Jets use momentum, motivation from Montreal win to topple Canucks

The past two wins came on the heels of a nine-game losing streak for Winnipeg.

“Yeah, the big thing for me was the first period,” said Jets coach Scott Arniel. “We (could) very easily be caught up in what happened in Montreal and come up flat and allow Vancouver to get to play their game. I didn’t think we did that.

“I thought all the lines, the D, everybody was ready to go. We got out in front real quick. So now, all of a sudden, you have the opposition on their heels and that’s what we were hoping for.”

Mercer benefited from that momentum to score his first goal as a Jet.

“It was good,” said Mercer, who added an assist. “I was happy to get it finally. I’ve been thinking about it. To get it during a win and at home just made it a little bit better.”

A key piece in the trade that sent disgruntled star goalie Connor Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils, Mercer had been struggling to find his game since he arrived.

“It was really hectic the first few days, then to get on the road and travel, try to figure out everything,” he said. “Just overall in my game, using my speed, handling the puck, I think it’s improved day by day.”

Arniel appreciates Mercer’s talent.

“Every game, you’re starting to really see the skill set,” he said. “But he also has a real good compete side to him. We use him on the penalty kill. He’s not afraid to block shots. He’s using his speed.

“I think he’s really starting to get comfortable and starting to feel like he’s a part of the Winnipeg Jet family.”

Rookie Viggio Bjorck assisted on Mark Scheifele’s second-period goal for his first NHL point. The crowd started chanting his name after the assist.

“It was fun,” Bjorck said. “I felt like it should have come a couple games earlier, but eventually it came here.”

“We’ve got a wonderful crowd here,” he added. “The fans are so passionate; it is really fun to play here.”

Bjorck acknowledged that it hadn’t been easy to go without a point up to this point.

“For me, it’s also important to go through,” he said. “It’s not the end of the world, but still a tough time to build up here mentally. It’s not always going to be glamorous and sun and rainbows and stuff like that. Eventually you’ve just grind your way through it.

“Hopefully, it will come more. But, as a team, we are hungry for more right now. We had a tough couple of games there down the stretch. But we are just hungry to get back to it.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2026.

Jim Bender, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Jets use momentum, motivation from Montreal win to topple Canucks

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