Minnesota 3, Winnipeg 2
When: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Where: Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Referees:
Chris Schlenker, Justin St. Pierre
Linesmen:
Shandor Alphonso, Brian Murphy
Attendance:
15321
By Field Level Media
The Minnesota Wild scored two goals in the last 87 seconds of the game to steal a 3-2 road victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.
After Jason Zucker's power-play goal at 18:33 of the third period tied the game, Joel Eriksson Ek forced in a rebound just 26 seconds later for the winner. Eriksson Ek's goal stood after both a video review and a coach's challenge from the Winnipeg bench.
The Wild extended their winning streak to four games, strengthening their hold on a Western Conference wild-card position. Winnipeg, meanwhile, missed an opportunity to pass the Nashville Predators for first place in the Central Division.
Ryan Donato and Eric Staal each had two assists for the Wild. Since being acquired in a trade from the Bruins, Donato has one goal and five assists in four games and has yet to taste defeat in a Minnesota sweater.
Jets center Mark Scheifele opened the scoring with a power-play goal 8:53 into the first period. Scheifele leads all Jets skaters with 31 goals, though he hadn't notched a point in his previous five games.
The Wild evened the game with a power-play goal at 11:50 of the second period. Brad Hunt took a point shot that beat a screened Connor Hellebuyck for his fifth goal of the season.
It took Winnipeg only 14 seconds to regain the lead. Ben Chiarot carried the puck into Minnesota's end and fired a shot that deflected off Patrik Laine for the score.
Laine had both a goal and an assist in the game, giving him four goals and two assists over his past four games. The forward finally seems to be emerging from an extended slump that saw him record just six points over a 26-game stretch from Dec. 18-Feb. 16.
Minnesota's Devan Dubnyk stopped 30 of 32 shots for his 25th win of the season. Hellebuyck saved 37 of 40 shots.
Both teams had new faces on the ice following Monday's trade deadline. Kevin Fiala had 17:14 of ice time for Minnesota after being acquired in a trade from the Predators. Winnipeg made a league-high six trades on Monday, with new acquisitions Kevin Hayes and Nathan Beaulieu in the lineup against the Wild.
Minnesota has won all four meetings against the Jets this season. The division rivals meet one more time in the regular season, on April 2 in Saint Paul.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Minnesota |
|
Winnipeg |
|
Ryan Donato 2 |
Points |
Patrik Laine 2 |
|
Joel Eriksson Ek 1 |
Goals |
Patrik Laine 1 |
|
Ryan Donato 2 |
Assists |
Patrik Laine 1 |
|
Brad Hunt 1 |
Power Play Goals |
Mark Scheifele 1 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Devan Dubnyk .938 |
Save Percentage |
Connor Hellebuyck .925 |
|
Devan Dubnyk 30 |
Saves |
Connor Hellebuyck 37 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Minnesota
|
40 |
3 |
2-2 |
3-4 |
8 |
25 |
| Winnipeg
|
32 |
2 |
1-4 |
0-2 |
4 |
26 |
Upcoming Games
-
Winnipeg will play their next game at home against Nashville. The Jets have a W/L % of .514 after a win and .692 after a loss.
-
Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Calgary. The Wild have a W/L % of .533 after a win and .441 after a loss.
For more information, contact us