Byfuglien records three points in return as Jets down Canucks

WINNIPEG - It was just the third period the Winnipeg Jets needed.
Tied 1-1 with the Vancouver Canucks through 40 minutes - and after learning a tough lesson just two nights earlier against the Edmonton Oilers - the Jets made sure the outcome on Thursday night would be different.
The Jets scored three unanswered goals in the final 20 minutes to seal a 4-1 win over the Canucks, improving the Jets record to 4-2-1.
"It was kind of the opposite of last game. We did a good job of getting better throughout the game and the third period was our best," said Bryan Little, who finished with the eventual game winner, his second in three games. "It was a good response by us."

The power play scored twice on two opportunities - with Little and Patrik Laine lighting the lamp - while Andrew Copp and Dustin Byfuglien added markers at even strength to round out the offence.
It was Byfuglien's first game back after missing two games with an upper-body injury, and the Minnesota native was involved, adding two assists for a three-point night.
"Later on in the game we started moving a little quicker when we got the puck," said Byfuglien. "Making that first pass a little better so you can get going and get out of our zone and get moving a little bit more.
"We played a pretty good game for an all-around team."

The Canucks held a 7-1 shot advantage through the opening six minutes, but Connor Hellebuyck held the fort early, including a breakaway stop on Tim Schaller just four minutes in.
On the ensuing power play, Laine was turned away on his first one-timer attempt off a Blake Wheeler pass from the right circle. But the Finnish sniper would get another chance, as Wheeler threaded another feed through the Canucks penalty killers. This time, Laine tucked his shot under the right arm of Anders Nilsson and into the back of the net. The goal also gave Wheeler his 500th point as a member of the Jets franchise.
After the early 7-1 shots advantage held by Vancouver, the Jets outshot the visitors 10-1 from that point, and took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
But the Canucks would surge back in the second, sustaining stretches of offensive zone pressure before Derrick Pouliot hit Bo Horvat in stride in the neutral zone. Horvat made a quick move on Trouba just inside the Jets zone, then chipped the puck past Hellebuyck for his fourth of the season.
That was the only puck to beat Hellebuyck though, as the netminder made 26 saves for his third win of the season.
"I felt like I did my job tonight. I was part of the team. They played so well in front of me," said Hellebuyck. "When they had their chances, they capitalized. It was an ideal game for us.
"I believe in these guys and we believe in each other. It feels good and we have to continue building."

The Jets killed off the remaining 1:37 of a Tyler Myers goaltender interference call to start the third period, and took advantage of an Alex Edler tripping call to retake the lead.
Nikolaj Ehlers hit Little with a pass as the Jets gained the zone and Little's quick backhand from the slot beat Nilsson on the glove side, putting the Jets up 2-1 with 15:02 left in regulation.
Byfuglien picked up the secondary assist on the goal, as the Jets tried a new wrinkle on the man advantage. Josh Morrissey played the point on Mark Scheifele's unit, while Byfuglien and Myers were on the blue line for Little's unit.
It paid off.
"We had planned on having josh Morrissey run the back end on Scheifs' unit. We didn't the first time because Dustin had been on the ice for an extended period of time, and (Morrissey) had just come off," said head coach Paul Maurice.
"The one thing about the other unit is they've spent time in the zone with the puck but they haven't been getting it to the net a whole lot. With (Mathieu) Perreault going to the front of the net, Dustin will shoot that puck all night long."

The lead would increase to 3-1 when Adam Lowry slipped a pass in front of the Canucks net, and after it bounced around in the crease, Andrew Copp chipped it toward the net, and it found its way over the line for Copp's first of the season.
The exclamation mark on the evening was Winnipeg's fourth goal, as a three-way passing play that began with Ehlers finding Little in the left circle, before the Jets franchise leader in games played slid a one-touch pass to Byfuglien for his first of the campaign, and third point of the night.
Maurice liked what he saw from his team in the third period.
"Our third had the right amount of urgency and desperation in our game," said Maurice. "We were churning right - really good decisions when we tried to make something happen. We want to continue to do that.
"You have to make plays in the third period to make things happen, but a smart amount. We put a lot more pucks deep, put a lot more pucks to the net, and then we fed off that."
Next up on the home stand is an afternoon match-up with the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday afternoon.