Winnipeg Jets can secure his first presidents’ trophy in franchise history with a single point when they host the injured Edmonton Oilers on Sunday.
Jets (55-21-4, 114 points) enters the matchup at a short rest after securing a hard-fighting 5-4 shooting victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night.
Cole Perfetti scored the winning goal on his first shooting attempt ever, Josh Morrissey spoke twice and Kyle Connor finished with a goal and an assist when Jets got his third victory in a row.
“It has taken us 80 matches to get this division,” said Jets coach Scott Arniel after Winnipeg secured the top spot in both the Central Division and the Western Conference. “It has been a grinding and I don’t care how we got it. We have it. It is as I said before, teams in our division do not disappear, as good as we have played it. To get over and done with it is a relief.”
Jets got a possible decisive loss when Nikolaj Ehlers left Saturday’s competition early after tangling the line before they got help from the ice.
“We’ll see when we get home,” Arniel said about Ehler’s health. “We just get to see where he is. It’s just a bit of the damage he had before.
Edmonton (46-28-5, 97 points) has been revived since Connor McDavid’s return to Lineupen. After missing eight matches with a lower bodily injury, McDavid has helped seven of Oilers eight goals in the last two victories.
Oilers followed up a 4-3 victory over St. Louis Blues on Wednesday with a 4-2 victory over the bottom-feeding San Jose sharks on Friday night.
Evan Bouchard counted a goal and an assist, Adam Henrique had a couple of assists and Calvin Pickard made 22 rescues when Oilers officially dressed his place in the Stanley Cup final.
“He has made a huge difference. He is the best player in the world for a reason,” said veteran Corey Perry about McDavid, who had four assists Friday. “He has come in and looked like Connor McDavid and we don’t expect anything else. That’s who he is and that’s how he plays every night.”
With that effort, McDavid became the fourth player in NHL history, which recorded five consecutive 70-assistant seasons.
“He can score or get a help every shift so it’s fun to watch, it’s great to have him, obviously,” Pickard said. “I think he is quite important to us. He has been fantastic, he leads with examples, he leads in the dressing room. The world’s best player.”
The damaged oils did not leave Friday’s loss but a couple more misery.
Both Mattias Ekholm, who had missed the seven previous games, and Zach Hyman left with impeccable injuries.
This was another place of trouble for the already short -handed oils, which are without Leon Draisaitl, Jake Walman, Trent Frederic and Evander Kane.
Jets has won four of the last six meetings, including each of the last two. The last victory came on March 20, when Connor did overtime for a 4-3 road trip.
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