Connor's hat trick sends Jets past Ducks on Hall of Fame night

WINNIPEG -Even after he rattled off his third career hat trick in a 3-2 Winnipeg Jets win over the Anaheim Ducks (5-11-1), Kyle Connor was still somewhat upset.
Even if it was sarcastically.
On the night when the Jets inducted Teemu Selanne and Teppo Numminen into the team's hall of fame, Connor felt there was an opportunity that he missed.
He could've done a celebration that would have made Selanne proud.
"Me and (Blake Wheeler) were talking about if whoever scores first is going to throw the glove up and so his celly. But I didn't do it," Connor said. "It's cool to have them in the building. I know there was an extra buzz coming into it."
At the end of the night, it was the two points in the standings that mattered most, as the Jets improved to 10-4-1 on the season.

Also important was Connor breaking out offensively. He had two goals in the first 14 games coming into Thursday's game, and coming off last season's career-high 47 tallies, he could've been frustrated.

Instead, his focus intensified.
"I put a little more emphasis of getting to the net tonight, just being around more pucks there," said Connor. "A couple of good plays by (Mark Scheifele) and (Sam Gagner), too, another one. So, just put yourself in good situations, that's all you can ask for."
That line combined for six points, with Scheifele picking up assists on both of Connor's third period goals. Gagner, playing on the right wing with Mason Appleton out 8-12 weeks, had the primary assist on Connor's second of the night.
"They're not just relying on the rush, they're not relying on the game coming to them and take off with it," said head coach Rick Bowness. "They're going to the game. The puck is there, they're on it. They forced a lot of turnovers. The goals and the chances are a reflection of what they're doing without the puck."
The visitors opened the scoring with Troy Terry notching his seventh of the season. It came with 9:43 remaining in the first on a delayed penalty, as Terry sent a wrist shot from the top of the circle past a screened Connor Hellebuyck to make it 1-0.

Winnipeg got back on even footing thanks to a Dmitry Kulikov tripping penalty in the second period. Connor got to a rebound following a scramble just outside of John Gibson's crease and smacked it home for his third of the season with 7:38 remaining in the frame. Pierre-Luc Dubois (who drew the Kulikov penalty) and Josh Morrissey picked up assists.
The power play was well-earned as the Jets started to turn the tide momentum wise in the middle frame after being outshot 12-10 in the first.
"They had a hard gap at the blue line, so instead of making plays, we got pucks deep, got on their D, had good sticks and were able to get some O-zone time from there," said Scheifele. "The coaches made some great adjustments with us between periods and guys kept working."
Connor's second of the night gave the Jets a 2-1 lead with 5:45 to go in the third. The Jets worked hard below the goal line to gain possession, and Gagner fed a nifty backhand pass in front to Connor who banged it home for his first multi-goal game of the season.
"What a fantastic pass that (Gagner) made on his second goal," Scheifele said of Gagner. "He talks to us all game. We played with him a number of games back. We had some great chemistry but weren't able to get one. He's been awesome with us."

Anaheim answered quickly, as Trevor Zegras netted his team-leading eighth of the campaign just 28 seconds after Connor's goal to make it 2-2.
The Jets weren't discouraged, and took the lead for good with 53 seconds left in regulation. Scheifele corralled a point shot off the end boards and quickly found Connor for a one-timer in the slot. Just seconds before the goal, Connor's forechecking pressure forced Zegras to turn the puck over.
"I'll have to give him a hard time about that in the summer," Connor joked.
It was a fitting end to the evening, which saw Selanne - the league's record holder for goals in a season by a rookie - with a perfect vantage point for Connor's offensive explosion.
"It's a good thing it worked out that way," grinned Bowness, who has a relationship with both Selanne and Numminen.
"I was very happy for them, very proud of the way the organization handled it," said Bowness. "It was first class tonight, as it should be with those two great individuals."