VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) Laurent Brossoit’s first career shutout happened in the right building.
Brossoit stopped 40 shots at Rogers Arena and Mark Scheifele scored with 1:32 left in the third period as the Jets defeated the Vancouver Canucks 1-0 Saturday night.
”This is one of those games I don’t think I will forget,” said Brossoit, who was born in Port Alberni, British Columbia, and grew up in Surrey, on the boarder of Vancouver. ”To have that many shots and have the game go the way it did, and have my first shutout here in the building I grew up in, it was definitely a special moment.”
The Canucks pulled their goalie in the final minute and mounted a frantic attack. Brossoit faced a barrage of shots.
”You never want that kind of chaos but, at the end of the game, for it to go our way, the chaos is fine,” he said.
Brossoit improved his record this year to 8-1-1. He has 38 NHL games split between Winnipeg and Edmonton. The game against Vancouver – his first start against the Canucks – was his fourth start this month.
”It’s the most consistent amount of starts I’ve gotten in my NHL career,” said the 25-year-old, who had 25 family and friends at the game. ”I appreciate the vote of confidence to have me in consistently. It’s easier to prepare.”
Head coach Paul Maurice offered some humor while praising Brossoit, who joined Winnipeg this year as a free agent.
”Our goalie was our best player,” said Maurice. ”He’s earned every start that he’s got.
”He just hasn’t given us a reason ever not to start him. As good as he is in the games, he’s equally good in practice, pushing to get better all the time. If he was on a longer term deal I’d talk more nice things about him, but we’ve got to sign him again this year so he’s just all right.”
Scheifele scored his 22nd of the season from the left face-off dot on a give-and-go play with defenseman Dustin Byfuglien.
The Jets have won 11 of their last 13 games. The victory was Winnipeg’s eighth straight victory over the Canucks.
The Canucks lost in regulation for just the second time in nine games (6-2-1).
”It’s been a couple of games we’ve lost like that,” said forward Antoine Roussel. ”It’s frustrating.
”You have to come up on top and learn from those games sometimes. You can’t be losing in the last two minutes of a game. We battle all the way and crack at the end. It hurts.”
Vancouver goaltender Jacob Markstrom stopped 22 shots.
Vancouver coach Travis Green said the game was ”something to hang your hat on” as the Canucks held their ground against the Western Conference-leading Jets.
”Our team played great tonight,” Green said. ”One of our better games of the year.
”The guys wanted to win bad tonight and they played like it. We’ll be fine if we keep playing like that.”
Brossoit showed his quickness in the first period, sticking out a pad to stop a wrist shot by Josh Leivo, and then he blocked Elias Pettersson’s attempt on the rebound.
Midway through the second period, with Vancouver pressing on a power play, Brossoit dragged his leg in front of Alexander Edler’s shot from the point through traffic.
Markstrom wasn’t as busy, but still needed to be sharp. With just 51 seconds left in the first period he slid across his net to block a shot by Scheifele on a Jets power play.
There were loud boos in the third period when Winnipeg defenseman Ben Chairot hit Vancouver’s Tyler Motte with what looked like a high stick. No penalty was called on the play.
NOTES: Edler played his 782nd game to surpass Harold Snepts for the most by a Canucks defenseman. .. Second-period shots were 17-7 in favor of Vancouver. . Early in the first period, Byfuglien blasted a slap shot that hit forward Blake Wheeler in the midsection. Wheeler needed help getting to the bench and headed to the dressing room. He returned later in the period. .. Winnipeg center Andrew Copp missed his 10th straight game with an upper-body injury but is expected to return after the Christmas break.
UP NEXT
Jets: Home against Calgary on Thursday.
Canucks: At Edmonton on Thursday.
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