Jets tame Wild in preseason action

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This article was published 28/09/2016 (2766 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nikolaj Ehlers showed off his dynamic speed in the third period, capping off a rush with a wrap-around goal as the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Minnesota Wild 4-1 in preseason action Thursday night at the MTS Centre.

Josh Morrissey and Chase De Leo assisted on the goal.

Ehlers would be on the receiving end of a hit-from-behind later in the final frame. He appeared shaken up as he skated off the ice but remained on the bench. Minnesota’s Kurtis Gabriel was given a 5-minute boarding major and a game misconduct.

The hit came a few minutes after Gabriel collided with Mathieu Perreault, who fell to the ice and remained down for a minute. He had to be helped off by training staff and teammates and appeared woozy as he immediately went to the dressing room and didn’t return.

Andrew Copp finished off the scoring with just under two minutes to play, tipping home a point shot from defenceman Kevin Czuczman. Alexander Burmistrov drew the other assist.

Drew Stafford also appeared to score earlier in the period, but referees waved it off. There is no instant replay or coaches challenges in exhibition games, so the play couldn’t be reviewed.

Connor Hellebuyck stopped 27 of the 28 shots he faced. Darcy Kuemper turned away 23 of the 27 that came his way.

Winnipeg is now 1-1-0 on the preseason. They return to action on Friday night at the MTS Centre against Edmonton. Puck drops at 7 p.m.

***

The Winnipeg Jets are leading the Minnesota Wild 2-1 following two periods of action at the MTS Centre.

After a sleepy, scoreless first 20 minutes, the excitement kicked up a few notches in the middle frame.

Matt Dumba opened the scoring by blasting a one-timer from the point that went through a maze of players and squeaked through the pads of Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck. The goal came just 52 seconds into the period, with Chris Thorburn in the penalty box for cross-checking.

Mike Reilly took a checking to the head penalty just a couple minutes later, and the Jets made the Wild pay.

Mathieu Perreault knocked home a rebound as the Jets finally scored their first goal of the preseason. Chase De Leo and Josh Morrissey got the assists.

Marko Dano threw the best hit of the game midway through the period — unfortunately for him, it came against Minnesota goalie Darcy Kuemper, who was attempting to play the puck behind his net. Dano was given a minor penalty for goalie interference, which the Jets would kill off thanks in large part to a huge pad save from Hellebuyck.

Kyle Connor — playing in his first pro game — brought the fans to their feet late in the period, converting a beautiful no-look, behind-the-back feed from defenceman Mark Stuart to give the Jets a 2-1 lead. Connor showed great patience, waiting out Kuemper before going top shelf with his shot. Perreault drew the other helper.

Minnesota was outshooting Winnipeg 22-13 through two periods.

***

After being blanked in 3-0 by Calgary in Tuesday’s exhibition opener, the Jets didn’t exactly roar out of the gate on Thursday night.

Minnesota outshot Winnipeg 11-5 but neither team was able to find the back of the net. Hellebuyck was the busiest player on the ice, making a handful of difficult saves to keep it scoreless.

Only four skaters from Tuesday’s lineup are dressed tonight — forwards Brandon Tanev and Andrew Copp and defencemen Brian Strait and Josh Morrissey. The other 14 players are making their preseason debut.

Hellebuyck is expected to go the distance. Hellebuyck was the third goaltender selected for Team North America at the World Cup but didn’t see any game action. He’s looking to make a good first impression this season, considering he’s locked in a battle with Michael Hutchinson and Ondrej Pavelec for the two goalie positions on the roster.

Brian Little is centering the top line, along with Drew Stafford and Nikolaj Ehlers.

Jets fans anxious for a look at prized prospect Patrik Laine have to wait a little longer. Laine isn’t in Thursday’s lineup but could see his first game action Friday night when the Jets host the Edmonton Oilers at MTS Centre.

However, another promising rookie is making his debut tonight. Kyle Connor is skating on the second line along with Mathieu Perreault and Alexander Burmistrov.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca