Winnipeg scored five times in the second period, erased a two-goal deficit and rolled past Dallas 8-3 as Mark Scheifele reached 929 franchise points

Thunder Bay – SPORTS — Mark Scheifele reached another major place in Winnipeg hockey history Thursday night, and the Jets supplied the kind of team performance that made the moment bigger. Scheifele had two goals and an assist as Winnipeg erased an early deficit and defeated the Dallas Stars 8-3 for its fifth straight win.

Scheifele’s third point came on Kyle Connor’s goal one minute into the third period. It gave him 929 career points, tying Dale Hawerchuk for the most in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers franchise history. The total includes 378 goals and 551 assists. His 551st assist also moved him past Hawerchuk and Blake Wheeler into second place on the franchise list, two behind Thomas Steen.

Dallas led 2-0 after the first period and moved ahead 3-2 midway through the second. Winnipeg then took over. Dawson Mercer tied the game at 13:55, Scheifele scored on the power play at 18:12, and Mercer added another with nine seconds left in the period. The Jets scored five times in the middle frame and the final six goals of the game.

Mercer finished with two goals for the second straight game and has scored in three consecutive contests. Connor and Gabriel Vilardi each recorded a goal and two assists. Stuart Skinner made 30 saves, while Jake Oettinger allowed six goals on 27 shots before Dallas replaced him early in the third period.

The result moved Winnipeg to 9-8-3 and continued a sharp turnaround after a nine-game winless stretch. The winning run has included a historic late comeback in Montreal, three home victories and now a road rout against a Dallas team that entered the night with points in four straight games.

There was one costly note for Winnipeg. Defenceman Dylan DeMelo left in the first period with a lower-body injury, and coach Scott Arniel said he is expected to be out week to week. The Jets continue their road trip Saturday afternoon in Chicago.