Connor scores twice, powers undermanned Winnipeg Jets to 5-1 win over Anaheim Ducks
Kyle Connor scored twice and added an assist Thursday as the Jets defeated the Anaheim Ducks 5-1 despite having two of their top-line players in COVID-19 protocol.
Connor's regular linemates, captain Blake Wheeler and star centre Mark Scheifele, missed Winnipeg's home opener and the club's first victory of the season (1-2-1) in front of 13,886 fans at the renamed Canada Life Centre.
Wheeler was symptomatic, tested positive and began the NHL's minimum 10-day quarantine on Monday. Scheifele tested positive Tuesday but is asymptomatic. He needs to stay that way and produce two straight negative tests before returning to the team.
Pierre-Luc Dubois had a goal and assist Thursday, while Andrew Copp and Josh Morrissey also scored for Winnipeg. Nate Schmidt collected a pair of assists.
Connor Hellebuyck made 38 saves for the Jets and Ducks goalie John Gibson stopped 22 of the 26 shots he faced.
Troy Terry scored for Anaheim (2-3-0), which was playing the third game of a four-game road trip.
Terry opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 2:46 of the first period, tipping in a Cam Fowler shot.
The Jets have now given up eight power-play goals on 16 penalties this season.
Winnipeg's transformed top line of Connor, centre Dubois and Evgeny Svechnikov tied it up at 4:10, with Dubois deflecting in a Connor shot.
The Ducks outshot the Jets 10-4 in the first period.
Copp gave Winnipeg a 2-1 lead 61 seconds into the second. The Jets went on the power play less than a minute later, but couldn't widen the gap.
Anaheim had a pair of power plays, but this time Hellebuyck and the Jets' penalty killers held tight.
The Ducks had a 27-19 lead in shots on goal after the second, but the Jets carried over a man advantage into the third and made good on it 1:30 into the final frame.
Morrissey's shot from the point went past Gibson on the stick side with 14 seconds remaining on the power play.
Anaheim pulled Gibson with more than four minutes remaining in the third and Connor scored on the empty net with his second attempt.
His first shot slid and hit the post, but his second try from the other end of the ice went into the empty cage at 17:11.
With Gibson back in net, Connor added his fifth goal of the season when he beat the netminder with a low shot with 1:14 left in the period.
Winnipeg hosts the Nashville Predators on Saturday, while Anaheim visits the Minnesota Wild the same night.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau acknowledges charges in Nijjar killing, calls for commitment to democracy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Princess Anne lays wreath at B.C. veteran's cemetery; receives 21-gun salute
Princess Anne paid tribute to veterans buried at a cemetery in British Columbia today, laying a wreath to honour the more than 2,500 military personnel and family members buried there.
Mystik Dan wins the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in a three-horse photo finish
Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a photo finish, edging out Forever Young and Sierra Leone for the upset victory.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.