Scheifele’s 42nd goal helps Jets clinch playoff spot with feisty win vs. Wild | CBC Sports

Mark Scheifele scored his 42nd goal, Connor Hellebuyck made 33 saves and the visiting Winnipeg Jets clinched the last spot in the Western Conference playoffs with a 3-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night.

Adam Lowry and Mason Appleton also scored goals in Hellebuyck’s 13th consecutive start for the Jets, who won for the fifth time in six games to secure the second wild card and eliminate Nashville.

Kirill Kaprizov had a power-play goal early in the third period for the Wild, who lost for the first time in four games this season to the rival Jets and had their long-shot chance to win the Central Division end.

Lowry gave the Jets the lead with just 3:53 elapsed when he knocked in a carom off a blocked shot of Nino Neiderreiter’s for his second goal in as many games. Scheifele also scored on a rebound off Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, when teammates Jonas Brodin and Connor Dewar weren’t able to track the puck in time to keep Scheifele away from it.

The action was edgy and rough enough to be a playoff game, as Jets fourth-liner Saku Maenalanen frequently harassed Kaprizov. Maenalanen drew a high stick penalty on Kaprizov that gave the Wild a 5-on-3 power play, but it bridged the first intermission and momentum was lost after the long break.

WATCH l Jets stay hot vs. Wild, clinch final playoff spot in Western Conference:

Jets secure playoff berth with victory over Wild

Winnipeg clinches the final playoff spot in the Western Conference as they defeat Minnesota 3-1 for their fifth victory in the past six games.

The Wild had a 13-4 advantage in shots on goal in the first period and never let up from there, left wondering what they had to do to get a puck past Hellebuyck.

Dewar’s snap shot off a rebound in front of a wide-open net hit the post early in the third period. Lowry hooked him to give the Wild another power play when Kaprizov finally converted, a few seconds after he hit the post twice from point-blank range.

Kaprizov suffered a scary lower-body injury against the Jets in Winnipeg on March 8, when he was hit hard and awkwardly from behind by 6-foot-7 defenceman Logan Stanley and missed the next 13 games. Stanley was a healthy scratch this time, with the Jets using the same lineup that fueled a 6-2 win over San Jose on Monday to finish 4-1 on a five-game homestand.

The Jets, who reached the Western Conference finals five years ago after beating the Wild in the first round and the Predators in the second round before a a slow fade that precipitated the firing of coach Paul Maurice in the middle of last season, missed the playoffs in 2022.

WATCH l Hellebuyck makes stunning stick save:

Connor Hellebuyck’s amazing stick save seals playoff spot for Jets

Winnipeg goalie Connor Helleybuyck reaches out and makes an incredible stick save on Minnesota forward Mats Zuccarello. Hellebuyck finishes with 33 saves and the Jets clinch the last playoff spot available in the Western Conference.