Laine, Connor lead Jets to win over Golden Knights
WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- The Winnipeg Jets bet it all on blue Friday night and were rewarded with a convincing 7-4 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights at Bell MTS Place.
Right winger Patrik Laine led the way with a goal and two assists, Kyle Connor chipped in with a pair of goals and the home team also got singles from Nikolaj Ehlers, Matt Hendricks, Tyler Myers, Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor. The Golden Knights replied with singles from William Karlsson, Cody Eakin and Erik Haula.
Connor Hellebuyck stopped 27 shots in the Jets (16-6-4) net for his 14th win of the season while Maxime Lagace stopped 31 at the other end of the ice for the Golden Knights (15-9-1).
The Jets opened the scoring on an early power play by working the puck around the periphery. Center Bryan Little passed back to left winger Nikolaj Ehlers at the point, who whipped it over to defenseman Tyler Myers, whose one-timer found the mesh behind Maxime Lagace at 4:49. It was the giant defenseman's fourth goal of the year.
The Golden Knights evened things up on an innocent-looking play shortly after when Winnipegger Brendan Leipsic -- who wears No. 13 in honor of family friend Teemu Selanne, who spent four seasons with Jets 1.0 -- took a shot that hit Hellebuyck's right pad and popped up into the air in the crease where center Cody Eakin knocked it into the net at waist height at 12:51. It was his fourth goal of the season.
The visitors took the lead when they outworked the Jets top line down low and moved the puck back to defenseman Nate Schmidt at the point, whose wrist shot was deflected home by center Karlsson for his 14th of the season at 16:49. The 24-year-old Swede scored a pair of goals three weeks ago when the Golden Knights defeated the Jets 5-2 in the desert.
The Jets tied things up a few minutes later when left winger Mathieu Perreault won a battle along the boards just inside the Golden Knights blue line and fed Matt Hendricks. The center took a few quick strides and ripped a wrister that beat Lagace high to the blocker side for this third of the season at 13:21.
The Jets took their second lead of the game when right winger Laine, who had been demoted to the fourth line on Wednesday against Colorado, found left winger Kyle Connor alone in the slot on the power play. His one-timer beat Lagace at 33 seconds of the third period.
On the very next shift, defenseman Colin Miller was called for holding Jets center Andrew Copp and the power play unit was back on the ice.
After moving the puck around smartly for most of the man advantage, Laine gave the Jets a two-goal cushion when he picked up a loose puck just inside the Golden Knights blueline, took a few strides and whipped a wrist shot off his back foot that beat Lagace high to the blocker at 2:48.
Laine earned his third point of the period just a couple of shifts later when he dangled into the Vegas zone and found Ehlers in full flight coming down the left side. The young Dane whipped behind the net and his wraparound was too quick for Lagace at 6:16 for his 11th of the season.
The Golden Knights were determined to keep things close, though, and off the ensuing faceoff, right winger Alex Tuch found left winger Erik Haula, who had slipped behind the Jets defense. His wrist shot beat Hellebuyck cleanly just 19 seconds later.
Vegas took a bench minor for too many men with a little more than five minutes to go in the game but before the penalty had been announced, center Scheifele deflected a shot from the point by Josh Morrissey past Lagace for his 13th of the season.
Miller kept things close when his knuckler from the slot evaded Hellebuyck for his fourth of the season at 16:16 of the third.
Connor scored his ninth of the season and second of the game into the empty net with 68 seconds to go.
NOTES: Golden Knights Fs Cody Eakin and Brendan Leipsic are from Winnipeg, while assistant GM Kelly McCrimmon is from Brandon, Manitoba, and owns the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings. ... After surrendering an average of 13 giveaways for the three games prior to Wednesday, the Jets had only two against Colorado. ... The Jets posted the second-best record in the NHL in November at 9-3-2. ... The Golden Knights have two five-game winning streaks this season.