Penalty-prone Lightning fall to Jets in Winnipeg

WINNIPEG — Head coach Rick Bowness aimed his praise at the Winnipeg Jets’ special teams in Friday night’s 4-2 victory over the Lightning.

The Jets went 2-for-6 on the power play — scoring both goals during five-on-three advantages — and killed off all four of Tampa Bay’s chances with the man-advantage in the win.

“The special teams were obviously outstanding,” said Bowness, a former Lightning assistant. “... They won the game for us (Friday).”

Anthony Cirelli, with a goal and assist, and Nikita Kucherov scored for the Lightning (24-13-1), who ended a three-game road trip with a 1-2-0 mark.

After missing two straight games with an illness, Andrei Vasilevsky stopped 16 of the 19 shots he faced for Tampa Bay.

Lightning coach Jon Cooper didn’t mince words about his team’s penchant for penalties.

“It’s a complete lack of discipline,” he said. “It was embarrassing what we did.

“How many five-on-threes you’re up against in one season you count on maybe one hand, and we give them two minute-and-a-half five-on-threes in one game. Unacceptable. That shouldn’t happen. And good on Winnipeg.

“Honestly, it was really a nothing game going on,” Cooper continued. “That game could have been 0-0 and a shootout. They (Jets) stayed disciplined, just said, ‘Sit back and wait for Tampa to screw it up’ and they did. And that’s what happened.”

Winnipeg earned Bowness the victory on a very special occasion, The 67-year-old was behind the bench for his NHL-record 2,600th game, including stints as a head coach, associate coach or assistant coach.

Jets forward Kyle Connor also had a memorable contest. His power-play goal at 5:38 of the third was his 41st game-winning marker. That moved him past Ilya Kovalchuk for the most in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers franchise history.

Morgan Barron sealed Winnipeg’s fourth straight win with a short-handed goal into an empty net with 1:26 remaining.

Connor also had an assist while Pierre-Luc Dubois scored twice for the Jets (25-13-1). Josh Morrissey added three assists and Mark Scheifele had two.

“Our power play came up with some big goals, but our penalty kill, it’s been right up there at the top all season, and it really showed its strength (Friday),” Connor said. “You can win a lot of games with a good penalty kill.”

Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck stopped 26 shots.

The Lightning outshot the Jets 12-4 in the first period, but the game was tied 1-1.

Cirelli scored at 11:48, converting a rebound off a Steven Stamkos shot to beat Hellebuyck.

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With nine seconds remaining in the period, Dubois tipped in a Connor wrist shot for his 18th goal of the season.

Tampa Bay took a 2-1 lead at 1:35 of the second when Kucherov’s shot went through Hellebuyck’s pads.

Winnipeg went on an 87-second two-man advantage at 6:05. The Jets capitalized, this time with Dubois getting a piece of Morrissey’s point shot at 7:05.

The Jets broke the tie with another two-man advantage after Stamkos was sent off for cross-checking at 4:34. Vladislav Namestnikov followed him six seconds later for delay of game.

“You give the other team’s five best players the puck against three guys in the (offensive) zone, they’re going to get chances,” Lightning defenseman Ian Cole said. “There’s not a silver bullet here that we just load in the gun and that fixes everything.

“It’s just a matter of not taking penalties and not putting ourselves in those situations.”

Connor’s one-timer beat Vasilevsky on his glove side for his 17th goal of the season.

Stamkos had a great chance to tie it up with about six minutes remaining, but his shot ended up being swiped away from the goal line by Jets defenseman Dylan DeMelo.

Connor was called for tripping with 1:52 left and Tampa Bay pulled Vasilevsky for the six-on-four, but Barron ruined the attack.

Hedman awaits birth of child

Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman missed the game after returning to Tampa to be with his wife in anticipation of the arrival of the couple’s second child.

Hedman’s first, a son he and his wife Sanna named Rio, was born on Oct. 14, 2020, just two weeks after the Lightning won the first of back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, with Hedman earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

“Everybody’s excited for him,” Cooper told reporters following Friday’s morning skate. “He was excited when he left. All the guys were (giving him) high-fives and hugs on the way out. So, we’ll see him here in a day, and hopefully we’ll get a win for him.”

In Hedman’s absence, defenseman Mikhail Sergachev led all skaters with 27:44 of ice time. The Lightning also were without defenseman Zach Bogosian, who “got dinged up a couple games ago,” Cooper said. Haydn serg and Cal Foote replaced Hedman and Bogosian in the lineup.

BY JUDY OWEN, The Canadian Press

Times staff writer Eduardo A. Encina contributed to this story.

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