Jets bounce back for Game 2 win over Dallas
RECAP:
The Winnipeg Jets have scratched and clawed their way to a Game 2 victory, sending the best-of-seven series back to Dallas tied at ones.
Following a 3-2 Game 1 loss to Dallas, the Jets responded with a dominant 4-0 performance in a game that was theirs from the get-go.
Scoring just over three minutes in and adding another before the opening period drained to zeros, the Jets scored a third goal in the second period, before Nikolaj Ehlers got his second of the game into the empty net as time ran down the third period.
Gabe Vilardi got things going early with a power play marker, while Adam Lowry banked home a rebound off a heavy-checking, offensive zone shift.
Ehlers' first of the game was a blooper that found its way past Jake Oettinger on a deflection off his own defenceman. His second was a looper from the top of Hellebuyck's crease that rolled down the length of the ice and into the net for the insurance marker.
Connor Hellebuyck was sensational in goal for Winnipeg, turning everything aside that he saw. He will look to pick up his first win on the road in these playoffs when the Jets travel to Dallas for Games 3 and 4, beginning on Sunday afternoon.
HIGHLIGHTS:
PHOTOS:
The extended photo library from Friday's game vs. Dallas is courtesy of Scott Stroh:
QUOTEABLE:
Gabe Vilardi on Friday's performance:
“Good energy in the building. It’s really fun out there. I thought we played pretty solid. I think we had a kind of brief period there in the second where we relied on Helle a bit too much, but other than that I thought it was a pretty good game.”
Josh Morrissey on Connor Hellebuyck:
“It’s what he does every night for us. He’s an incredible goaltender. You know, he makes very difficult saves look very easy, routinely and often. You could tell he was feeling it tonight. When he’s feeling it like that, it gives the players in front of him, defencemen, forwards a lot of confidence. We’d like to cut down on some of those chances near the end of the second period, but he was feeling it, clearly. He’s done that all year, he’s done that for a long time. We rely on him, sometimes too much, but he was incredible tonight.”
Scott Arniel on having a full lineup:
"That's the first time since Game 71 that everybody's back. It was good to see. There's obviously the familiarity, starting off with our power play. Obviously, having a four-minute (power play) early in the game like that and to score, was big. Certainly the crowd, not that they needed a bit of a push, but man they got loud after that one and got the second one quick. When you have your roster like that, everybody gets kind of aligned in their spots. Having your top-four defenceman. Having your top-six offensive guys. Then two checking lines, two heavy lines. We're back to looking, finally, like we've looked for most of the season."
WHAT’S NEXT:
Next up is a Sunday afternoon showdown in Dallas. Game 3 will feature a 3:30 PM central puck drop, while Game 4 goes 7:00 PM on Tuesday.
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