WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Morgan Barron and Josh Morrissey found the back of the net just 16 seconds apart, paving the way for Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck to achieve his 300th career win in a 5-2 victory against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.
Kyle Connor, Gabriel Vilardi, and Nino Niederreiter also contributed to the score for Winnipeg, effectively breaking a three-game losing streak. Mark Scheifele played a supporting role, assisting on two goals.
Hellebuyck had an impressive performance, making 26 saves throughout the match.
On the other side, Filip Forsberg scored his 10th goal of the season, finally ending an 18-game scoring absence for the Predators. Juuse Saros recorded 26 saves for Nashville.
Winnipeg quickly established dominance, leading 3-0 by the end of the first period and entering the third period with a 3-1 advantage.
**Takeaways**
For the Predators, the team started with intense energy, registering four shots within the first minute and 47 seconds of the game. They were notably close to scoring, hitting the post at least three times. Unfortunately, both Steven Stamkos and Luke Evangelista left the ice during the second period and did not return to action.
Conversely, the Jets benefitted significantly from Hellebuyck’s prowess in goal, as he fended off an onslaught of shots both early and late in the match. Morrissey faced an injury early in the second period after colliding with a goalpost, having been accidentally clipped by Scheifele.
**Key Moment**
A crucial point in the game was Winnipeg’s ability to kill off two late penalties, including a challenging five-on-three situation for Nashville that lasted 1 minute and 26 seconds. Hellebuyck was phenomenal in this segment, recording four critical saves.
**Key Stat**
Hellebuyck’s victory marked his league-leading 24th win of the season. The ten-year veteran achieved the impressive milestone of 300 career wins in just 538 games, making him the third-fastest goalie in NHL history to do so. The only goalies who reached the milestone more quickly were Andrei Vasilevskiy (490 games) and Jacques Plante (521 games).
**Up Next**
The Predators are set to take on the Washington Capitals at home on Saturday, while the Jets will host the Los Angeles Kings on Friday.
