In Toronto, the Maple Leafs got a lift from a rare contribution from Auston Matthews‘ two goals, but the lift faded and the visiting Winnipeg Jets went to a 4-3 win on Tuesday night.
Connor Hellebuyck made 36 saves to get the win.
“We didn’t go searching (after a 7-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday),” Hellebuyck said. “We all believed in our game and we stuck to it tonight. We had a good practice on Monday, and you could tell guys were hungry for tonight. We didn’t let it weigh in a negative way on our brains. I used that loss for energy. I didn’t let it weigh on me. Sometimes the puck just doesn’t bounce your way, and after that game I was just straight focused on this one to show I’m better than that.”
Zach Hyman also scored for the Leafs.
“I think we’re in a good spot,” Hyman said. “All teams go through adversity. We want to bounce back and we’re not happy about it obviously. We have to be better, but all teams face adversity during a year and it’s a good thing to go through a little.”
The Jets improved to 16-8-1.
“I’ve spent a lot of years in the League with good men, decent goaltenders, but Connor (Hellebuyck) is in that elite level,” Winnipeg head coach Paul Maurice said. “Connor has driven himself to become an elite goalie. He comes to this rink not just fired up today but there’s also an underlying confidence there that he’s going to be good.”
Kyle Connor scored for the Jets to give them a 3-2 lead in the and then Mason Appleton scored in the third period for a 4-2 lead.
“Connor was awesome,” Appleton said. “You know the game before if he gets pulled what kind of Connor Hellebuyck you’re going to get the next night. He made a ton of big saves, especially late in the game. He’s so calm and composed, he’s our rock. He was incredible tonight.”
Andrew Copp had a goal for Winnipeg.
After the Jets had trailed 2-1, Josh Morrissey potted his first goal of the season for a 2-2 tie.
“I’ve had some good chances, but they just haven’t gone in,” Morrissey said. “It was nice to get one and it was a nice lift. … I shaved the other day in between games, so maybe that helped. Who knows? That’s what the guys were saying to me, so I’ll probably keep this look for a while now.”
Frederik Andersen made 19 saves in the loss.
“You either have winning habits, or you have losing habits,” Maple Leafs’ head coach SHeldon Keefe said. “And when you have losing habits, you end up giving up free goals, and then when you don’t score enough on the other side of it, you lose games.”
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