seasons. One more win will set a new club milestone.
Up next
Jets: Visit the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday.
Golden Knights: Travel to Calgary for a Saturday night matchup with the Flames.
