Mark Scheifele’s hat trick lifted the Winnipeg Jets to a 4-2 win over the visiting Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.
Pierre-Luc Dubois also scored, while Josh Morrissey and Kyle Connor each had two assists and Connor Hellebuyck made 20 saves for the Jets, who ended a season-long three-game losing streak.
Andrei Kuzmenko had a goal and an assist, while Conor Garland also scored and Collin Delia made 34 saves for the Canucks, whose three-game winning streak was snapped.
The Canucks struck quickly when Elias Pettersson stole Dylan Samberg’s outlet pass and centered the puck to Kuzmenko, who one-timed a shot past Hellebuyck just 41 seconds into the game.
Vancouver controlled most of the first period, outshooting the Jets 9-6. But the Canucks failed to score on their lone power-play opportunity of the period after Morgan Barron was called for hooking at the 14:20 mark.
After the Canucks failed to capitalize on their second power play early in the second period, the Jets tied the game on their first man-advantage opportunity.
Connor slid a pass to Morrissey who unleashed a shot near the blue line that Scheifele deflected past Delia at the 13:52 mark of the period.
Dubois gave the Jets a 2-1 lead when he roofed a penalty shot past Delia at the 15:42 mark before Scheifele struck again on the power play in the final seconds of the period.
After taking a pass from Morrissey in the left slot, Scheifele wristed a shot past Delia for a 3-1 lead with 2.5 seconds left in the period. Connor also collected an assist.
Garland’s goal off assists from Quinn Hughes and Kuzmenko pulled the Canucks to within 3-2 with 6:49 left, but Vancouver couldn’t capitalize with the extra skater after pulling Delia.
Instead, Scheifele completed his seventh career hat trick when scored an empty-net goal off Adam Lowry’s assist with 28 seconds remaining.
The Jets outshot the Canucks 39-22.
The Jets play at Edmonton on Saturday before opening a three-game homestand against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.
Vancouver will visit Calgary on Saturday before hosting the New York Islanders on Tuesday and the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 5. Then comes a Jan. 8 trip to Winnipeg for the Canucks’ final meeting with the Jets this season.
–Field Level Media
