The Winnipeg Jets started their two-game road trip with a 4-1 win in Detroit pushing their win streak to three. Nikolaj Ehlers, Kyle Connor, Mason Appleton and Nino Niederreiter scored for the Jets who improved to 4-3 and will head to Montreal to face the Canadiens on Saturday.
MICHIGAN MEN
Kyle Connor and Connor Hellebuyck returned to their home state of Michigan, and both had big nights for the Jets. Connor scored his fifth of the season and second in as many games with the 2-0 goal in the opening period, which turned out to be the game winner. It was also the seventh time he has scored against the Red Wings in his career. Hellebuyck put on a show in the third period, making 16 saves before Mason Appleton restored the Jets two goal lead at the 10:26 mark and had 19 total stops in the final frame. Hellebuyck ended the night with 35 saves and was named the game’s first star.
EHLERS ON THE BOARD
Nikolaj Ehlers has had his chances as of late but had been unable to score a goal. That changed at the 16:28 mark of the first period when he he took a pass from Cole Perfett and turned and fired a seeing eye shot past James Reimer to get Winnipeg off and running in the Motor City. The Jets second line of Ehlers, Vlad Namestnikov and Cole Perfetti have created offence, so it was nice to see them rewarded for their efforts since being put together.
FACING 2ND RANKED POWER PLAY
Coming into tonight’s game, the Red Wings had been on fire with their power play, and it had helped them to their 5-1-1 start. Discipline for the Jets was key, and they had only given Detroit two power plays through the first 45 minutes of the game when Josh Morrissey took a high sticking penalty. Detroit managed five shots on that power play, but Hellebuyck stopped them all and kept the lead at 2-1. In the end, Winnipeg was a perfect three-for-three while shorthanded.
“I thought we did a good job honestly,” said Mason Appleton.
“They had a couple looks but for the most part we knocked pucks out of the zone, got clears when we couldn’t get the puck on our stick and held them to the outside and didn’t give them any seam plays. That was probably our most efficient game on the kill I’d say.”
