Hellebuyck's 41-save shutout leads Jets past Canucks
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) Kyle Connor scored twice, Connor Hellebuyck made 41 saves for his fourth shutout of the season, and the Winnipeg Jets beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 on Tuesday night to snap a six-game losing streak at home.
It was the 18th shutout of Hellebuyck's career and gave him the franchise record for shutouts, surpassing Ondrej Pavelec. He earned it with some highlight saves, particularly in the third period, and even tried to shoot the puck down the ice into an empty net, but it hit a Vancouver player.
Jack Roslovic and Blake Wheeler also had a goal each and Patrik Laine picked up a pair of assists for the Jets, who have won their past 10 games against Vancouver.
Connor's second goal was into an empty net and gave him a team-leading 24 for Winnipeg (25-18-4).
Jacob Markstrom stopped 21 of the 24 shots he faced for the Canucks (25-18-4), who have been shut out three times this season.
Winnipeg led 2-0 after the first period and 3-0 after two.
The game got off to an unusual start for the Jets, who appeared to score three goals in a span of 37 seconds but only one counted.
During a wraparound by Jets center Mark Scheifele, the puck went off Vancouver forward Brock Boeser and into the net at 1:18. However, a review showed the net had lifted off its mooring and the puck actually slid under the side of it, so the goal didn't count.
Four seconds later, Connor got a cross-ice pass from Sami Niku and sent a one-timer past Markstrom on the glove side.
Defenseman Anthony Bittetto's point shot went by Markstrom at 1:55, but a Vancouver coach's challenge for offside was successful, nullifying that goal, too.
The Canucks had an early power play, but Hellebuyck stopped J.T. Miller's shot.
Winnipeg made it 2-0 at 14:24 after Adam Lowry fed a long pass to Roslovic and he went in alone and fired the puck high past Markstrom.
Canucks forward Elias Pettersson hit a goal post late in the period.
The Jets began the second period on a power play after a late first-period Vancouver penalty and made it count with Wheeler's goal at 1:12.
The Canucks had two power plays close together late in the period, but Hellebuyck turned aside a Boeser blast and then a Pettersson slap shot.
After Bo Horvat hit the crossbar behind Hellebuyck early in the third, the netminder made a number of slick saves. He managed to smother a puck that was sliding around behind him, made a quick glove save on an Adam Gaudette shot, and then splayed out to cover a puck in the last four minutes.
Notes: Winnipeg defenseman Carl Dahlstrom left the game late in the second with an upper-body injury and didn't return. ... The Jets were 0-5-1 during their skid.
UP NEXT
Vancouver returns home to host Arizona on Thursday.
Winnipeg wraps up a three-game homestand Friday against Tampa Bay.
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