Jets fire three third period goals to shoot down Ducks
Morgan's tally sparked a three-goal, third period outburst by the Jets in just under a five minute span that broke the game wide open for a Winnipeg side that spotted the visitors a two-goal lead.
Saku Maenalanen, Dylan Samberg, Mark Scheifele also scored for Winnipeg, who bounced back after a 4-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday.
Defenceman Nate Schmidt had a goal and an assist.
Adam Lowry had a pair of assists for the Jets.
Connor Hellebuyck turned aside 28 shots for Winnipeg, who moved to 15-7-1.
Jakob Silfverberg and Brett Leason scored for the Ducks, who lost their 6th straight game.
Anthony Stolarz made 35 saves for Anaheim, who dropped to 6-17-3.
Jakob Silfverberg opened the scoring 15:16 into the first when he snapped up a rebound off a Frank Vatrano shot to make it 1-0 Anaheim.
Brett Leason made it 2-0 just over five minutes into the second when () won a draw back to Dylan Samberg, who had the puck hop over his stick at the point.
Leason skated into the disc and broke in alone on Hellebuyck, beating him with a wrister to score his 2nd goal of the season.
"Well it just kind of came to me. That defence (Samberg) lost the puck off the draw and I kind of stepped and it was there. I was able to get a breakaway and was able to capitalize," said Leason.
"I was playing man to man for my position, just a fortunate bounce for me and I hopped on the opportunity," he added.
Saku Maenalanen got the Jets on the board 10:31 into the second when he converted a Nate Schmidt feed from the side of the net to make it 2-1.
The goal was his 4th of the season.
Dylan Samberg scored 13:28 into the second when he floated a wrister through traffic from the left point which beat Stolarz glove side to make it 2-2.
The goal was the first of his NHL career.
The goal was challenged by Anaheim for a high stick but was allowed to stand.
Morgan Barron gave Winnipeg the lead at 14:23 when he got his stick down after driving the net and slammed an Adam Lowry feed past Stolarz to make it 3-2 Jets.
Mark Scheifele followed up with a goal 49 seconds later at 15:12 when he took a drop pass from Blake Wheeler just inside the Ducks blue line before moving in nad wiring a wrister past Stolarz, beating him high glove side to make it 4-2 Jets.
The goal was his 13th of the season.
Nate Schmidt scored a late power play goal off a wrister from the point to make it 5-2 Winnipeg.
But Jets Head Coach Rick Bowness didn't make any bones about how his club started the game, he wasn't happy.
"Good or bad, I don't look at it that way. It's just not right to start a game like that. Listen, I'm the head coach so I'm responsible for the way we start and getting our team prepared. So that starts with me. The second thing is I'm not a babysitter. These guys are men. They're professionals and they're paid to show up here and go to work. My job here is to make that happen. The third thing on that would be: you cannot play this game without passion. Without emotion. You cannot play this game on your heels. And I hate when we're on our heels. It's not right."
Anaheim Head Coach Dallas Eakins said his club played hard but couldn't match the Jets.
“It's hard. You're coming into a game like this, you know your backs are going to be against the wall anyway. Winnipeg had just lost a tough one (to Columbus Friday) and we're playing back-to-back and they're sitting here fresh so you know it's going to be a tough game," said Eakins.
“I thought our guys did a hell of a job throughout the game, leading early and hanging on. The winning goal just comes off of a guy. Our D-man got his feet tangled up with another guy and he falls. If he doesn't fall, we're probably right now in overtime or a shootout.”
Winnipeg closes out a four-game homestand Tuesday when they host Florida while Anaheim returns home to face the Carolina Hurricanes.
SHOTS-ANAHEIM 30 WINNIPEG 40
ATTENDANCE-13,444
Wheeler nets Hat Trick and Hellebuyck earns 3rd shutout of the season as Jets hammer Avs 5-0
The Jets winger netted his 5th, 6th and 7th goal of the NHL season.
Wheeler says he's just happy to be playing well on a good team.
“Just grateful to still be out there and playing a meaningful role on a pretty good hockey team. I’m just enjoying these opportunities. When you’re playing with the guys I get to play with, you’re going to get put in those position. Like I said, I just feel fortunate a few bounces went my way tonight," he said.
Wheeler was much more impressed with the effort of his goaltender on the night.
“He’s (Hellebuyck) been our best player all year. You talk about Josh elevating his game. For a guy whose won a Vezina and been second before, this is the best I’ve seen him play. He’s been the backbone of our team for a long time. He’s just taken his game to another level and given us an opportunity to win every night.”
Hellebuyck's shutout was his third of the season and kicked off a four-game homestand with a key divisional win.
“I felt like I was doing a lot of work, because they can buzz," said Hellebuyck.
"They are a good team over there and they can move the puck well when they move around our zone. But everything was controlled when I was getting it. The guys battled so hard in front of me for those rebounds. I felt that I was part of the win tonight, and it was a good team win.”
Mark Scheifele had a goal and two assists for Winnipeg.
Josh Morrissey had a goal and an assist for the Jets.
Cole Perfetti had three assists for Winnipeg, setting up two of Wheeler's goals.
The Jets moved to 14-6-1.
Alaxandar Georgiev stopped 19 shots for Colorado, who dropped to 12-6-1.
Blake Wheeler opened the scoring 9:18 into the first, working a give-and-go with Josh Morrissey before moving in from the top of the faceoff circle and beating Colorado goaltender Alaxandar Georgiev blocker side with a low wrister.
Mark Scheifele appeared to give the Jets a 2-0 lead just over two minutes into the second period after he poked a loose puck past Georgiev but Colorado Head Coach Jared Bednar appealed, citing goaltender interference.
The ruling was no goal on the play.
Winnipeg continued to press with Scheifele ringing a puck off the post at 3:10.
The pressure paid off when Josh Morrissey took a Dylan DeMelo feed and beat Georgiev with a slap shot from the left point.
The goal was his 5th of the season.
Wheeler scored his second of the night 13:07 into the second when he capped off a neat three-way passing play by converting a Cole Perfetti backhand past Georgiev to make it 3-0 Jets.
Mark Scheifele made it 4-0 1:22 into the third when he broke in on a 2-on-1 with Kyle Connor before the Jet winger slid a cross crease feed past a sprawling Samuel Girard which Scheiefle tapped into a wide open net.
The goal was his 12th of the season.
Blake Wheeler converted a Cole Perfetti feed at 16:09 to put Winnipeg up 5-0 and score his third of the night.
The goal was his 7th of the season.
Avs forward Andrew Cogliano said they just weren't good enough.
“We obviously didn’t get enough traffic,” Avalanche forward Andrew Cogliano said. “Some pucks were laying there and we weren’t doing a good enough job getting there enough. At the end of the day we have to get more pucks from the top and get more rebounds and create chances that way. They’re a good defensive team. It wasn’t our best night and we’ve got to move on," he said.
Colorado Head Coach Jared Bednar said his club gave up too much ice.
“You look at the goals we gave up, they were odd-man rushes and Grade A scoring chances from them on the rush attack. I thought we were pretty good, actually, protecting the net front once we got into D-zone coverage. That wasn’t our issue. It was the work to get back above pucks in the offensive zone, get numbers back above it to be able to shut down a rush attack. It was sporadic, and when we didn’t do it they capitalized on it," he said.
Jets Head Coach Rick Bowness said it was a statement game by his club.
"No it’s not just another game. I think the message we’re trying to send here is make them worry about us. They’re the defending Stanley Cup Champions, they’re a great hockey team, yeah they are. We’re starting to realize that when we play the right way, and we play the way we’re supposed to play, and play together, we’re a very good hockey club. The message is more about us and the way we want to play. If you look at the game, I thought we gave them way too much respect in the first period, then we started to play our hockey in the second and third, and there was a big difference. That shows me that it’s coming. They’re starting to believe that if we play the right way, play hard, good things will happen for us. So was it a big game against the Stanley Cup champions, yeah, but I’m putting more focus on us and how we play," he said.
Colorado visits Buffalo Thursday while Winnipeg hosts Columbus on Friday.
SHOTS-COLORADO 40 WINNIPEG 25
Morrissey's OT goal lifts Jets to 4-3 win
Pierre-Luc Dubois picked up a loose puck and circled behind his own net before hitting Morrissey with a breakaway stretch pass at center ice.
The Jet defenceman cruised in and drifted a wrister past Hurricanes goaltender Pytor Kochetkov to seal the win for the Jets.
Morrissey had a pair of goals on the night.
"I felt we were able to create a turnover. We got control of the puck. I kind of just took off when one of their guys changed. Sometimes that's how it works. In overtime, if you can turn the puck over quick and transition the other way, you can create an odd man rush. Dubie made a great, heads-up pass and from there, I just tried to go in and score a goal," said Morrissey.
Winnipeg had control of the game until Carolina came to life in the third period, firing three goals in a span of 4:09 to tie the contest and send it to overtime after Canes Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour opted to pull his goaltender with over five minutes remaining in regulation.
The move paid off as Carolina fired three straight goals to push the game into overtime.
Andrei Svechnikov, who scored the Hurricanes second goal said his club just wouldn't quit.
"You know I'm in my fifth year here and our team it's like uh never give up. It doesn't matter how much we're losing by we just play or try to play hard every shift," he said. "We played good today you know just a bit unlucky."
Pierre-Luc Dubois had a goal and two assists on the night, including his breakaway pass on Morrissey's game winning tally.
Mikey Eyssimont also scored for Winnipeg, who moved to 11-5-1.
Blake Wheeler had a pair of assists.
David Rittich made 24 saves for the Jets and has won his last three starts.
Jaccob Slavin, Andrei Svechnikov and David Necas scored for the Hurricanes.
Sebastian Aho had three assists for Carolina.
Pytor Kochetkov turned aside 19 shots for the Canes, who dropped to 10-5-4.
Pierre-Luc Dubois opened the scoring at 18:34 of the first when Blake Wheeler sent him in alone on Pytor Kochetkov as he beat the Carolina goaltender with a low wrister short side to make it 1-0 Winnipeg.
The goal was his 8th of the season.
Mikey Essyimont gave the Jets a 2-0 lead after he followed up on a David Gustafsson breakaway and knocked the disc past Kochetkov 6:44 into the second period.
The goal was the 1st of his NHL career.
The Jets were given a two-man advantage for 1:22 in the second period but failed to score.
Andrei Svechnikov nearly got Carolina on the board with 2:28 left in the second when he was alone in front of Rittich from 15 feet out but the Jets goaltender stopped his wrister point blank.
Josh Morrissey made it 3-0 on an odd man rush just under four minutes into the third when he took a Blake Wheeler feed and moved into the high slot before beating Kochetkov with a low shot.
The goal was his 2nd of the season.
Carolina Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour pulled his goaltender with 5:32 left in the third and the move paid off as Jaccob Slavin scored at 15:12 to pull the Canes to within a pair.
The goal was his first of the season.
Andrei Svechnikov got his stick on a Brent Burns point shot at at 16:52 to pull Carolina to within a goal.
The goal was his 13th of the season.
The Canes pulled their goaltender again and the move paid off as Martin Necas tied the game with 38.8 seconds left in the third to send the game to overtime.
The goal was his 9th of the season.
Carolina Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour said they had discussed pulling his goaltender earlier on during a time out.
“In this game, it didn’t matter. We talked about it at the eight-minute timeout. I’m like, ‘Why don’t we just try something crazy because this game is kind of flat for us.’ But we decided to wait a little longer. You get that one. If they get the fourth one, who cares, the game, it’s irrelevant. So that’s why you’re pulling him earlier and earlier. The trick is, I think, when you’re down two, not to pull him too early because you’re still in the game. So you’ve got to kind of manage that a little bit, but we had nothing to lose, it’s 3-0.”
Jets Head Coach Rick Bowness said the key to getting the win was not panicking after Carolina tied it up late in the third period.
“There was no panic on the bench. Again, sometimes in hockey, you shoot the puck, it gets deflected and goes in. Sometimes you tip it and we might have covered that thing perfectly, it still doesn’t mean it’s not going in the net. Sometimes it does. Just don’t panic, and there was no panic on the bench. OK, we got a point here, let’s go here and make sure we get the extra point. However we got it, we got it. And that’s the most important thing. We got the two points.”
Carolina returns home to host Arizona Wednesday while Winnipeg visits Minnesota in a divsional matchup.
SHOTS-CAROLINA 27 WINNIPEG 23
Penguins shut out Jets 3-0
Zucker worked a give-and-go with Evgeni Malkin perfectly as he wired a wrister over Connor Hellebuyck's shoulder.
Bryan Rust had a goal and an assist to pace the Penguins.
Jason Zucker and Jake Guentzel had the other Pittsburgh goals.
Tristan Jarry turned aside all 32 shots he faced to earn the shutout for Pittsburgh, his first since February 26th.
The Penguins moved to 8-7-3 with the win.
Connor Hellebuyck made 29 saves for Winnipeg, who dropped to 10-5-1.
There was no scoring in the first period.
Winnipeg went scoreless on two man advantages in the second, but were unable to score.
Winnipeg held the shot advantage through two periods 23-22.
Jason Zucker scored 53 seconds into the third to get the Penguins on the board.
Bryan Rust scored at 18:26 when Connor Hellebuyck coughed up a puck he attempted to play and put the puck right on Sidney Crosby's stick.
The Penguins captain slid it over to Rust who fired the disc into a wide open net.
The goal was his 5th of the season.
Jake Guentzel added an empty netter with four seconds remaining to seal the win for the Penguins.
Pittsburgh faces Chicago Sunday while Winnipeg closes out a three-game homestand on Monday when they host the Carolina Hurricanes.
SHOTS-PITTSBURGH 32 WINNIPEG 32
ATTENDANCE-15,325
Connor Hat Trick powers Jets past Anaheim
The Jet winger fired all three goals for his club, who won for the 8th time in their last ten games.
Connor one timed a Mark Scheifele feed from the side of the net after the Jet centre coralled the puck off the end boards after defenceman Neal Pionk banked a slap pass off the end boards.
Connor slapped the disc past Ducks goaltender John Gibson, beating him low stick side to give the Jets the win.
The goal was his 5th of the season.
Connor Hellebuyck stopped 29 shots for Winnipeg, who Troy Terry and Trevor Zegras scored for Anaheim.
Cam Fowler had a pair of assists for the Ducks.
John Gibson made 29 saves for Anaheim, who dropped to 5-11-1.
The game started well for the Ducks, who struck first 10:17 into the first period on a delayed penalty call.
Troy Terry scored on a wrister as he moved in from the left point and drifted a shot past Hellebuyck, which he managed to get a piece of.
Ducks defenceman Cam Fowler and Terry cycled the puck before Fowler fed Terry at the left point before he moved in and scored.
Winnipeg tied the game 12:32 into the second on the power play when Connor worked a give-and-go with Josh Morrissey before curling on his backhand toward the right side boards and hit Pierre-Luc Dubois with a crisp pass just outside the crease.
Dubois got a shot on goal before Connor cruised in and snapped the rebound past Gibson with Dubois providing a screen.
The goal was his 8th of the season.
Connor scored again 14:15 into the 3rd when he converted Sam Gagner's backhand pass from behind the net, slamming the disc past Gibson to give the Jets a one goal lead.
Winnipeg's lead was short lived as Trevor Zegras tied the game 27 seconds later when Adam Henrique and Zegras worked a give-and-go perfectly, that started when Zegras hit his teammate with a stretch pass at the Jet blueline before Henrique glided across and returned the feed with a soft pass Zegras skated into.
The Anaheim forward made no mistake, snapping the puck past Hellebuyck, beating him high blocker side to tie the game at 2.
The goal was his 8th of the season.
Anaheim visits St. Louis Saturday while Winnipeg hosts Pittsburgh.
SHOTS-ANAHEIM 31 WINNIPEG 32
ATTENDANCE-14,278
Gawanke nets game winner in OT as Moose edge Wranglers 4-3
Gawanke cut hard for the slot before Heinola hit him with a centering pass before he slid the disc through Oscar Dansk's pads to give the Moose the win.
The goal was his 3rd of the season.
Cole Maier, Henri Nikkanen and Chaz Lucius scored for the Moose.
Ville Heinola had a pair of assists for Manitoba.
Oskari Salminen and Arvid Holm combined to turn aside 31 shots for the Moose, who moved to 7-3-1-0.
Emilio Pettersen scored twice for Calgary.
Cole Schwindt also scored for the Wranglers.
Oscar Dansk made 29 saves for Calgary, who dropped to 6-5-1-0.
With Calgary on a two-man advantage early on Cole Schwindt scored 5:16 into the first period, wiring a high wrister past Salminen to make it 1-0 Wranglers.
The goal was his 3rd of the season.
Emilio Pettersen made it 2-0 Wranglers at 10:23 when Connor Zary took a feed near the left corner and hit Pettersen with a crisp pass in the high slot.
Pettersen made no mistake, drifting a wrister and beat Salminen low glove side to score his 2nd goal of the season.
Cole Maier scored 1:13 into the second, golfing a puck past Dansk from the slot to make it 2-1.
The goal was his 3rd of the season.
Pettersen netted his second goal of the afternoon ten seconds later when he caught Salminen napping, scoring on a bobbling wrister from just outside the Manitoba blue line at 1:23.
Moose Head Coach Mark Morrison had seen enough and pulled Salminen in favor of Arvid Holm.
Heni Nikkanen got the Moose to within a goal at 7:23 when he took control of the puck just inside the Manitoba blue line and skated into the Calgary zone before snapping a wrister from the top of the right circle, beating Dansk blocker side to make it 3-2.
The goal was his 3rd of the season.
Chaz Lucius tied it with 42.4 seconds left in the second when he cruised in and knocked the rebound off a Simon Lundmark point shot past Dansk.
The goal was the 2nd of the season.
Manitoba visits Texas Friday while Calgary visits Bakersfield.
SHOTS-CALGARY 34 MANITOBA 33
ATTENDANCE-2945
Calgary Wrangles 3-2 win over Moose
Walker Duehr scored the other Calgary goal.
Dustin Wolf made 24 saves for the Wranglers, who moved to 6-5-0-0.
Jeff Malott and Evan Polei scored for Manitoba.
Oskari Salminen turned aside 22 shots for the Moose, who dropped to 6-3-1-0.
Cole Schwindnt gave Calgary the lead on the power play when he took a feed off the rush from Jakob Pelltier in the high slot before moving in and beating Salminen high blocker side to put Calgary up 1-0 at 9:21.
Schwidnt knotted his second power play marker of the night 1:46 into the second period when he corralled a loose puck in the slot Jajob Pelltier redirected right onto his stick two feet out from the net.
Schwindt snapped it past Salminen to make it 2-0 Wranglers.
The goal was his 2nd of the season.
Walker Duehr scored 2:13 into the third, walking around Moose defenceman Simon Lundmark before lifting a backhand past Salminen to make it 3-0 Wranglers.
The goal was his 3rd of the season.
Jeff Malott replied for Manitoba just over two minutes later when he drove the net and converted a Kevin Stenlund feed from close in to make it 3-1 at 4:14.
The goal was his 3rd of the season.
Evan Polei tipped a Ville Heinola point shot past Wolf at 5:39 to pull Manitoba within a goal.
Josh Brook appeared to score Calgary's fourth goal of the night when he fired a wrister from the high slot past Salminen during a goalmouth scramble but it was waved off by referee Stephen Hiff for goaltender interference at 9:49.
Moose Head Coach Mark Morrison pulled Salminen in favor of an extra attacker with just over two minutes left in regulation but Manitoba was unable to score.
SHOTS-CALGARY 25 MANITOBA 26
ATTENDANCE-4092
Jets hammer Stars 5-1
Winnipeg now sits atop the Central Division standings with an 8-3-1 record.
The Jets swept a three-game homestand and have won six of their last seven games, their only blemish an overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on their last road trip.
“We’re just comfortable playing our game. We’re not sitting back on our heels, we’re playing on our toes, we’re making it hard on teams to make plays and make continuous passes. That comes with playing fast and having good sticks and trusting your teammates. I think we’ve done a really good job with that," said Scheifele.
Scheifele was a part of a second period offensive explosion for the Jets, who broke the game open with three tallies in a 2:45 minute span.
The Jets fired four goals in the second stanza after a scoreless first period.
Mason Appleton had a goal and two assists for Winnipeg.
Pierre-Luc Dubois and Saku Maenalanen also scored for the Jets.
Kyle Connor had three assists for the Jets.
Connor Hellebuyck made 21 saves for Winnipeg.
Jason Robertson scored for the Stars, who finished a three-game road trip with a loss.
Scott Wedgewood turned aside 28 shots as Dallas, who dropped to 8-4-1.
There was no scoring in the first period.
Jason Robertson broke the stalemate just over three minutes into the second when he snagged a loose puck off of Neal Pionk's skate in the slot and beat Hellebuyck with a blocker side wrister to make it 1-0 Stars.
The goal was his 9th of the season.
Mark Scheifele replied 21 seconds later when he finished off a nifty three-way passing play off the rush, burying a cross-crease Mason Appleton feed to get the Jets on the board.
Pierre-Luc Dubois gave Winnipeg the lead at 4:37 when he found himself in front of a wide open net after Dallas goaltender Scott Wedgewood had a miscue behind the Dallas goal.
Blake Wheeler got his stick on the puck and got the puck to Cole Perfetti who relayed it to a wide open Dubois.
Dubois lifted a backhand shot into the net to make it 2-1 Jets.
The goal was his 6th of the season.
Scheifele potted his second of the night at 6:12.
Kyle Connor got control of the puck behind the Stars goal and worked himself into the high slot before curling hard toward the left boards and accelerated before hitting Scheifele with a cross crease feed which he tapped past Wedgewood to make it 3-1 Jets.
The goal was his 8th of the season.
Saku Maenalanen got his stick on a Neal Pionk shot late in the second period to give the Jets a 4-1 lead at 18:14.
The goal was his first as a Winnipeg Jet.
Mason Appleton scored an empty netter with just under three minutes left in regulation to seal the win for the Jets.
The game was an early season first place showdown.
But that mattered little to Appleton.
“It’s big time. When I was traded back here at the end of last year, there was a couple of meaningless hockey games, you were just playing for your pride. Those games aren’t near as fun as playing for first place, no matter if that is Game 12 or Game 75. We love where our game is at right now, and to be in first place feels damn good," he said.
Jets Head Coach Rick Bowness says his club is starting to see the fruits of their labours.
“I see a more confident team. They understand if they play the right way and do these things that we keep preaching, we’re going to have success. We are going to cut down on the chances against, the shots against and we are going to have a lot more fun when we get the puck. I think that they are starting to see it. They should see it. They’re playing like they see it. The confidence is there right now," said Bowness.
Stars Head Coach Pete DeBoer said his club just wasn't good enough.
"I thought we had a really poor first period. I thought we kind of regrouped at the beginning of the second, scored the first goal, started to play and then you know just some poor decisions and some poor execution for five or six minutes and we lost all of our momentum and you know the game was essentially over at that point."
Dallas returns home to host San Jose Friday while Winnipeg visits Calgary on Saturday.
SHOTS-DALLAS WINNIPEG
ATTENDANCE-13,847
NOTES-Winnipeg gave up only one man advantage on the night, a third period tripping penalty by Kyle Connor.
The Jets four goal second period outburst was a season high.
Winnipeg has not allowed a third period goal for six straight games.