In a potential first-round playoff preview, the Vancouver Canucks welcomed the Winnipeg Jets to Rogers Arena for a Tuesday night tilt. What happened was somewhat unexpected as the Canucks put five goals past Connor Hellebuyck and ended up beating the Jets 6-2. Two goals a piece by Brock Boeser and Pius Suter and singles by Drew O’Connor and Nils Hoglander fueled the surprising rout with the Jets answering with goals by Nikolaj Ehlers and Alex Iafallo.
With the win, the Canucks move back into a tie with the St. Louis Blues at 75 points while the Jets remain in double-digits at 98 points, tied with the Washington Capitals at the top of the NHL.
Game Recap
The Canucks defied the stats sheet in the first period and pumped three goals by the usually stingy Jets and Vezina Trophy favorite Connor Hellebuyck. It started early at 4:55 with O’Connor busting his 13-game slump with a one-timer off the rush and finished with back-to-back goals in the final three minutes by Boeser and Hoglander. Boeser and Hoglander also bumped slumps, scoring their first in 12 and nine games respectively, with Boeser tipping in his 19th on the power play at 18:29 and Hoglander potting his sixth finishing off a nice passing play between Boeser and Elias Pettersson just before the clock struck zero. Ehlers answered for the Jets at 14:50 with his 22nd, also off the rush, with a quick wrist shot, tieing the game at one before the quick-strike offence by the Canucks towards the end of the period.
The Canucks’ quick-strike offence continued in the second. After the Jets had pulled within one on Iafallo’s 11th, the Canucks got goals 46 seconds apart from Boeser and Suter to break the game open. Boeser scored his second of the night and 20th of the season, poking a puck between Hellebuyck’s legs, before Suter finished yet another pretty pass by Kiefer Sherwood for his 19th 46 seconds later. The period ended with the Canucks killing off a 17-second 5-on-3 by the Jets’ top-ranked power play, and the score was surprisingly 5-2 for the home team going into the final frame.
The third was well-played by the Canucks as they didn’t allow the Jets any more goals on the night, with Suter capping off the festivities with his 20th into an empty net in the final minute. Hellebuyck looked human in this one, stopping only 16 of 21 shots for an uncharacteristic .762 save percentage. Lankinen, meanwhile, was solid at the other end, stopping 19 of 21.
What’s Next for the Canucks & Jets?
Both teams are back in action on Thursday, with the Canucks visiting the St. Louis Blues and the Jets heading to Alberta to face the Edmonton Oilers.
