Winnipeg 5, Arizona 2
When: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Where: MTS Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Referees:
Chris Lee, Ian Walsh
Linesmen:
Brian Mach, Mark Wheler
Attendance:
15294
By The Sports Xchange
WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- Judging by the grin on the face of Winnipeg Jets rookie forward Nikolaj Ehlers, his first career hat trick felt pretty darn good.
So did the win.
Ehlers scored twice 6:58 apart in the first period and once in the second while defenseman Dustin Byfuglien scored twice in the second period as the Jets (22-24-3) snapped a three-game skid in a 5-2 rout of the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday.
"I couldn't have done it without the guys, of course. It feels good, for sure," Ehlers said. "It's awesome that I got the three goals, but that we ended off before the break with a win (is better), for sure."
Right winger Blake Wheeler assisted on all three Ehlers goals.
"It's tough to find, and it doesn't happen much," said Ehlers of the instant chemistry he found on a line with Wheeler and center Mark Scheifele. "I think we all have great speed and we used that well today."
The Coyotes (24-20-5) found a lone goal through center Brad Richardson late in the second period. Starting goaltender Louis Domingue was pulled in favor of Anders Lindback following the second period after allowing five goals on 25 shots.
Arizona got into penalty trouble early in the first period as defenseman Michael Stone found himself in the box twice in the first 5:30.
After not registering a shot on the first power-play attempt, the Jets converted on the second as Wheeler's shot ricocheted off the leg of Byfuglien and right onto the tape of Ehlers for a 1-0 lead at 6:55.
"We took two penalties quick out of the gate," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. "You're coming in after a team that's desperate and sitting here waiting for you and (we) get in at 2:30 in the morning. You put yourself in a hole when you take penalties early. You get down too early and you're chasing the game. When you're a team that played the night before, it's not a good recipe for you."
Ehlers notched his second of the game and 11th of the season 6:58 later when Wheeler found the rookie with a pass that Ehlers batted out of mid-air.
Replays show the puck hit the post and the back of Domingue before settling in the back of the net.
The Jets struck again in the second frame, increasing their lead to 3-0 with Byfuglien's 13th of the season at 6:00.
The All-Star let a shot go from center ice, which fooled Domingue and ended up behind him.
"It felt good. I've tried it a few times throughout the year and it was finally nice to get one cheating," Byfuglien said.
"We played a lot better than that in the past and tonight we gave them a lot of free ones," Arizona captain Shane Doan said. "That's kind of the story of the game. We can't do anything about it now so we're going to have a break and get ready for the second half."
Ehlers completed the hat trick at 14:31 as Wheeler once again found the rookie Dane.
The Coyotes got on the scoreboard just over a minute later when Richardson notched his fifth of the season.
Byfuglien restored the four-goal cushion at 17:43 on a short-handed breakaway with the Jets down two men. It was only second goal in franchise history when down two men.
"Obviously, giving up the early ones hurt," said Doan. "But 5-on-3, but really, that hurt. I mean, if we score there, we make it a two-goal game with some momentum and everything can change still being on the power play."
NOTES: C Mark Scheifele returned to the Jets lineup after missing seven games dating back to Jan. 7 with a knee injury. ... Tuesday night's game was the last for the Jets and Coyotes before the NHL All-Star break. ... D Dustin Byfuglien is the Jets' lone representative in Sunday's game in Nashville. ... The Coyotes won't have a representative at the All-Star Game after they traded F John Scott to the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 15, but he'll still serve as Pacific Division captain. ... The Coyotes matched their win total from 2014-15 on Monday, notching their 24th win of the season in a 2-1 shootout win over the Minnesota Wild. ... D Nicklas Grossmann returned to the Coyotes lineup after missing two games (illness). ... LW Christian Thomas made his debut in a Coyotes sweater Tuesday. Thomas was acquired from the Canadiens on Dec. 15.
Top Game Performances
| Arizona |
|
Winnipeg |
|
Anthony Duclair 1 |
Points |
Nikolaj Ehlers 3 |
|
Anthony Duclair 1 |
Goals |
Nikolaj Ehlers 3 |
|
Martin Hanzal 1 |
Assists |
Blake Wheeler 3 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
Nikolaj Ehlers 1 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
Dustin Byfuglien 1 |
|
Anders Lindback 1.000 |
Save Percentage |
Connor Hellebuyck .941 |
|
Louis Domingue 20 |
Saves |
Connor Hellebuyck 32 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Arizona
|
34 |
2 |
0-5 |
3-4 |
13 |
32 |
| Winnipeg
|
37 |
5 |
1-4 |
5-5 |
15 |
20 |
Upcoming Games
-
Winnipeg will play their next game at home against Dallas. The Jets have a W/L % of .364 after a win and .519 after a loss.
-
Arizona will play their next game at home against Los Angeles. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .480 after a loss.
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