Jets soar over banged-up Canucks
WINNIPEG — Mathieu Perreault viewed his 100th NHL career goal as a lucky tap rather than a highlight-reel milestone.
The Jets forward scored two goals and added an assist to help Winnipeg halt a three-game losing streak with a 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Monday.
His second goal with 44 seconds left in the game was even initially awarded to linemate Matt Hendricks before it was changed. Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom was behind the net with the puck and shot it straight to Hendricks in the slot. Hendricks fired the puck and Perreault lifted his stick up and deflected it in.
“It’s kind of a reaction play,” Perreault said. “It was going in his empty net and I just got my stick on it. I could have tipped it out of the way so lucky enough it went in.”
The win was the Jets’ seventh straight victory at home. They have points in their last 11 games (10-0-1) at Bell MTS Place.
Defencemen Dmitry Kulikov and Josh Morrissey and forward Nikolaj Ehlers also scored for Winnipeg (18-8-5). Ehlers’ 14th of the season was on the power play and gave him goals in three straight games.
“Coming home and playing in front of this crowd every night is pretty amazing,” Ehlers said.
“Seeing it now with three games away with three losses, we needed the extra energy and the crowd gave us a boost today.”
Brock Boeser scored his teamleading 16th goal for the Canucks. He also extended his goal-scoring streak to three games.
Connor Hellebuyck made 25 saves for Winnipeg.
Markstrom stopped 19 shots for Vancouver (14-13-4).
“They had three guys up on the forecheck,” Markstrom said of Perreault’s second goal. “I don’t know how, but it was a poor decision by me and I wasn’t good today and I take full responsibility.”
Markstrom also let in a surprising goal 88 seconds into the first period, squeezing his pads on Kulikov’s point shot, but the puck slid into the net behind him.
The Canucks have lost three straight in regulation for the first time this season.
Vancouver was missing top-line forwards Bo Horvat (broken foot) and Sven Baertschi (fractured jaw), but players weren’t using that as an excuse.
“Every team has injuries,” said forward Thomas Vanek, who had four shots on goal. “When I have the scoring chances that I had tonight, I’ve got to put them away.
“It doesn’t matter who’s in and who’s out, I’ve got to find a better job of putting one of those in there and get some momentum back.”
Winnipeg was without defenceman Dustin Byfuglien, who was put on injured reserve with a lower-body injury suffered in last Saturday’s 4-3 overtime loss to Tampa Bay. Head coach Paul Maurice said he didn’t expect him back on the ice until after Christmas. Rookie Tucker Poolman took his roster spot.
Jacob Trouba got Byfuglien’s spot on the power play.
The teams were tied 1-1 after the first period and Winnipeg led 3-1 after two.
Winnipeg got its second power play at 2:55 of the middle period after Sam Gagner was called for holding, and Perreault fired in his goal from the slot exactly two minutes later.
The Jets capitalized on their next power play when, 37 seconds after Nic Dowd went off for hooking, Tyler Myers’ blast produced a long rebound to Ehlers at the top of the circle that made it 3-1 at 14:09.
The Canucks host Nashville on Wednesday, while Winnipeg is home to Chicago on Thursday.
Stars 2, Rangers 1 (SO)
NEW YORK — Jason Spezza scored in the shootout, and the Dallas Stars snapped a three-game losing streak by defeating the New York Rangers 2-1 on Monday night.
Kari Lehtonen made 24 saves for Dallas in the opener of its four-game East Coast road trip against the Metropolitan Division. Julius Honka scored in the second period.