Jets fly past Flyers in shootout
WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- The Winnipeg Jets rode the momentum of scoring a last-minute tying goal in regulation to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in a shootout on Thursday.
Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine and Bryan Little scored for the Jets in the skills competition while Connor Hellebuyck stopped center Travis Konecny when the Flyers were down to their last shooter for the win.
Scheifele pulled the Jets even with 49 seconds to play, converting a goalmouth feed from captain Blake Wheeler.
The Flyers took a penalty for too many men with 65 seconds left in overtime, but Jets right winger Patrik Laine negated it 45 seconds later with a high-sticking minor.
Philadelphia got a couple quick goals in the first period from right winger Jakub Voracek and center Sean Couturier and for the next two-and-a-half periods, it looked like the work of their goalie Brian Elliot was going to be enough to halt a two-game losing streak.
Hellebuyck stopped 31 shots for the win while Elliot stopped 30 shots.
Mathieu Perreault, who was back in the lineup after missing a dozen games, scored the first marker for the Jets.
Not wanting to be shut out for a third consecutive game for the first time in their history, the Flyers wasted little time getting on the board. Couturier carried the puck over the Jets blueline and snapped a shot that Hellebuyck stopped in the butterfly but Voracek picked up the rebound and snapped home his fifth of the season at 2:29 of the first period.
The Flyers, looking nothing like the team that was shut out in a pair of back-to-back losses to the Minnesota Wild, kept on coming. With Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien off for tripping, Philadelphia worked the puck around the perimeter until Voracek found right winger Wayne Simmonds off the back post but Hellebuyck slid over in time. He wasn't able to cover the puck, however, and Couturier banged it home for his 11th of the season at 5:15.
The Jets got right to work on a second period power play when right winger Joel Armia broke out of his own zone on a two-on-one with Perreault. He feathered a pass through defenseman Brandon Manning's legs and Perreault's deke found daylight between Elliot's legs at 13:05.
NOTES: The Flyers welcomed back rookie C Nolan Patrick to the lineup, who sat out nine games with a concussion. ... Flyers GM Ron Hextall is from Brandon, Manitoba, two hours down the road from Winnipeg, and played his junior hockey for the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings. ... Ulf Nilsson, legendary center of the WHA Jets "Hot Line," along with Bobby Hull and Anders Hedberg, was the guest of Jets owner Mark Chipman in the press box. ... Tuesday's 4-1 victory over Arizona was the first time since March 19 that the Jets scored four goals and didn't get any from Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele or Patrik Laine, a span of 13 games. ... Flyers D Robert Hagg ranked fifth in the NHL with a team-leading 61 entering Thursday.