TORONTO — Blake Wheeler scored the winner within the shootout because the Winnipeg Jets edged the Toronto Maple Leafs Four-Three on Wednesday, overshadowing a milestone efficiency by Auston Matthews.
Nikolaj Ehlers, Mason Appleton and Mark Scheifele scored in regulation time because the Jets (24-16-Four) received their second straight recreation.
Connor Hellebuyck made 25 saves for the win in Winnipeg’s web.
Matthews scored twice, together with the game-tying purpose with 14 seconds left within the third, for Toronto (24-15-6). Dmytro Timashov additionally had a purpose.
Jason Spezza and Matthews had targets within the shootout for Toronto, however Patrik Laine, Scheifele and Wheeler gave Winnipeg the Three-2 edge within the shootout.
Frederik Andersen stopped 25 pictures two days after being pulled early within the second interval of the Maple Leafs’ 6-Four loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Younger)
It’s the primary time Toronto has misplaced back-to-back video games since falling to Philadelphia and Colorado on Dec. Three and Four.
After pulling Andersen on the finish of the third interval and calling a timeout with lower than a minute left to play, the Maple Leafs received a faceoff in Winnipeg’s finish. The puck got here out to Matthews who rifled a slapshot previous Hellebuyck to the delight of the 19,397 in attendance.
Andersen had Scotiabank Enviornment on its toes twice within the further interval, drawing chants of “Freddie!” with game-saving stops on breakaways.
The goalie’s late-game heroics have been a far cry from a foul purpose he allowed early within the first interval.
Ehlers opened scoring 4 minutes into the sport on a flukey play. Andersen seemingly tripped over his personal toes as he got here out to play the puck, falling to the ice and letting the puck cycle behind the online, the place Ehlers picked it up and shortly scored.
Winnipeg Jets’ Nikolaj Ehlers and the Jets bench (AP Picture/Gene J. Puskar)
Simply because the in-arena announcer completed saying Winnipeg’s purpose, Mitch Marner backhanded a go to Matthews, who snapped the puck previous Hellebuyck to tie it 1-1.
Matthews joined Washington’s Alex Ovechkin as the one lively participant to start out his NHL profession with 4 consecutive seasons with 30 targets or extra. He’s additionally the primary participant in Maple Leafs historical past to perform the feat in his first 4 seasons.
With the Jets shorthanded, Appleton stripped John Tavares of the puck at Toronto’s personal blue line and broke in on Andersen with the Maple Leafs captain proper on his tail. Appleton wristed his first purpose of the yr previous Andersen for a 2-1 Winnipeg lead with two minutes to go within the first.
Timashov slammed dwelling a rebound after a Three-on-2 breakaway with Kasperi Kapanen and Adam Brooks six minutes into the second interval to tie the sport 2-2.
Dmytro Timashov, Toronto Maple Leafs (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
Scheifele restored Winnipeg’s lead 11:45 into the second, taking a cross-ice feed from Kyle Connor and pausing momentarily to line up his shot earlier than firing it into the online.
Eight gamers from Canada’s gold-medal successful nationwide junior workforce have been honoured in a pre-game ceremony. Kevin Bahl, Nico Daws, Ty Dellandrea, Jamie Drysdale, Aidan Dudas, Liam Foudy, Connor McMichael and Akil Thomas all congregated at centre ice to drop the puck for Scheifele and Tavares.
A second of silence honouring the 63 Canadians who died in a aircraft crash in Iran earlier Wednesday was noticed following the ceremonial puck drop. A video of a Canadian flag at half workers was performed as gamers from the Maple Leafs, Jets, and Canada’s junior workforce all stood solemnly on the ice earlier than the singing of the nationwide anthem.
This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Jan. eight, 2020.
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John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
