 celebrates his first NHL goal on Jan 30 2025 in Boston (Winnipeg Jets Facebook).png)
Mark Scheifele scored twice, and Nikolaj Ehlers and Vladislav Namestnikov each had a goal and an assist as the Winnipeg Jets (36-14-3) defeated the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.
But perhaps the best storyline of the night belonged to Parker Ford, who scored in his NHL debut.
What a day for Parker Ford 🤩 pic.twitter.com/BUrC5zgsvd
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) January 31, 2025
The 23-year-old forward, a native of Wakefield, R.I.—just 90 minutes south of Boston—had his family in attendance for the milestone moment.
“My whole life I’ve wanted to do this for my family,” Ford told reporters after the game. “It’s going to be emotional when I go see them. They’ve done so much, and I feel like I owe it to them to have a little bit of fun when they come to these games.”
FAM IS HYPEDDDD 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/hdY4wb2YsQ
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) January 31, 2025
Ford’s goal came when he batted in a deflected pass in front of the net.
“I couldn’t really tell you,” Ford said with a laugh when asked about the moment. “I blacked out a little bit, but it was great. … I was just focusing on playing my game tonight and helping the team win. Now I can go see the family and celebrate a little bit.”
Scheifele makes history
Scheifele’s two-goal performance brought him to 328 career goals, tying Ilya Kovalchuk for the most in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers franchise history.
“It’s a huge honour,” Scheifele said. “It’s obviously very special. He was a fantastic player, and I’ve had some fantastic players set me up in those positions. … It’s very humbling. You grow up as a kid hoping to play in the NHL one day, and to reflect on that is pretty special. I’m very happy to be part of this group of guys. It’s a fantastic team, a fantastic organization.”
THE FRANCHISE RECORD TYING GOAL 🤩 pic.twitter.com/5oj8vKJomT
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) January 31, 2025
Kyle Connor also hit a milestone, scoring his 30th goal of the season with an empty-netter. It’s the seventh time in his career that he’s hit 30 goals—tying Kovalchuk for the most 30-goal seasons in franchise history.
Jets take over top spot in NHL
Winnipeg has now won five straight games and sits alone atop the NHL standings with 75 points, one ahead of the Washington Capitals.
The Capitals lost 5-4 in overtime to Ottawa on Thursday, setting up a high-stakes matchup on Saturday night when the Jets visit Washington. A win in regulation would give Winnipeg a three-point cushion over the league’s second-place team.
Connor Hellebuyck made 27 saves in the victory.