Laine’s 13th goal of season proves the winner for Jets

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This article was published 29/11/2016 (3234 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Patrik Laine has bailed out the Winnipeg Jets with third-period heroics before.

On Tuesday night, the 18-year-old rookie was at it again, scoring the game-winning goal 4:47 into the final frame as the Jets eked out a 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils at the MTS Centre.

Laine gathered in a pass from Mark Scheifele, skated over the Devils blue line and overpowered goaltender Cory Schneider, snapping the puck over his shoulder from the top of the faceoff circle.

“People told me in the second intermission, you should try blocker (side),” said Laine. “And it was first shot to the blocker and right away it goes in. I was obviously relieved and it was a good goal.”

It was Laine’s 13th of the season, but his only first in seven games. His relief was obvious.

“I wanted that,” he said. “I had some pretty good scoring chances in the second period and I just couldn’t score. It was an amazing feeling to get that goal again and help my team win.”

Scheifele, too, was thrilled to see the puck go in.

“Great shot,” said Scheifele. “I was pretty much right behind him and you pretty much can’t see it. So it’s a pretty special shot.”

For two periods Tuesday, it was the Connor Hellebuyck show.

The 23-year-old Winnipeg goaltender was making his fifth consecutive start and did not allow a goal through a franchise-record 174 minutes, 56 seconds on home ice until Devils rookie Miles Wood snapped the streak at 2:53 of the third period.

Earlier, Hellebuyck stopped Woods on a first-period breakaway and also stared down the New Jersey rookie as he fanned on a second-period penalty shot. Hellebuyck finished with 23 saves.

Schneider had 26 stops for the Devils, who dropped to 10-7-5.

Winnipeg was bolstered by the addition of centre Bryan Little, who returned to the lineup after a 23-game injury absence.

The Jets (11-12-2) broke open a scoreless game in the middle period, popping goals by Scheifele (his 13th) and Blake Wheeler (his eighth) in a 121-second span.

The outburst came after a frustrating stretch for Winnipeg’s power play — both Nikolaj Ehlers and Laine clanked shots off goal posts behind Schneider during a 5-on-3 power play.

“Even if we got into a bit of trouble, we kept it simple and stuck together,” said Scheifele, who is tied with Laine for the club’s goal-scoring lead. “It was a good game by everyone.”

Nick Lappin made it uncomfortable for the host side, slamming a rebound past Hellebuyck to get the Devils to within one goal midway through the third.

The New Jersey surge wasn’t unexpected, but Hellebuyck and company performed admirably with Schneider pulled in favour of an extra attacker for most of the final 1:45.

“That game they played in the third is the game they play on a regular basis,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice, who was grateful for Laine’s timely marker.

“It was a real important goal, for him, too. He could have had four tonight the way he shoots that puck, crossbars and near misses.

“When he gets it, everybody on the bench just wants him to shoot it from everywhere because it has got a chance to go in and most time it does.”

Dano’s status?

Jets winger Marco Dano was helped from the ice early in the first period after taking a high stick in the face from New Jersey defenceman Kyle Quincey.

Quincey was not penalized on the play.

“He’s going to see the doctor,” said Maurice.

“What I can tell you is he got split with a stick in his eye, but his eye, we believe right now, is good and solid.

“We’re hopeful with that. But this takes a few days. We’ll see how much bleeding, or if any, there is. It’s day-to-day now before he’s out of the woods.”

Notes: Winnipeg’s power play went 0-for-5 and is 1-for-21 in its last eight games… New Jersey was 0-for-4 with the man advantage… Hellebuyck is 5-0-0 in his last five home starts, including a pair of shutouts. He has stopped 150 of 162 shots in that span… The Jets, who have won two in a row at home after a dismal five-game skid on the road, finished November with a 7-7-2 record. They played a league-high 16 games in 29 days… The Jets are now 8-4-0 on home ice and have outscored their opponents 38-28.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14