Five-point game by Wheeler leads Jets to 5-2 victory
Blake Wheeler scored two goals and assisted on three others to lead the Winnipeg Jets to a 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators on Saturday night.
It was the second career five-point game for Wheeler, who had just two goals on the season coming into the game.
Mark Scheifele had a goal and two assists and Kyle Connor and Pierre-Luc Dubois also scored for Winnipeg, which has won two of its last three. Connor Hellebuyck made 34 saves and Josh Morrissey had two assists.
“For us to be successful, you need your best players,” Winnipeg interim coach Dave Lowry said. “They stayed with the game. We got down early and we didn't waver. We bent and I really liked the resiliency and I really liked the fact that our top guys dug in and really found a way to win.”
Mikael Granlund and Matt Duchene scored to make it 2-0 in the first period for Nashville, which has lost three of four.
Entering Saturday, Nashville was 17-0-0 this season when leading after the first period.
With the score tied at two goals apiece midway through the third period, Nashville defenseman Mark Borowiecki was assessed a major penalty for elbowing and a game misconduct after he came into contact with the head of Winnipeg's Evgeny Svechnikov.
Wheeler and Dubois scored on the ensuing power play to earn the win.
“I think we went out there with a lot confidence knowing that was the hockey game,” Wheeler said. “We had to bury one. Regardless of the scenario, you get five minutes on the power play with the game on the line, you want to make it count.”
Connor's goal was his 300th career NHL point. It was also Connor's 350th career NHL game, making him the second-fastest player in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers history to reach 300-point mark. Only Ilya Kovalchuk was faster to record 300 points. Kovalchuk scored his 300th point in his 300th game played
Thomas Greiss made 32 saves to help Detroit beat Philadelphia for the second time in the four days.
Rookie Moritz Seider scored a big power-play goal in the third period as Detroit won for the third time in four games overall.
Jeremy Swayman made 30 saves, leading Boston to the road win. It was the 23-yearold Swayman's second shutout of the season and No. 4 for his career.
Trent Frederic and Curtis Lazar scored for Boston, which was coming off an ugly 6-0 loss to Carolina on Thursday night.
Patrik Laine scored a power-play goal in the final seconds of regulation, and Columbus extended Montreal's winless streak to nine games.
Laine also had an assist on Oliver Bjorkstad's goal 76 seconds into the game. Elvis Merzlikins made 30 saves as the Blue Jackets won their fifth straight game.
Cole Caufield scored for Montreal, and interim coach Martin St. Louis lost his second straight game.
Kevin Fiala and Frederick Gaudreau each had a goal and an assist and Minnesota held on to edge Carolina after consecutive goals by Hurricanes star Andrei Svechnikov tightend the game in the third period.
Kirill Kaprizov also scored and Cam Talbot made 37 saves for the Wild, who are 10-1-1 in their last 12 games. Talbot has won four straight starts, with a total of five goals allowed. Fiala has 10 goals and eight assists in his last 14 games..
Thatcher Demko had a career-high 51 saves as Vancouver beat Toronto.
J.T. Miller had a goal and an assist, and Brock Boeser and Juno Lammikko also scored for the Canucks.
Oskar Sundqvist had a goal and an assist to lead St. Louis over Chicago.
David Perron, Dakota Joshua, Vladimir Tarasenko and Jordan Kyrou also scored for the Blues, who are 6-0-2 in their last eight games against the Blackhawks. Ville Husso made 15 saves.
Adam Ruzicka had a goal and an assist and 13 Calgary players had at least one point in the win over New York.
The Flames have won six in a row.