WINNIPEG – With the All Star Break coming up, the Jets really needed some momentum. With a week off coming they needed to get some sort of spark and what they got was a great performance from everybody in a huge, 5-2, victory over the Arizona Coyotes. The 15,294 fans in attendance had the MTS Centre rocking as the Jets erupted for five goals and gave their fans hope that they can still make a run after the break and turn things around on a disappointing season right now.
“We get to go feeling good,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said. “We get some guys who have some confidence back in their games. You need to have that good feeling.”
Connor Hellebuyck made his 10th straight start and was really sharp as he made 32 saves to get his 12th win of the season.
The Jets were led by rookie Nikolaj Ehlers who scored a hat trick his 10th , 11th , and 12th goals of the season; his first NHL hat trick.
“I couldn’t have done it without the other guys of course, but it feels good,” Ehlers said. “[Quick chemistry] is tough to find, and it doesn’t happen much.”
With Mark Scheifele returning from the IR the trio of Ehlers, Blake Wheeler and Scheifele were reunited and they did not disappoint as the first goal on the power play was some nice work by Wheeler and the net front presence of big Dustin Byfuglien, Ehlers deposited a juicy rebound into the back of the net, 1-0 Jets.
The trio would strike again as Scheifele made a nice feed to Wheeler who then made a beauty cross crease pass to Ehlers who batted out of the air into the net for a 2-0 Jets lead after one.
Dustin Byfuglien was also a force as the Jets All Star scored a couple of really nice goals. His first of the night which was his 13th of the season was vintage Byfuglien as he carried up ice and faked a dump in the corner and shot on net, the shot fooled Coyotes netminder Louis Domingue who was crossed up and saw the puck go in.
Ehlers would then score his third of the game on a beauty wrist shot that beat Domingue high on the glove side. The ice was littered in Jets hats as the rookie scored the third hat trick for the team since there return.
With the score 4-0 the Coyotes would get on the board as Brad Richardson got his fifth to get the visitors on the board.
The Jets would see themselves down two men for almost two minutes but after a blocked shot by Chris Thorburn that put a puck on Tyler Myers stick who then sprung a streaking Byfuglien who went in alone and roofed his 14th of the year past Domingue who smashed his stick in disgust after allowing the fifth Jet goal.
“You have to take this game and park it,” Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. “It’s three [games] in four [nights] with travel, and hard travel.
“[Domingue] didn’t have his best night, and that’s the way it goes sometimes. If you want to overthink this game, it’s wrong. Just park it, move on to the break, and we’ll come out better out of the break.”
The Coyotes would make a goalie change in the third as Domingue finished forty minutes giving up five goals on 25 shots. Anders Linback would play the third and he stopped all 12 shots he faced.
Anthony Duclair would score late in the third his 13th of the season to make the final 5-2 for Winnipeg.
“You’re coming in against a team that is desperate and sitting here, waiting for you, you get in at 2:30 in the morning and you put yourself in a hole by taking penalties early,” Tippett said. “You get down too early and you’re chasing the game. When you’re a team that played the night before, that’s not a good recipe for you. Lots of lessons learned.”
The Jets will regroup and get back at it next Tuesday against Dallas.
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