Jets drop road trip finale to Maple Leafs

TORONTO - Blake Wheeler felt an incredibly busy month of March may have caught up to the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night.
Playing the back half of their second back-to-back in less than a week - at the end of 16 games in 31 days - the Jets saw a 2-0 first period lead evaporate early in the second, and the Toronto Maple Leafs rallied from there to hand the Jets a 7-3 defeat.
"We played good in the first and then I think we were cooked the rest of the game," said Wheeler. "We just didn't have anything. Tried to push a little bit in the third and couldn't get one to go early."
Wheeler extended his point streak to seven games with a highlight reel goal to open the scoring, with Paul Stastny and Nikolaj Ehlers also lighting the lamp for the Jets who fell to 33-26-10. Eric Comrie made 31 saves on the 38 shots he faced, but with the loss his personal five-game winning streak comes to an end, as does the team's three-game win streak.

Mark Scheifele had two assists, while Ehlers joined him in the multi-point night category by adding an assist on Stastny's tally.
"We're in a spot where we need to win games and besides playoffs this is the toughest time of the year," said Ehlers. "Wins are not easy to get, so we need to just continue grinding."

Special teams played a role in the momentum change as well. Toronto's top-ranked power play scored three times on six opportunities, with two coming off the stick of William Nylander. Ilya Mikheyev added a shorthanded goal as well.
"They're a skilled team," said Ehlers. "They're going to make their plays."
After Wheeler ended Wednesday's game against Buffalo, he got the offence started against Toronto - and it was of the highlight reel variety. The Jets captain took a pass from Zach Sanford in the neutral zone, then made a powerful move to his backhand to drive around Maple Leafs defenceman Mark Giordano. Using the open space, Wheeler cut back into the middle of the ice and tucked his 12th of the season past Erik Kallgren to make it 1-0 Jets 3:19 into the opening period.
"It was a good way to start the game. Too bad we couldn't carry it through the rest of the game," said Wheeler.
Stastny extended the lead to 2-0 before the midway mark of the period, as he collected the puck after a Ehlers shot went wide, then stuffed a wrap around in off the left skate of Kallgren. It was Stastny's 18th of the season, the most he's scored in a season since 2016-17 with the St. Louis Blues. Ehlers and Scheifele picked up assists on the Stastny marker.
The home side got the benefit of a couple bounces to make it 2-1 with 4:57 left in the first period. Giordano's play to the net from the left circle went off the stick of Logan Stanley, then the shin pad of Brenden Dillon, before getting past Comrie.
"They're a good hockey team. We gave up the one goal that goes in off our body and allows them to generate some momentum and they're able to bring it even," said Jets interim head coach Dave Lowry. "I thought we battled. They score right after we score. And then, they took over the game."

Toronto's third power play chance, which came 1:20 into the second, gave them the opening they needed to tie the game. William Nylander hopped on a loose puck after an Auston Matthews shot from the point was tipped wide. It came off the end boards right to Nylander, who chipped it past Comrie to make it 2-2.
The Jets used a power play to take the lead back 1:47 later, as Ehlers snapped home his 21st of the campaign, beating Kallgren short side from the right circle for a 3-2 Jets advantage.
That only lasted 23 seconds though, as John Tavares was able to get body position in front of Comrie and smack home a rebound to make it 3-3.
"There are some areas that we continue to have to improve on," said Lowry, referring to Toronto getting to the middle of the ice a bit more often as the game went on. "You have to have a short-term memory at this time of the year. We're obviously disappointed."

Nylander's second power play goal of the game, on another chance in tight to Comrie, put the Maple Leafs ahead 4-3. Toronto's top-ranked power play scored twice on two chances in the middle frame.
Special teams continue to bite the Jets in the second, as Mikheyev took a breakaway pass from Pierre Engvall and beat Comrie with a quick move to make it 5-3 in favour of the Maple Leafs.
The Jets pushed early in the third, but weren't able to beat Kallgren again. Meanwhille, Auston Matthews scored into an empty net for his 50th goal of the season, and a late Toronto power play allowed Timothy Liljegren to one-time a blast from the left circle past Comrie.
The Jets now head home to face the Los Angeles Kings in a couple days.
"Big game Saturday," said Wheeler. "They're all big games from here on out, so get back to it and hopefully we can go into our little break here on a high note."