Wheeler’s vintage moment, Stanley’s Gordie Howe hat-trick, Nuclear line stays hot: Three takeaways from Jets’ monumental 7-3 victory over Golden Knights

With a playoff spot seemingly in reach, the Winnipeg Jets entered Tuesday’s showdown against the Vegas Golden Knights feeling confident about improving their post-season chances, and thankfully, that’s precisely what they did. Despite a slow start, which saw the Jets fail to register a single shot on goal throughout the first half of the opening period, things intensified fairly quickly before the first intermission. Receiving a jolt in the arm, this club scored a pair of goals just 33 seconds apart to earn them a 2-0 lead heading into the break. Even though the Golden Knights opened the scoring in the second period, courtesy of forward Nicolas Roy, the home team rallied and racked up three unanswered goals before the middle frame concluded. Thanks to markers from Nikolaj Ehlers, Mark Scheifele and Logan Stanley, Winnipeg controlled a 5-1 advantage heading into the final 20 minutes. There, in typical fashion, this four-goal edge didn’t prove overly safe as Vegas didn’t go away quietly and trimmed its deficit