SEATTLE (AP) — The trade deadline arrived with the Winnipeg Jets addressing their need for a little more offensive punch before finishing the day showing just how strong they are defensively.
Laurent Brossoit made 17 saves for his first shutout of the season, Mark Scheifele scored his 19th goal 7:15 into the third period and the Jets beat the Seattle Kraken 3-0 on Friday night.
Adam Lowry scored with 8:32 left to give Winnipeg a 2-0 lead and the Jets pulled even with Dallas and Colorado at the top of the Central Division. Nikolaj Ehlers had an empty-netter with 49 seconds left.
“I think that’s where our team is learning how to win these tight games where we’re comfortable,” Lowry said. “We know we’re a great third period team. We know we’ve got the structure that we can be patient, kind of force some mistakes and that’s what we did in the third.”
Brossoit posted his fourth career shutout and first since February 2022 while playing for Vegas and he was rarely tested. Tomas Tatar had Seattle’s two best scoring chances, hitting the post in the second period and sending a backhand wide early in the third.
Seattle was shut out for the sixth time.
“He’s a great goalie. We saw that when we played against him in the playoffs last year,” Winnipeg’s Josh Morrissey said. “It doesn’t feel any different when he’s in there.”
Scheifele finally broke through after more than two periods with limited chances for both sides. Seattle’s Jared McCann was unable to clear the zone at the blue line while pressured by Morrissey, and Vladislav Namestnikov quickly found Scheifele in front of Kraken goalie Joey Daccord.
Scheifele has a point in six of the Jets’ last seven games.
Scheifele left the ice barely a minute later after getting called for tripping while stopping a breakaway attempt by Seattle’s Andre Burakovsky. Scheifele appeared to be clipped in the face by Burakovsky’s skate, but he returned late in the period.
Winnipeg coach Rick Bowness said Scheifele was checked for a concussion, but was cleared to return.
The win concluded a busy day for the Jets, who added Tyler Toffoli and Colin Miller from New Jersey in separate deals ahead of the trade deadline.
“Depth is critically important. Looking at how all the other teams in the West loaded up, we’re really excited with those adds,” Lowry said.
The loss was a deflating missed opportunity for Seattle to make up ground in the Western Conference playoff chase. The Kraken started the night six points behind Vegas with two games against the Golden Knights over the next two weeks.
Daccord made 29 saves, but Seattle was unable to generate the offense it had a few days earlier in a 4-3 win over the Jets.
“It’s just one game,” Tatar said. “We have to put it behind us and we know it’s all in front of us and we have to battle for that spot.”
Seattle was without defenseman Vince Dunn for the second straight game after an ugly hit from Calgary’s Martin Pospisil that drew a three-game suspension. The Kraken also played the final two periods without forward Jaden Schwartz, who suffered an upper body injury in the first period and did not return.
