Connor scores overtime winner as Jets reach 50 wins

MONTREAL, QC - Only 79 teams have hit the 50-win plateau in the National Hockey League's 100-year history.
That was, until Tuesday night.
Kyle Connor's 30th of the season came in overtime - a rocket of a one-timer from the high slot - as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Montreal Canadiens 5-4 to improve to 50-20-10.

Patrik Laine, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Jack Roslovic scored in regulation for the Jets, while Sami Niku - playing in his first NHL game - also recorded his first NHL goal late in the third period.
"It was really nice to play my first game in Bell Centre in Montreal. Montreal is a big hockey town. It was really nice to score a goal here," said Niku, who finished with just over 15 minutes of ice time, two shots, and three blocked shots.
"I felt pretty good. But of course I can play much better than I played today. It was a pretty good first game in the NHL."

Niku was one of four Jets inserted into the line-up in Montreal. With captain Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, Adam Lowry, Josh Morrissey, Jacob Trouba, and Connor Hellebuyck held out of the line-up for maintenance, Niku, Roslovic, Marko Dano, and Shawn Matthias all suited up.
It didn't take long for the offence to get rolling.
The power play got it started, when Laine - posted up in his trademark spot, the left circle - took a pass from Dustin Byfuglien, and hammered it just inside the far post for his 44th of the season.

Just a shade under two minutes later, the Jets made it 2-0 when Ehlers, Paul Stastny, and Laine broke in on an odd-man rush against Montreal's Karl Alzner. Ehlers fed Stastny in the middle, and the centre quickly sent it back to Ehlers, who buried his 29th of the campaign past Carey Price.
After killing two penalties in the second, the Jets pounced again at five-on-five.

A Jets chance off the rush was stymied near the blue line, but Tucker Poolman, following the play saw Jack Roslovic open in the left circle. Poolman slid a pass through the seam, and Roslovic made no mistake, burying his fifth of the season.
But before the end of the middle frame, Artturi Lehkonen took advantage of a loose puck in the slot, and snuck it just under the left arm of Steve Mason, cutting the Jets lead to 3-1.
Montreal then got within one just 3:19 into the third, when Paul Byron was just outside the crease to knock home a rebound, after Brendan Gallagher's initial shot was stopped by Mason.
Mason would finish the game with 36 saves in his first appearance since shutting out the New York Rangers on Mar. 6.
"It was nice to get back out there from a personal standpoint," said Mason, who had a knee scope shortly after that shut out in New York.
"It's been tough getting some practice time in here. We haven't had a full team practice since I had surgery. So to put in some quality time with (Goaltending Coach Wade Flaherty) and getting out here early this morning with a couple of guys just to feel the puck, and try to get back in the swing of things here. From the first puck drop I felt comfortable."

Kerby Rychel would pull the Canadiens even just past the midway point of the third, when off the face-off, he deflected Jeff Petry's wrist shot from the left side boards in front of Mason, and found the puck found space just inside the post.
But the tie wouldn't last long, as 24 seconds later, a centering pass from Kyle Connor slid through the slot to a pinching Sami Niku, who beat Carey Price with a wrist shot through the five hole, restoring the Jets lead.
"We were talking about antifreeze in the veins. That's the way he looked, pretty cool out there," head coach Paul Maurice said of Niku, who was paired with Byfuglien in his NHL debut.
"We left the match up, playing against Montreal's best. There were some challenges in his own end, but we wanted to see him against good competition. In the end, he was on the ice for a few, but he had the confidence to get up into the rush and finish a play off, and beat a guy to the net in overtime to create a great scoring chance. There's lots to like there."

The Canadiens weren't done though, as a Byfuglien slashing penalty put the home side on the power play. Alex Galchenyuk's wrist shot beat Mason on the glove side, despite the Jets goaltender's best attempts to snag the puck that he initially got a piece of.
That set the stage for Connor in overtime. Seconds after Tyler Myers hit the post, the Jets got the puck back, and Roslovic hit Connor in the high slot, and Connor's quick shot beat Price on the glove side.

"We just try to hold on to the puck a little bit more than we usually do, and try to catch them on a change," said Connor. "We had an odd-man rush there at the end. Jack made a great pass and I tried to capitalize on it."
The Jets now head home for a two-game home stand to close out the regular season schedule, beginning Thursday night against the Calgary Flames.
As for those 50 wins, Maurice said it's a credit to the team's consistency.
"To get that many wins over the course (of the season), you can't have a lot of lulls. We certainly did it while battling some injuries. We've had a lot of key guys out of our line-up. To the leadership, and the focus of this group all year, finishing the last two years the way we did, and to come and be pretty darn good right from the start."