Ehlers' heroics lift Jets to road trip opening win

ANAHEIM - Nikolaj Ehlers picked the perfect time to score his first goal of the season … and his second.
With the Winnipeg Jets trailing the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 with less than two minutes to go in regulation - and Connor Hellebuyck out of the net for an extra attacker - Ehlers picked the puck up off a scramble draw in the offensive zone and fired a perfect short side snipe on John Gibson to tie the game.
Then, 19 seconds later, Ehlers spun around in the right circle and put the puck to the net. It went off a skate in front and in, putting the Jets ahead 4-3.
One minute later, the Jets left the Honda Center ice with a wild win.
"It just shows that we don't quit in that room," said Ehlers. "We keep going. We came back and we came back, so that's very exciting for us."

Along with the three-point night from Ehlers, Andrew Copp scored his fourth of the season and Evgeny Svechnikov notched his first goal as a member of the Jets.
"We definitely didn't play our best game by any means, but the hallmark of a good team is to be able to grind through those nights and find a way to win," said Copp. "It definitely feels like we stole two points but it's important for teams like us to gut through wins like this."

At the other end of the ice, Connor Hellebuyck made 32 saves to help the Jets improve their record to 3-2-1.
"It's huge. Getting above .500 is big for this club and keeping this winning streak going," said Hellebuyck. "I think the guys are building confidence and it's a big deal. When you can build confidence and carry momentum, it's a big deal in this league."
After a scoreless first period, it would only take 2:07 of the second for the game's first goal.
Kyle Connor rushed the puck up ice and after gaining the Ducks zone, fed Pierre-Luc Dubois with speed. The big centre then found Svechnikov with a backhand pass into the slot and Svechnikov made no mistake, burying his first as a Jet.
The goal was Svechnikov's first as a member of the Jets, and extended Dubois' point streak to five games.
That lead wouldn't last long though, as Sonny Milano blasted a one-timer from the right circle just 2:57 later to tie the game at 1-1.

Anaheim took their first lead of the game 1:39 into the third. A turnover in the Jets zone led to Josh Manson getting the puck at the point. His shot got through a few bodies in front of Hellebuyck, getting by the Jets goaltender on the glove side.
Manson's first of the season put the Ducks ahead 2-1.
"For me, they're on the upswing," Jets head coach Paul Maurice said of the Ducks. "I liked the way they play the game. They had a really nice balance between being aggressive, they were on the puck, they were sharper than we were tonight."
But just as Anaheim responded in the second, the Jets did the same in the third.
The quick response from Winnipeg came 3:45 after Manson's goal, as Copp finished off a nifty three-way passing play with his line mates Nikolaj Ehlers and Paul Stastny. The goal was Copp's fourth of the campaign.

Copp is just one of the players that has stepped up for the Jets with Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler out of the line-up.
"Those are two really well-liked guys in the room, they're going to look forward to coming back," said Maurice. "It's more ice time. More excitement. I think they're having fun with it. That's a fairly dangerous thing, to lose those two guys and be six of eight (games) on the road to start the season.
"You can get yourself in a hole that you're going to have to really scratch and claw to get back from. So, I'm really proud of the way they've handled it."
Zegras put Anaheim ahead with 7:45 to go, as the Ducks took advantage of another defensive zone turnover committed by the Jets. Milano picked up the assist, returning the favour from the second period, when he was set up by Zegras for the game's opening goal.
"We had some egregious turnovers tonight that you just got to get out of your game," said Maurice. " But, a good fight to stay in it."

As tough as the turnovers were to handle, they set the stage for Ehlers' heroics.
And Hellebuyck was completely confident.
Totally.
"To be honest, I wasn't watching," Hellebuyck admitted. "I was just sitting on the bench and believing in the guys, catching my breath and hoping to hear something good, and it did."
Then, 19 seconds later the Jets had their first lead since the second period, one they wouldn't give up, to earn a road trip opening victory.
And it took every last bit of energy the Jets had.
"I'm so gassed right now," said Ehlers. "And it feels amazing."