Kyle Connor scores twice as Jets edge Kraken 4-3 to clinch home ice advantage in first round of playoffs Featured

Written by  Published in Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg, Manitoba (NHN)-Kyle Connor scored twice and Connor Hellebuyck made 20 saves as the Winnipeg Jets downed the Seattle Kraken 4-3 to clinch home ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

The Jets, who now have 108 points on the season, clinched second place in the NHL Central Division and will face the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs.

Nikolaj Ehlers and Tyler Toffoli each had a goal and an assist.

Josh Morrissey, Mark Scheifele and Neal Pionk each had a pair of assists.

Connor Hellebuyck picked up the win for Winnipeg, who moved to 51-24-6 on the season.

Yanni Gourde had a goal and an assist for the Kraken.

Tomas Tatar and Tye Kartye also scored for Seattle.

Philipp Grubauer turned aside 20 shots for the Kraken, who dropped to 33-35-13.

Kyle Connor got the Jets on the board 10:33 into the first period when Mark Scheifele hit him with a backhand pass from behind the net which he converted, snapping the disc past Philipp Grubauer to make it 1-0.

The goal was his 33rd of the season.

Tomas Tatar evened the contest 18:38 into the first when he took a feed from Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, who immediately moved in front of Hellebuyck to provide a screenbefore Tatar fired a wrister past Hellebuyck to make it 1-1.

Connor restored the Winnipeg lead after he converted a Josh Morrissey feed before snapping a shot just under the cross bar at 19:54.

Nikolaj Ehlers scored 2:30 into the second off a nice second effort.

Grubauer bobbled the initial shot and Ehlers knocked the loose puck in the crease past him as he was falling to the ice to make it 3-1 Jets.

The goal was his 25th of the season. Yanni Gourde pullled the Kraken to within a goal 5:11 into the second when he tipped a Ryker Evans shot from the point past Hellebuyck.

The goal was his 9th of the season.

A late giveaway by the Jets proved costly when Tye Kartye forced a turnover along the boards before driving the net and receiving a Yannick Gourde return pass before hammering the puck past Hellebuyck to knot the game at 3.

Tyler Toffoli scored on the power play at 11:40 of the third when Nikolaj Ehlers hit him cutting through the slot.

Toffoli cut to his backhand before sliding the puck past Gubauer to make it 4-3 Jets.

The goal was his 33rd of the season.

Both teams wrap up the regular season on Thursday as Seattle visits Minnesota and Winnipeg hosts Vancouver.

SHOTS-SEATTLE 23 WINNIPEG 24

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Philip Paul-Martin

A well rounded journalist with experience in both print and broadcast mediums, Philip has written news stories with impact, broken national news while at the CBC, anchored radio news and hosted talk show radio. His coverage includes feature writing, game stories and more in-depth pieces during the off-season as well as writing about the National Hockey League and the Winnipeg Jets. He calls Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada home.