Mark Scheifele led the way with a hat trick as the Winnipeg Jets earned a 4-2 victory over the visiting Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.
Pierre-Luc Dubois also scored as the Jets snapped a three-game losing streak. Kyle Connor and Josh Morrissey had two assists apiece. Conor Garland and Andrei Kuzmenko scored for the Canucks, who had their three-game win streak stifled.
Connor Hellebuyck stopped 20-of-22 shots for Winnipeg (22-13-1). The Jets are now 13-6-0 at Canada Life Centre.
Collin Delia made 35 saves for Vancouver (16-16-3).
Garland pulled the Canucks within one 13:11 into the third period. He grabbed a rebound off the boards behind the net, then banked a shot in off Hellebuyck.
But Scheifele put the game away with an empty netter as 28 seconds remained in the contest.
The Jets took a 3-1 lead into the third period after scoring three unanswered goals and outshooting Vancouver 19-6 in the second. Scheifele scored his second power-play goal on the night when his shot trickled through Delia with 2.5 seconds left in the frame.
Dubois put the Jets ahead when he was awarded a penalty shot after being taken down by Canucks defenceman Ethan Bear. Dubois beat Delia cleanly at the 15:42 mark.
With Lane Pederson off for tripping, Scheifele deflected Morrissey’s slap shot from the blue line past Delia on the power play at 13:52 of the second.
The Canucks drew first blood just 41 seconds into game, taking advantage of a horrendous giveaway by Dylan Samberg in his own end.
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The Jets defenceman sent the puck to Elias Pettersson, who dished it to Kuzmenko. The left-winger promptly fired one past Hellebuyck for his 15th of the season.
Winnipeg did not register its first shot on goal until the 9:39 mark of the opening period.
NOTES: Morrissey left the game after a hit from Vancouver defenceman Tyler Myers in the third period. He did not return to play … Winnipeg forward Sam Gagner celebrated his 1,000th NHL game on Thursday. He wore the number 1000 on his jersey during the pre-game warmup … The injury-riddled Jets called up forward Kristian Reichel from their Manitoba Moose AHL affiliate, but he did not dress for Thursday’s game.
UP NEXT
Jets: Will play the Oilers in Edmonton on Saturday.
Canucks: Will play the Flames in Calgary on Saturday.
Jim Bender, The Canadian Press
