Scheifele Ties Hawerchuk's Franchise Record as Jets Rout Stars 8-3

Mark Scheifele picked the perfect night to join Winnipeg Jets royalty. The veteran centre scored twice and added an assist as the Jets stormed back from a two-goal deficit to crush the Dallas Stars 8-3 on Thursday night at American Airlines Center, and in doing so tied Dale Hawerchuk for the most points in franchise history.

Scheifele's three-point night lifted him to 929 career points with the Jets, pulling him level with Hawerchuk, the Hall of Fame centre who starred for the original Winnipeg franchise in the 1980s. His second goal of the night, his 378th in the NHL, was the one that put the Jets ahead for good.

A five-goal second period turns the game upside down

Dallas looked comfortable early. Arttu Hyry opened the scoring at 4:19 of the first period on a pass from Roope Hintz, and the Stars carried a 2-0 lead into the first intermission after Hintz added a goal of his own. The home crowd at American Airlines Center had every reason to expect a routine night against a Jets team that had lost nine straight games earlier this season.

Winnipeg had other ideas. Dylan Samberg cut the deficit to 2-1 just 1:11 into the second period with a shot from the point, and Scheifele tied the game at 7:03, pouncing on a loose rebound in the slot after Gabriel Vilardi got a piece of Josh Morrissey's shot. The Jets were suddenly skating with the confidence of a team that had forgotten how to lose.

David Perron briefly restored Dallas's lead at 11:14, deflecting a Thomas Harley point shot for his first goal since signing with the Stars as a free agent on October 15. But the Jets answered again, and this time they did not stop. Dawson Mercer tied the game 3-3 at 13:55 on a pass from Cole Perfetti, and after Jamie Benn was called for slashing at 16:54, Scheifele hammered a one-timer from the left circle off a Vilardi feed at 18:12 to give Winnipeg its first lead of the night. Mercer struck again with just 7.3 seconds left in the period, finishing a breakaway set up by Perfetti, and the Jets took a 5-3 lead into the second intermission after scoring five goals in a single period.

Oettinger chased as the Jets pour it on

The third period brought no relief for Dallas. Kyle Connor scored his 16th goal of the season just 1:00 into the final frame, taking a pass from Vilardi and ripping a shot over Jake Oettinger's glove, and Stars coach Glen Gulutzan had seen enough. Oettinger, who entered the night with the NHL's fourth-best goals-against average at 1.99, was pulled after allowing a season-high six goals on 27 shots.

Casey DeSmith took over in goal, but the change did nothing to slow Winnipeg. The Jets beat DeSmith on a slick passing play started by Morrissey and finished by Vilardi at 15:12 to make it 7-3, and Cole Koepke scored just 14 seconds later after a neat pass from Morgan Barron to complete the 8-3 rout. It was the first time since December 10, 2024, that Winnipeg had scored eight goals in a game, and the first time Dallas had allowed eight since an 8-2 loss at Winnipeg on November 8, 2016.

Six Jets finished with multi-point nights. Vilardi and Connor each had a goal and two assists, Mercer scored twice for the second consecutive game, Samberg added a goal and an assist, and Perfetti recorded two assists. Stuart Skinner made 30 saves in the Winnipeg net to earn the win.

A franchise record and a remarkable turnaround

For Scheifele, the night was about far more than two points in the standings. The 33-year-old, drafted seventh overall by Winnipeg in 2011 as the first-ever pick of the current Jets era, has spent his entire NHL career with the franchise. Tying Hawerchuk, whose name has stood atop the Jets' scoring list for decades, places Scheifele alongside the greatest player in the club's history, and he did it with his former mentor's milestone in sight all week.

Scheifele has been on a tear, with four goals and four assists in his last four games, and his hot streak has powered Winnipeg's remarkable turnaround. The Jets have now won five consecutive games after enduring a nine-game losing streak earlier this season, a run of 0-7-2 that had the club searching for answers. At 9-8-3, Winnipeg is back above .500 and playing with the swagger of a team that believes its early-season slump is firmly behind it.

Mercer, meanwhile, continues to look like a shrewd addition. Acquired on October 25 from New Jersey in the Connor Hellebuyck trade, the winger now has two-goal games in back-to-back outings and has given the Jets' middle six a scoring threat they lacked during the losing streak. His chemistry with Perfetti, who set up both of his goals against Dallas, is growing by the game.

The Stars, at 10-6-2, saw their four-game point streak come to an end, and the defeat will sting. Dallas had the game in hand at 2-0 and again at 3-2, but its defensive structure collapsed in the second period, and the goaltending that had been among the league's best offered no rescue. Gulutzan will demand a response when the Stars return to the ice, while the Jets head to Chicago to face the Blackhawks on Saturday afternoon, chasing a sixth straight win and a piece of history that is now one point away for their captain-in-waiting.