Winnipeg Jets double up Maple Leafs 6-3 in Blake Wheeler's 1,000th NHL game
It's nearly 2022 but you'd never know it from the Winnipeg Jets' 6-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs Sunday night at Canada Life Centre.
The Jets celebrated the 1,000th NHL game of their captain Blake Wheeler with a hometown offensive display that would have made Dale Hawerchuk and the rest of the 1980s Jets proud.
There were also enough penalties and punches thrown between the two sides to evoke memories of the Broad Street Bullies of the 1970s.
Connor Hellebuyck stopped 32 shots in the Jets net for his ninth victory of the season while Joseph Woll got in front of 35 at the other end of the ice.
The Jets improved to 12-8-4 while the Leafs fell to 17-7-2.
Pierre-Luc Dubois, Andrew Copp, Evgeny Svechnikov, Kyle Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers and Mark Scheifele scored for Winnipeg.
Michael Bunting, Auston Matthews and Ondrej Kase replied for Toronto.
Wheeler helped get the Jets on the board first with a nifty pass on the power play to Dubois, who was all alone in front of the Leafs net. His deke beat Woll, the Leafs' backup, at 4:05 to give the home side a 1-0 lead. It was his 12th goal of the season.
Hellebuyck bailed his captain out just a few minutes later as Wheeler got burned dangling at centre ice while the Jets were changing, enabling John Tavares to skate in all alone. Hellebuyck stuck out his left pad as the Leafs captain went to his backhand on a deke.
Dubois then took the dreaded offensive zone penalty as he tripped up centre David Kampf, sending the Leafs to the power play. Toronto didn't do much for most of the man advantage but out of nowhere left winger Pierre Engvall found Bunting in the Jets' slot and his wrist shot bulged the twine behind Hellebuyck at 16:08.
The Jets regained the lead before the second period was two minutes old when defenceman Neil Pionk hit Copp with a stretch pass and he beat Woll on a partial breakaway.
The Jets doubled their lead to 3-1 just a few shifts later as Dominic Toninato found Svechnikov on a two-on-one and his wrist shot beat Woll high to the blocker. It was the Russian winger's second goal of the season.
The Jets went back to the power play a few minutes later. Connor put the Jets ahead 4-1 when his shot from the right face-off dot beat Woll at 7:38 for his 15th of the season.
Wheeler, who has yet to score a goal all year but had two assists on this night, was sent in all alone at the mid-way part of the second period but he couldn't beat Woll. Just a few seconds later, however, Ehlers converted Copp's pass for his ninth of the season to give the Jets a 5-1 lead. It was Winnipeg's fourth goal in less than nine minutes.
Wheeler's tripping penalty on Rasmus Sandin at 13:28 of the second period put the Jets down two men and Matthews made him pay. His wrist shot from the top of the circle beat Hellebuyck just underneath the crossbar just 52 seconds later to make it 5-2.
The Leafs still had the power play but couldn't capitalize but it didn't matter as seconds after it expired, they pulled within two. Kase went down the right side and squeezed a shot between Hellebuyck and his left post at 15:46 for his sixth of the season.
The Jets salted the game away thanks to yet another power-play goal as Connor hit Scheifele at the Leafs blue line and he split the defence and went five-hole on Woll for his sixth of the year at 8:14 of the third period.
The Leafs were playing the second road game in as many nights, having lost to the Minnesota Wild 4-3 in a shootout Saturday. Toronto played their second game without sniper Mitch Marner, who collided with teammate Jake Muzzin at practice on Friday.
The Jets honoured Wheeler in a pre-game ceremony with a silver stick and a video montage of his career, which started with the Boston Bruins in 2008 and took him to Atlanta before moving with the Thrashers to Winnipeg in 2011. The Jets all wore Wheeler jerseys during the warm-up.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Person engulfed in flames outside N.Y. courthouse where Trump trial underway, says CNN
A person was covered in flames outside the New York courthouse where former President Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial is underway, CNN reported on Friday.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Senators reject field trip to African Lion Safari amid elephant bill study
The Senate legal affairs committee has rejected a motion calling for members to take a $50,000 field trip to the African Lion Safari in southern Ontario to see the zoo's elephant exhibit.
CFIA monitoring for avian flu in Canadian dairy cattle after U.S. discoveries
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is encouraging veterinarians to keep an eye out for signs of avian influenza in dairy cattle following recent discoveries of cases of the disease in U.S. cow herds.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
Vancouver firefighter in rehab at home after losing leg to flesh-eating infection overseas
A family trip took a frightening turn for Christopher Won when he was diagnosed with flesh-eating disease while in Hong Kong and now, after weeks of treatment overseas, the Vancouver firefighter is back home recovering.