In Winnipeg, Nick Schmaltz scored twice in the first period for the Arizona Coyotes for a 2-0 lead after the opening frame, but the Jets regained their footing and rallied for a 4-2 win on Monday night.
Cody Eakin struck for a goal midway through the third period to give the Jets the lead at 3-2.
“That’s a big game by us, being down two to start,” Eakin said. “They’re a hungry team. We ended up stopping the bleeding there and finishing it off the right way. … It’s been a while so to chip in in that way, you’re doing good work out there. It felt good.”
Connor Hellebuyck made 36 saves to earn the win after the rough start.
“I thought I got it with my stick, but then it kind of bounced to my skate,” Nikolaj Ehlers said about the play leading to the game-winner. “We’ve been able to create some good chemistry. But we still have some things we need to clean up. But it’s nice to see that it’s going the right way and we’re making plays. It feels good.”
Ehlers had a goal and two points for the Jets.
“They come hard here at home,” Schmaltz said. “They have a lot of skilled players and we didn’t close out enough guys. We gave them a little bit too much time and space, and when you do that against high-end players, they’re going to make you pay. It’s obviously a frustrating loss. Those are big points.”
Tucker Poolman also scored for Winnipeg.
“You look at [Ehlers’] goal there, it shows our team speed and just moving the puck north and a little simplicity there,” Adam Lowry said. “[Ehlers] makes a great move on the breakaway. And it’s another great play with [Eakin] getting kind of sprung. And [Poolman] going to the net. We knew the way we played in the second, if we continued, we were going to get a good result.”
Mark Scheifele potted an empty net goal for the sealer.
“We didn’t talk a lot to each other on the ice and help each other out and if don’t do that in this building, it’s going to be a tough game,” Oliver Ekman-Larsson said. “So, it was a tough game.”
[WATCH: All Coyotes vs. Jets highlights]
Darcy Kuemper made 30 saves in the loss.
“Your 2-0 lead, you’ve got to really make them earn their goals,” Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said. “And that’s basically what it comes down to. We had our chances at the end, but a couple times we were over-passing again. I’m not quite sure, we had a couple of good shots. Keep ripping it. That’s what good teams do.”
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