A three-goal second period for the Winnipeg Jets helped them defeat the Oilers in Edmonton, 4-3, Monday night.
Brendan Lemieux struck for two goals for the Jets as they improved to 25-12-2.
Connor Hellebuych made 21 saves in win over Oilers – Photo by Jack Lima
“It felt great, it’s good to be a difference-maker,” Lemieux said. “I thought our line played really well tonight. That was the first time we we’ve had that dynamic with [Andrew Copp] in the middle and [Jack Roslovic] on the wing. I loved our game. There was some stuff we could clean up, but I was really happy with our line tonight.”
Connor Hellebuyck made 21 saves to get the win including a late save on Leon Draisaitl.
“I had time to take a look and find out where [the Oilers] were,” Hellebuyck said. “I knew [Draisaitl] must be backdoor where I couldn’t see him. So when [Nugent-Hopkins] got that puck when it popped out, I just knew exactly where it was going. He was on his backhand, so he was not going to shoot that, so I knew exactly where he was going.”
Brandon Tanev and Blake Wheeler also scored for the Jets.
“I think we have a lot of big things to work on, and because we have such a young team, there’s a lot to learn. But we are pleased that while we’re on this process of kind of developing these young players, we’ve been able to win a bunch of hockey games,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice said after the win.
Draisaitl scored twice and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored in the first period to stake the Oilers to an early 1-0 lead.
“It was definitely a better effort than the game before (a 7-4 loss to San Jose Sharks), but it was still not good enough to beat a team like that,” Draisaitl said. “We are making too many little mistakes, and that starts with me and the top guys. We have to clean that up, but I thought we played a solid game that probably could have gone either way.”
The Oilers dropped to 18-18-3 and are still in the Western Conference race because the teams around them are equally mediocre.
[WATCH: All Jets vs. Oilers highlights]
Mikko Koskinen made 32 saves in the loss.
“I thought those guys that we go to every game played their hearts out,” Oilers head coach Ken Hitchcock said. “McDavid, Draisaitl, Nugent-Hopkins played their hearts out, and we need more support for those players. The cavalry isn’t coming for those players. We need the bottom end of our team to start playing better if we expect to get to the next level. We’re covering our own weight at the top, but we need better play from the bottom end of our group.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.