Jets spook-tacular in St. Paul with 2-1 road win over Wild

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This article was published 31/10/2017 (2873 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Winnipeg’s red-hot goalie, Connor Hellebuyck, was a central figure on the Jets’ stingy penalty killing unit Tuesday night and a difference maker in the grand scheme of things.

The towering puck-stopper was a pillar of strength at Xcel Energy Center as the Jets successfully shot down five man-advantage opportunities for the Minnesota Wild and eked out a 2-1 victory over their Central Division foes.

Hellebuyck finished with 28 saves for Winnipeg (6-3-2), which has gained at least a point in five straight contests and sits second in the division after the first month of the 2017-18 NHL campaign.

His numbers are stellar, particularly when considering the struggles he endured last season, his first real taste of the trials and tribulations of being a starter in the NHL. He ran his personal record to 6-0-1, while lowering his goals-against average to 1.91 and save percentage to .940 – all among the league-leaders in those categories.

“(Hellebuyck) was a wall,” offered forward Nikolaj Ehlers. “They had some big chances. Having goalies like (Hellebuyck) and (Steve) Mason in the net gives us that belief and that extra security. The way they’re playing right now, it helps us.”

Added captain Blake Wheeler: “Your goalie has got to be your best penalty killer. (Hellebuyck) has been great. He’s big in that net right now. He’s playing with a lot of confidence.”

Winnipeg left-winger Kyle Connor scored in the first period on Wild starter Alex Stalock, his second tally of the season, while Ehlers netted his seventh on a pretty deke just 43 seconds into the third period to boost the lead after jumping all over a giveaway by defenceman Matt Dumba in the Wild zone.

Wild forward Luke Kunin trimmed the lead to one about five minutes later when he converted on a great feed from Nino Niederreiter and ripped a shot by Hellebuyck. The hosts stormed the Jets end for most of the third period but couldn’t beat Hellebuyck for the equalizer. The Wild (4-4-2) outshot the Jets 12-2 in the final frame.

The Jets played with fire, taking far too many minor penalties in another tight-checking, grinding affair that’s become standard procedure for the two clubs.

“It’s going to be a one-goal game, you can bet on that,” said Winnipeg head coach Paul Maurice. “And whoever’s behind is going to open it up and get a bunch of chances at the end. It usually – and it probably did today – ends up being goaltending who’s the difference in the game.”

The Wild had two power-play chances in the opening period but Hellebuyck made several key stops, including one with his face that knocked his mask off and caused a stoppage of play.

He said there are no tricks to the trade in those pressure-cooker situations.

“That’s my role,” said Hellebuyck. “The power plays are so good at this level and guys practise it so much, you really have to be on top of your game.”

Minnesota’s late charge to tie the contest was everything he expected it to be and more.

“We knew they were going to push right to the end… you could tell they were carrying some momentum and the crowd got into it. That’s the fun of the game, battling it out, and I think it shows a lot of character in here,” said Hellebuyck. “I had to take a drink of water and get focused because the next five minutes were going to be hectic.

It was a ghoulish display of refereeing on Halloween night. The men in stripes disallowed an early goal by Jets that probably should have counted, sent Connor to the box for goalie interference when he was clearly nudged into Stalock – who flopped to the ice like he’d been Tasered – and failed to nab Jets blue-liner Jacob Trouba for a questionable hit on Niederreiter, who just returned to the lineup after missing six games with a high ankle sprain.

The Jets were scoreless on three power-play chances.

Jets defenceman Tyler Myers scored a quick goal on the power-play less than a minute into the first period, however, the apparent game-opener was waved off by the official nearest the scene. He ruled a hand pass on the play, although at least one video angle appeared to show the 6-7 blue-liner using his chest to knock the puck down before swiping it in. Joel Armia’s stick was right there, too.

The refs huddled briefly but no further action was taken, as a hand-pass ruling on the ice isn’t a reviewable play, the NHL later confirmed in an email.

“They felt it was a hand pass and that would blow it down, that would negate it. So, the league can’t change it,” said Maurice. “But clearly it showed that the puck hit him in the middle of his chest, not his hand. It’s just one of those breaks that goes against you in a game. We’re all very fortunate that we ended up winning the hockey game and it wasn’t the one goal that cost us.”

The Jets return home to face the Dallas Stars, another Central Division opponent, on Thursday night and then hook up with the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell