Twice as Nice
Former Kelowna Rockets’ all-star defenceman Tyler Myers and the Winnipeg Jets are flying high.
WINNIPEG — Paul Stastny, Andrew Copp and Patrik Laine scored in the third period to propel the Winnipeg Jets to a 4-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Friday.
The win gave the Jets a 2-0 lead in the first round of their NHL Western Conference best-of-seven playoff series.
Winnipeg won 3-2 on Wednesday, with Game 3 going Sunday at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
Jets defenceman Tyler Myers had a goal in the second period and also picked up an assist. Rookie forward Jack Roslovic, replacing injured veteran Mathieu Perreault, had a pair of assists.
Zach Parise got his second goal of the series when he deflected a Mikko Koivu shot past Connor Hellebuyck to end the goalie’s shutout bid with 45 seconds left in the game.
The goal came on the power play after Jets forward Brandon Tanev was called for hooking with 59 seconds left.
Hellebuyck made 16 saves. Devan Dubnyk stopped 39 shots for Minnesota.
The Wild had more jump early in the scoreless first period, surpassing the fourshot total they had in Wednesday’s opening frame by going 5-0 by the five-minute mark. That included three shots at Hellebuyck during a power play with Myers in the box for tripping.
Dubnyk didn’t have to stop a Winnipeg shot until seven minutes had passed. The Jets then turned on a switch and had outshot the visitors 13-9 when the period ended, but many were from the outside.
Jets defenceman Dustin Byfuglien threw two big hits nine seconds apart, and the momentum carried on for Myers’s goal that made it 1-0 at 8:41. Myers got the puck at the point, made some moves to get around Jason Zucker and sent a sharp-angled shot past Dubnyk on the blocker side at 8:41 of the second period.
Stastny and Copp scored 1:42 apart, and Laine fired in his second goal of the series from the right circle at 17:58 of the third.