NHL ROUNDUP

Jets 2, Wild 0

Mark Scheifele scored both goals for Winnipeg and Connor Hellebuyck made 30 saves for his seventh shutout this season, as the Jets beat Minnesota on Tuesday night to take a 3-1 lead in the first-round playoff series. Scheifele scored with 28 seconds left in the first period and tacked on an empty-netter with 11 seconds remaining, pushing the Wild to the brink of elimination. Devan Dubnyk stopped 26 shots for the Wild, who played without star left wing Zach Parise because of a broken sternum suffered in Game 3. After a six-goal outburst in their last appearance, the Wild had trouble generating the same kind of relentless attack and simply couldn’t slide any pucks past Hellebuyck. Now the series shifts back to Winnipeg, with Game 5 on Friday night. After a tightly whistled game here Sunday night, there were only three penalties called. The Jets closed up the holes they gave the Wild through the neutral zone in Game 3. Hellebuyck, who was named earlier in the day one of the NHL’s three finalists for the Vezina Trophy that’s awarded annually to the best goalie in the league, bounced back in a big way from the previous game when he gave up six goals and was pulled after two periods. The crowd, fired up about the opportunity the Wild had to even the series, produced plenty of collective groans after difficult saves by Hellebuyck after jeering him in Game 3 with the customary “Sieve! Sieve! Sieve!” chant. One of Hellebuyck’s most important stops came in the opening minutes of the second period, when a 3-on-1 rush by the Wild set up Matt Dumba for a wrist try denied with a sprawling glove stop. Scheifele was part of the sandwich hit with Ben Chiarot late in the third period of Game 3 on Parise that led to a broken sternum for the Wild’s all-time postseason scoring leader, a stunning setback for the home team revealed about four hours before Game 4. Jets coach Paul Maurice was upset by a collision initiated by Marcus Foligno with defenseman Tyler Myers that knocked his former Buffalo teammate to the ice in the second period and out for the remainder of Game 3 with an apparent injury to his leg. So with these Central Division rivals squaring off in another highstakes contest, the intensity was there to match. Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey delivered a cross-check to Eric Staal’s jaw that went unnoticed by the officials, drawing the ire of the fans and a red-faced Wild coach Bruce Boudreau. The agitation in the arena spiked a little later in the first period, when the Jets kept the puck in the Wild zone after a failed clearing attempt and Kyle Connor fed Scheifele with a slick give-andgo pass for the 1-0 lead right before the first intermission. Tyler Ennis took Parise’s spot in the Minnesota lineup, skating with Matt Cullen and Charlie Coyle on the third line. Jason Zucker and Jordan Greenway joined Mikko Koivu, and Staal centered Nino Niederreiter and Mikael Granlund.

Late Monday Sharks 8, Ducks 1

Joonas Donskoi scored one goal and set up another to start a four-goal barrage in the second period and San Jose raced past Anaheim for the third straight game to take a 3-0 series lead. Donskoi scored and then set up Marcus Sorensen in the opening four minutes of the second period to seize control of the game and series. Eric Fehr and Tomas Hertl added goals later in the second to turn this all-California series into a rout. Logan Couture had a goal and two assists, Joe Pavelski, Evander Kane and Timo Meier scored power-play goals in the third period, for the Sharks, who have outscored the Ducks 14-3 through the first three games of the first-round series. Martin Jones made 45 saves, the most for a Sharks goalie in a regulation playoff game. San Jose will look to complete the sweep in Game 4 at home tonight. Rickard Rakell scored a power-play goal for Anaheim, which has scored three goals all series — including just one at even strength.

Avalanche 5, Predators 3

Nathan MacKinnon scored twice, including one as part of a three-goal first period and another to chase Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne from the game, and Colorado pulled to 2-1 in the first-round series. Blake Comeau and Gabriel Bourque also scored in a furious opening period that revved up a pom-pom waving capacity crowd. Gabriel Landeskog was credited with an empty-net goal for the Avalanche. Game 4 is tonight in Denver. MacKinnon’s goal at 4:25 of the second period gave Colorado a 4-0 lead and prompted the Predators to pull Rinne in favor of backup Juuse Saros. Rinne allowed four goals on 15 shots. Jonathan Bernier stopped 29 shots on a night when the Avalanche finished 0 for 5 on the power play. Ryan Johansen had a second-period goal and Colton Sissons scored another in the third to make it 4-2.