Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/jets-heading-for-home-after-4-2-win- over-canucks-450714823.html

Jets complete western road trip with 4-2 win over Canucks

By: Jason Bell

VANCOUVER – The Jets are heading home in finer shape than when they left, gaining a major injection of confidence after a pair of valuable NHL victories out west.

Their latest accomplishment?

Sparked by a pair of late goals in the second period, the Jets earned a 4-2 victory over the Canucks on Thursday night.

Connor Hellebuyck, making his second-straight start between the pipes, made 30 saves as the Jets (2-2-0) posted another sound performance on the road, after dumping the 5-2 on Monday.

He had a great vantage to see the tidy effort.

"We're grinding teams down. We're getting pucks deep and we're grinding on their (defence)," said Hellebuyck. "We're being simple when we need to be simple, and then when we have a chance our skill comes out. You can't argue we have a lot of skill on this team, but knowing when to use it is key and that's what we've been doing lately.

Vancouver winger and Jets' blue-liner Josh Morrissey traded goals in the first period.

Finnish-born rifleman Patrik Laine and pumped pucks past Canucks' starter Jacob Markstrom as the visitors built a two- lead after 40 minutes.

Laine scored his second of the year on a laser from the slot with just over four minutes left in the second period. Myers upped the lead to 3-1 with a short-handed marker while Jets' served his second minor of the middle frame. jumped on a turnover at his own blue line and fed Myers, who picked the top corner over Markstrom's outstretched glove with just 76 seconds left for the club's second short-handed tally of the trip.

"It felt good," said Myers, who gets better and better every outing, still bouncing back from a series of injuries that forced him to miss all but 11 games last season.

"The start of the season it feels great to be back out with the guys. I feel good, still, obviously, getting used to some situations and some different plays. But it's coming back quick."

Canucks' defenceman Chris Tanev pulled his club to within a goal, with just over seven minutes left in the game, on a knuckler from the point that Hellebuyck couldn't handle.

"I'm not going to be playing baseball any time soon," said Hellebuyck. "You don't see too many pucks move from one end of the ice to the other. The way he hit that was really weird, so good goal on him."

Vancouver (1-1-1) dominated the last five minutes and coach Travis Green pulled Markstrom for an extra attacker with 1:11 left in regulation, but Nikolaj Ehlers scored into the empty net with four seconds left, his fourth goal of the season.

The trio of centre Mark Scheifele, Wheeler and Ehlers owned the puck on several shifts, although the games of keepaway failed to produce results on the scoresheet until the empty- netter.

Jets head coach said the line, with Laine and Mathieu Perreault, was a force all night long.

"They were good at both ends. (They) battled hard. Your best line can’t drive the bus every night, they can’t," he said. "We totally take Bryan Little for granted. He’s been that good."

Little finished with a pair of assists, while Myers and blue-liner Dmitry Kulikov both finished a plus-three on the night.

"We were pretty responsible," said Wheeler. "There are multiple ways to win, especially when you’re on the road and playing in tough buildings. We came in here knowing it was probably going to be pretty greasy and it was every bit that."

The Jets kicked off the season with a lopsided loss to the Maple Leafs and then fell to the before righting the ship.

"I never sensed any panic in the room. We said all the right things, but we were doing all the right things in practice," added Wheeler. "Sometimes you start the season really excited and with the way we started, it kind of levels you a little bit. Instead of trying to blow the doors off teams, we’re playing good hockey."

Winnipeg hosts the on Saturday at 6 p.m., the start of a three-game home stand.

The Jets were guilty of some carelessness with their sticks, however, Vancouver made good on just one of five power-play opportunities. Winnipeg finished 0-for-2 with the man advantage.

Markstrom blocked 16 shots in a losing effort.

Dustin Byfuglien missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury. He'll skate Friday and could return against the Hurricanes. Centre Matt Hendricks is still sidelined with a lower- body injury.

Jets defenceman Ben Chiarot and forward were healthy scratches. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/when-hes-good-byfuglien-makes-the- jets-better-450662653.html

When he's good, Byfuglien makes the Jets better

By: Scott Campbell

There are two distinctly different opinions about defenceman among fans.

The Winnipeg Jets may have saved their nation of fans from collapsing on the floor in tears when they beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-2 Monday night.

That reaction would have been understandable after the team was smoked in a season-opening 7-2 loss to the and then managed to be even worse in a 6-3 beatdown at the hands of the Calgary Flames on Saturday.

It wasn’t the losses; it was how the Jets played that left stomachs churning. A number of the same problems of years past cropped up again.

Pathetic coverage of the opposition resulted in some easy goals against. By the end of the Calgary game I was split on whether the players had a low defensive IQ or if it was the systems they were using that were to blame.

I looked forward to the Oilers game, hoping for some answers.

Surprisingly, defenceman Dustin Byfuglien was ruled out of the contest — head coach Paul Maurice said it was a lower-body, soft-tissue injury. Rookie Tucker Poolman drew in for his first game and played well. Backup goalie Connor Hellebuyck got the start, replacing a shell- shocked Steve Mason.

It wasn’t a stellar first period as the Jets gave up 20 shots, but Hellebuyck was strong, stopping them all.

While they coughed up a two-goal lead in the second (with some bad coverage involved) they were mostly good over the final two periods. The Jets I expected when I predicted they’d make the had returned, at least for a night.

Of course, fans had their own reasons for the improvement in the Jets' play Monday.

With Byfuglien’s absence and the Jets playing a more structured game, it brought out the non- believers.

There are two distinctly different opinions about Byfuglien among fans — those who think the Jets would be better off without him and those who believe the Jets would suffer a lot if they got rid of him.

One knock on him is that he looks lazy at times. I partly attribute that to him being the prototypical good, big player that doesn’t have his feet churning like a smaller player but is still getting the job done.

More importantly, when he’s on his game, he reads the play very well, often already in the right spot before the puck arrives there. Breaking up plays in the neutral zone and trapping pucks to keep the offence alive inside the opponent’s blue line are good things in a defensive way, as well. Make it simple; keep the puck out of your own zone.

Accountability is another area he gets poor marks from the non-believers.

Being the highest-paid player on the team and an assistant captain, they expect him to stand up after a poor game and face the media with answers. He rarely does that; for some, this shows weak leadership. But he really only needs to account for his actions with his teammates and coaches.

Coincidentally, a picture of Byfuglien and Matt Hendricks catching a big fish while wading in water (during Tuesday’s off day for the Jets in Vancouver) showed up on social media.

This, of course, fuelled the leadership debate, with some wondering why he can’t report to work but can be out playing. Maurice was fine with it and I don’t see the problem — the injury can’t be very serious.

Some people seem to believe the injury to Byfuglien wasn't even enough to keep him out of a game — that this is a benching by Maurice for unstructured play.

The perception that Byfuglien is not accountable to the coach when his play strays from the Jets' systems is something many wonder about, so this would be a start.

While that seems a bit of a stretch, I wonder if it's just people trying to throw Maurice some extra love.

When he's in his bad, river-hockey mode, Byfuglien operates far outside the boundaries of team structure, which is frustrating for coaches, teammates and fans alike.

This is when we see bad gambles on his part — followed by something even worse, as he tries to make up for it instead of settling back into the system.

His decisions are at times reckless, leaving teammates out there scrambling to defend. There’s no denying that a number of goals against over the years have occurred because of odd-man rushes or wide-open chances started by poor Byfuglien decisions.

As a player, I’ve had teammates that I’ve really liked off the ice, but strongly disliked their on-ice play at times. You look to your coach to correct their behaviour, but if you’re left to clean up a teammate’s mess it can become an emotional test. You’d never voice your displeasure publicly, though.

Byfuglien’s numbers overall have been good, whether using advanced ones or a general statistic such as points, where he's consistently produced 50-plus per 82 games played.

He tilts the ice in the Jets' favour in significant ways and his ability to crunch the opposition keeps opponents wary of strolling through his territory. When he’s on his best game he's a beast.

Perhaps non-believers would embrace Byfuglien if he got back to where Maurice had him somewhat contained, during the team's one playoff appearance (2014-15).

For me it’s easy, with my eyes seeing a lot more good play than bad from him, matching his numbers, which makes him a definite plus for the Jets.

Although he’s not playing against the , he’ll make things a lot easier by recognizing one thing when he returns.

He doesn’t have to do it all anymore. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/brothers-battle-on-and-off-the-ice- 450703483.html

Brothers battle on and off the ice

By: Jason Bell

VANCOUVER — The pre-game war of words between the Tanevs was edgier than the on-ice battle last December when they faced each other for the first time in the NHL.

Trash talk, that’s what brothers do, although soft-spoken siblings Chris and remember engaging in some playful banter rather than trading actual smack.

"We got into it a bit, like just about any other day between brothers," says Chris, 27, a skilled, defensively reliable blue-liner with the Vancouver Canucks. "Whether you’re on the street playing hockey or in your basement, you want to beat your brother. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing.

"That was the first time (going head to head) and it was pretty special. You remember that one for the rest of your life."

Brandon, 25, a fast, plucky bottom-six forward for the Winnipeg Jets, clearly recalls the night he finally crossed paths with big brother.

"A couple of hits here, bumps there, but nothing crazy," he says. "We had much worse when we were younger and just horsing around.

"It was exciting to play against your brother at the highest level of hockey. You grow up playing in the backyard and in the basement together. So, getting to go on the ice and play against him in the NHL is a great moment for the whole family."

The Tanevs’ inaugural NHL on-ice encounter happened Dec. 20, 2016, a contest won 4-1 by the Canucks.

A rematch set for two nights later in Vancouver didn’t materialize because Winnipeg sent Brandon down to its AHL affiliate, the Moose. But late in the season in Winnipeg, they were on opposite sides again, and Brandon evened the lifetime series at a game apiece (Winnipeg won 2-1 on March 26).

Chris and Brandon met for dinner Wednesday night and, 24 hours later, reconnected at Rogers Arena as the Western Conference squads faced off in their first of three meetings this NHL season.

The great hope for the clan — dad Mike Tanev, mom Sofie Meredith and younger brother, Kyle, 23 — is that there are years of showdowns still to come between the eldest and middle child.

Born and raised in the East York neighbourhood of Toronto, the Tanev kids ate, slept and breathed hockey. The boys were a little more than two years apart in age, meaning they shared hours together playing spirited basement mini-stick games, but they competed on different hockey squads growing up.

Their parents should have applied for chauffeur licences.

"It was chaos growing up," Chris says. "Equipment everywhere, different schedules... trucking us around to games and practices, the usual Canadian household."

Adds Brandon: "It was constant running around to rinks. We can’t thank our parents enough for all they did. Three boys playing hockey all over the place, and playing different sports, too, there was a lot on their plate."

Chris, then just 21, burst onto the scene with Vancouver during the 2010-11 season, and seven years later he’s one of the pillars of a Canucks team in rebuilding mode.

An undrafted rookie, he played the 2009-10 season at Rochester Institute of Technology in New York and reached the NCAA Frozen Four, before signing with the Canucks that spring.

He began the 2010-11 season in Winnipeg with the Moose, Vancouver’s then-AHL affiliate, and wasn’t considered a likely candidate to don Canucks colours.

But he was called up to Vancouver in January when the blue-line corps ran into injury troubles, and debuted in Denver with friends and family, including Brandon, cheering from the stands. He stayed with the Canucks for most of the second half of the season, registering just one assist with limited playing time.

The following two seasons, he split time between Vancouver and its new farm squad, the , before landing a permanent gig with the big club in 2013-14.

Brandon, meanwhile, played four years at in Rhode Island, scoring the game-winning goal in the 2015 national final to lift the Friars to their first-ever NCAA title. Wooed by several squads, he had heard good things about the Jets organization from Chris, who came to know and trust people such as then-Moose general manager Craig Heisinger and owner .

"He definitely had questions for me about Manitoba," Chris says.

"I knew Zinger from there, knew he was a very good man and it was a quality organization. But (Brandon) made his own decision from there."

Brandon signed with the Jets in March 2016 and played the last three games of the season with Winnipeg. Last season, he suited up for 51 contests with the NHL club, registering his only two tallies in the same game against the host . This fall, he’s already halfway to that total after cashing in on a shorthanded breakaway earlier this week in Calgary.

He’s held in high regard by Winnipeg’s coaches, who have increased the tenacious left-winger’s responsibility load lately, elevating him to the third line and regularly calling on him to kill penalties.

"He can skate. He’s definitely one of the fastest guys whenever he’s on the ice," Chris said.

"When he’s using his speed effectively, he’s a very good player for them. That was a great goal he got in Calgary.

"I haven’t had much of a chance to watch full games, but I’ll see bits and pieces. (Kyle) usually keeps track and I’ll get a text from him saying, ‘Brandon’s doing good or Brandon’s doing bad,’ or whatever. He’s keeps track of both of us."

Brandon is equally complimentary toward a guy he considers a role model.

"I always wanted to play in the NHL. That was the dream, just like every other kid playing hockey in ," he says. "Once you get the opportunity, the work isn’t finished. I think Chris helped me understand that. You have to continue to better yourself on and off the ice.

"He’s so smart, an unbelievable puck-moving defenceman. I feel like he has that ability to make people around him better and that’s a terrific characteristic to have as a hockey player.

GAME NOTES VANCOUVER — Injured Jets defenceman Dustin Byfuglien (lower body) took the morning skate Thursday, the first time he’s been on the ice since a 6-3 loss to the host Calgary Flames four days before.

Jets coach Paul Maurice, who chatted a few times with the imposing veteran during the short session, said Byfuglien’s return to the lineup — possibly as early as Saturday at home against the Carolina Hurricanes — is contingent on how he feels after practice today.

“He pushed (Thursday) and I think if he can get back on the ice and feel strong (today) then he’ll possibly be an option for us against Carolina,” Maurice said.

Byfuglien is still listed as day-to-day.

● ● ●

As a longtime NHL head coach, Maurice has had an optimum view of the Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrik, since their arrival from at the start of the millennium.

He still marvels at the Canucks’ sensationally gifted set of 37-year-old siblings and the double trouble they cause their NHL opponents.

“So, one’s moving with the puck but the other is working, too. They are truly a pair out there and they use the back of the net and they play off each other so well,” Maurice said.

“That’s the challenge, because you’re not just defending the one, you’re defending the two. They’re both doing something at the same time that opens the ice up for each other.”

Henrik, a centre and the Canucks captain, played the 1,251st game of his career Thursday. He entered the game against the Jets with 237 goals and 1,023 points. Daniel, a left-winger, had played 1,227th NHL games heading into the matchup, firing 370 goals and 987 points along the way.

— Jason Bell

Winnipeg Sun http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/10/13/hellebuyck-stands-tall-in-jets-win-over-canucks

Hellebuyck stands tall in Jets win over Canucks

BY KEN WIEBE, WINNIPEG SUN

VANCOUVER — The Winnipeg Jets backed up their words with action.

After dropping a pair of games to open the new season, they maintained a sense of calm under trying circumstances and found a way to regroup.

One win — or even two _ does not a turnaround make, but the Jets took another step forward as they earned a 4-2 triumph over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday at Rogers Arena.

The Jets (2-2) are back in on Saturday at Bell MTS Place against the Carolina Hurricanes to open a three-game homestand.

“I never sensed any panic in the room. We said all the right things, but we were doing all the right things in practice,” said Jets captain Blake Wheeler. “Sometimes you start the season really excited and with the way we started, it kind of levels you a little bit. Instead of trying to blow the doors off teams, we’re playing good hockey.”

With the game tied 1-1, Patrik Laine took a pass in the slot from Bryan Little and reminded the NHL just how lethal his release is.

Laine’s second of the season — at 15:31 of the second period — put the Jets ahead for good

Following a 36-goal and 64-point season as a rookie, Laine knew he would be receiving some extra attention.

That comes with the territory and has been something Laine has been dealing with for several years before arriving in the NHL.

There’s more to Laine’s game than just goal scoring, but when you’ve got a like he does talk shifts to when he might win the Rocket Richard Trophy.

Here’s the thing, as a 19 year old in his second season in the NHL, there are still plenty of things for Laine to learn and he’ll continue to work on those things.

He remains one of the most dangerous players on the ice whenever he’s out there.

Having says that, he doesn’t need to be a one-man show, as he’s got plenty of others to help chip in offensively.

“Our defence has been a lot better,” said Laine. “Overall, we haven’t tried to do anything magical on the ice. Just try to be simple and defend well.”

Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck started consecutive games and once again was a steadying force.

Building on the 37-save effort he provided against the Edmonton Oilers, Hellebuyck didn’t have to make many highlight-reel stops but that’s a sign of proper positioning and the improvements he’s made to his game after a strong summer.

Hellebuyck, who had 30 saves, has been sound technically and he’s done exactly what he’s needed to do to stay ready mentally after the Jets brought in Steve Mason via free agency.

If the Jets are going to push for a playoff spot, they’ll need contributions from both goalies and a healthy push from your goalie partner is rarely a bad thing.

“I'm getting more comfortable in the net and a lot of that is the guys in front of me” said Hellebuyck. “We're blocking shots and we're doing all the little things right and you can tell it's really paying off and (we're) playing our style of hockey. If we continue this, I like our chances.”

Naturally, there are still a few things for the Jets to iron out, which is normal considering things are in the first month of the campaign.

The Jets took a few unnecessary minor penalties — including an interference call against Marko Dano — just over five minutes into the first period.

“I think we've been really disciplined until tonight,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “I didn't like our first more than any of them, to be honest with you. The stick ones, we're working on. We talk about. We're learning like everybody else. Tonight was the first night I saw that we were a little undisciplined with our sticks.”

For Dano, who is battling just to stay in the lineup right now on the fourth line, it was the type of penalty he simply can’t afford to take.

That undisciplined minor helped the Jets fall behind when Daniel Sedin buried a rebound after a heavy shot from Canucks rookie — and former University of North Dakota winger Brock Boeser.

Defenceman Chris Tanev had the other goal for the Canucks, a knuckle-puck that changed direction off a Jets’ player.

Nobody played fewer minutes than Dano in Monday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers and if he wants to try and carve out a bigger role for himself, he has to be disciplined.

But he also has to be involved physically.

Wheeler took a pair of stick penalties (slashing and hooking), Mathieu Perreault was given a slashing minor to nullify a power play early in the third and Shawn Matthias also took a tripping penalty, but that took away a scoring chance for Canucks centre in the slot.

After Laine put the Jets ahead, Tyler Myers provided what proved to be the game-winner — ripping a wrister high over the glove of Jacob Markstrom at 18:44 for a shorthanded marker.

That gave the Jets two goals on eight shots on goal during the second.

Nikolaj Ehlers added an empty-netter with 4.2 seconds remaining to put the game on ice, giving him four goals during the past two games.

Some nights the Jets are going to pile up the scoring chances and on others, they’ll need to be opportunistic.

Thursday was one of those nights.

“We were pretty responsible,” said Wheeler. “There are multiple ways to win, especially when you’re on the road and playing in tough buildings. We came in here knowing it was probably going to be pretty greasy and it was every bit that.”

And after a shaky start to the campaign, the Jets are heading home with a .500 record and are ready to see where things go next. http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/10/12/poolman-takes-long-road-to-

Poolman takes long road to NHL

BY KEN WIEBE, WINNIPEG SUN

VANCOUVER – Tucker Poolman had already come to grips with the possibility he might just be enrolling at the University of North Dakota as a student.

Already cut by several junior teams, Poolman decided he would take one more crack at it before giving up his hockey dream.

It’s a good thing that he did.

Six years after earning a spot with the of the North , Poolman made his NHL debut with the Winnipeg Jets on Monday against the Edmonton Oilers.

Saying his persistence eventually paid off is a drastic understatement.

“My expectations weren’t very high. I was to the point where I was like ‘I’ll give it my best shot and so be it,’” Poolman said on Thursday before the Jets faced the Vancouver Canucks. “You think you’re career is over when you’re 18 and you barely made the team and you’re not playing. That’s tough. But at this point now, it’s helped me. It’s hard to faze me anymore if something happens. I’m happy to be playing and it keeps me calm out there.

“I never thought I would have this opportunity. When I left high school, I thought I would play a couple of years of junior and it would be awesome if I found a college to play for. It was like a home run going to UND and I’m here now. It’s kind of crazy.”

Former NHLer Paul Baxter was the head coach of the Wildcats when Poolman arrived and he saw the potential early on.

“He’s got a fantastic stride, he’s really good on his edges and he’s got exceptional vision,” Baxter said in a telephone interview from Nashville. “He’s very good at staying in the moment. Very personable, very honest and forthright. He’s very humble too. I was impressed with what kind of person he was. Almost as much as how good a player he could be.”

Following the one season in the NAHL, Poolman joined the Omaha Lancers of the USHL for two seasons.

That’s when his game took off and Poolman was named top defenceman in the USHL in 2013- 14.

Poolman attended the University of North Dakota in the fall of 2014 and spent three seasons there before turning pro with the Jets.

One of those seasons (2016) saw Poolman helped the Fighting Hawks capture the NCAA Frozen Four Championship.

“I watched every shift of his and thought he played composed, he made plays and to me, he played like he has experience,” University of North Dakota head coach Brad Berry said in a telephone interview from Grand Forks. “He invested in his game to get better at it over the course of time.”

Many of Poolman’s former coaches tuned in to see his NHL debut.

“Tucker’s such a good athlete and he’s kind of the classic case of that late developing player,” said head coach Dave Hakstol. “Yet he’s always been a very smart player and he physically matured and put that combination together with how smart of a player he is as well as how complete of a person he is.

“He gave himself a chance through doing everything the right way. I’m not surprised after his last couple years he was able to carve out a spot on the 23-man roster.”

Several of Poolman’s UND teammates weren’t surprised to see his ascent either.

“He’s a phenomenal player and his story is tremendous – from barely making an NAHL team to going to UND and being one of the best defenceman for several years there,” said Canucks forward Brock Boeser. “Some people said that he might not make it, but I knew deep down that he had a really good shot of making it. I couldn’t be more proud of him. He’s earned everything that he gets.”

Poolman’s calm demeanour and work ethic was important in helping him reach this point.

“He’s pretty quiet, he keeps his nose clean and he just goes to work,” said Canucks defenceman . “He’s versatile and he’s a guy that’s going to find a way to be successful.”

As for the debut, Poolman was on stand-by, since the Jets didn’t know if Dustin Byfuglien (soft- tissue injury) was going to be good to go for Monday’s game.

But at 5 p.m. MT, Poolman got the call he would be in the lineup.

He quickly sent a few messages for family members and friends so they could make arrangements to get the NHL Centre Ice package.

Much like he did throughout training camp and six pre-season games, Poolman was composed and calm, finishing with just under 15 minutes of ice time.

“It was awesome to get out there for the first shift and kind of settled down after that and tried to play simple hockey,” said Poolman, who was chosen by the Jets in the fifth round of the 2013 NHL Draft. “Not try to do too much or over-handle it by any means. It wasn’t too crazy a game. I just played five-on-five and there weren’t too many tense moments. I was just trying to play the game and think about my nerves or anything like that.”

Poolman realizes the road is just beginning, but thanks to his ability to navigate a few rough patches along the way, it’s safe to say he’s ready to enjoy the ride.

No matter where it takes him.

Canadian Press http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets-vancouver-canucks-nhl-1.4352569

Jets find stride as Laine, Myers combine against Canucks Hellebuyck makes 31 saves as Winnipeg looks to reverse nightmarish start

By Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press

The Winnipeg Jets are finding their stride following a nightmare start to the season.

Patrik Laine and Tyler Myers scored 3:13 apart late in the second period Thursday as Winnipeg downed the Vancouver Canucks 4-2.

The Jets opened the schedule with an embarrassing 7-2 loss on home ice to the Toronto Maple Leafs before falling 6-3 in Calgary to the Flames.

Game Wrap: Laine, Myers lead Jets over Canucks1:19

But the club followed up Monday's encouraging 5-2 road victory over the Edmonton Oilers with another solid performance at Rogers Arena.

"We played exactly the way we wanted to," said Myers. "[It's] a good start to creating a new habit of how we need to play to win."

Josh Morrissey and Nikolaj Ehlers, into an empty net, had the other goals for Winnipeg (2-2-0), while Connor Hellebuyck made 31 saves. Bryan Little added two assists.

"We're grinding teams down," said Hellebuyck. "You can't argue we have a lot of skill on this team, but knowing when to use it is a key."

Daniel Sedin and replied for Vancouver (1-1-1), which got 16 stops from Jacob Markstrom as the Canucks lost in regulation for the first time in 2017-18.

"It might have been our best game out of the three," said head coach Travis Green. "That's a really good team over there. We did a lot of good things tonight. A lot of nights we probably win that game.

"Sometimes you're going to play well and lose."

Laine provides spark Tied 1-1 through 20 minutes, Laine brought a sleepy middle period to life with 4:29 left when he took a feed from Little and fired a shot low glove side on Markstrom, who was partially screened by Canucks defenceman Michael Del Zotto.

Jets blue liner Dmitry Kulikov hit the post on the next shift, but Myers eventually stretched Winnipeg's lead to 3-1 with 1:16 remaining in the period when he finished off a short-handed 2- on-1 rush by ripping a shot past Markstrom's ear.

"It feels great to be back out with the guys," said Myers, who was limited to just 11 games last season because of a groin injury. "Still getting used to some situations and some different plays, but it's coming back quick."

Hellebuyck stopped 37 shots in the Jets' victory in Edmonton, and got his blocker on a Bo Horvat chance earlier in the period on a power play to keep his team up by one.

The netminder made his second straight start after free-agent signing Steve Mason allowed 11 goals on 65 shots in Winnipeg's disastrous first two games.

Hellebuyck doing, 'little things right' "I'm getting more comfortable in the net and a lot of that is the guys in front of me," said Hellebuyck. "We're blocking shots and doing the little things right.

"It's really paying off."

Playing with just five defencemen after left in the first with a lower-body injury, Tanev scored on a knuckleball from the point with 7:17 left in the third that completely fooled Hellebuyck to get the Canucks to within one.

"I'm not going to be playing baseball any time soon," said Hellebuyck, who made another great stop on Horvat on a power play earlier in the period. "The way he hit that was really weird."

The hosts pressed for the tie late, but couldn't find the range before Ehlers, who had a hat trick against the Oilers, scored into an empty net.

Boeser's debut Canucks winger Brock Boeser made his 2017-18 debut after sitting out Vancouver's first two games. The 23rd pick at the 2015 NHL draft, who had four goals in nine games after signing at the end of last season and led the Canucks in scoring in exhibition play, got into the middle of the action on a first-period man advantage.

Boeser found himself all alone in the slot and blasted a shot that Hellebuyck got a glove on before Daniel Sedin banged home the rebound at 7:25.

But the Jets responded just 1:39 later when Morrissey threw the puck in front that deflected off Del Zotto's skate and past Markstrom on sequence that started when Canucks forward Sven Baertschi lost his stick.

"We're not trying to get too cute when things aren't going our way," said Myers. "That's a habit we have to start creating where it becomes second nature for us.

"We have to realize we're generating success with that approach."

Vancouver Province http://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/ed-willes-like-the-canucks-jets- banking-on-youth-to-come-of-age

Ed Willes: Like the Canucks, Jets banking on youth to come of age

By Ed Willes

When they first relocated to the frozen tundra from Atlanta, the Winnipeg Jets were greeted by the unconditional love of an enraptured fan base.

That was the good news, and considering the Jets had been gone for 15 years, it was understandable. The problem was after years of mismanagement in hot ‘Lanta, the Jets didn’t have a lot to offer their wildly enthusiastic supporters and very quickly those fans did what all fans do when things go sour.

They clamoured.

The object of their fascination was Mark Scheifele, the Jets’ first, first-round draft pick who the team twice sent back to junior while the team sucked. Why, reasoned the Winnipeg cognoscenti, should we be watching Kyle Wellwood (!) and Tim Stapleton when we could be watching the future of the franchise today.

Their entreaties were not lost on , the team’s young general manager, but Cheveldayoff had committed to a longer-term vision for his team. Two full seasons after he was drafted, Scheifele would get his opportunity with the Jets.

Now, at the ripe old age of 24, he’s considered one of the 10 best players in the NHL. And the lesson?

“Every player is different,” Cheveldayoff said.

Yes, we were afraid he’d say that.

“You can’t say he was drafted there and that means he should be here in this amount of time,” Cheveldayoff continued before the Jets met the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night. “It doesn’t work that way.

“Not everyone’s path is the same We were patient for two years when people were saying, ‘Why aren’t they playing Mark Scheifele?’ As hard as it was to make those decisions, you still have to make them and it’s based on a lot of different factors.”

This much he knows. This much the Canucks are finding out.

The Jets, like the Canucks, have committed to building through youth and the draft but, unlike the locals, have started to reap the rewards of their patience.

Their lineup features the afore-mentioned Scheifele, who has 121 points in his last 108 games and, but for Connor McDavid, would be an Art Ross candidate this season; Patrik Laine, a 50- goal scorer in the making; the electric Nik Ehlers and young blue-liners Jacob Trouba and Josh Morrissey. All are 24-and-under and represent the kind of front-line talent around which a contender can be built.

But for the Jets, and every team that starts down the draftists’ road, the process of taking the next step is the tricky part. And you just have to look at the NHL standings to understand building a winner isn’t as easy as accumulating draft picks.

Of the league’s 31 teams, 16 can loosely be described as young and building through the draft. Granted, there’s some room for interpretation here, but just start ticking those teams off and you begin to understand this is the league’s prevailing zeitgeist.

You also begin to realize the Canucks are probably a couple of years behind the times.

The Jets, for example, boast assets of which the Orcans can only dream of. What would the faithful give to have a player like Laine in their lineup or Ehlers? I mean, the Canucks are having a hard enough time getting Brock Boeser and Jake Virtanen into their lineup.

As mentioned, this is a complicated process

But the Jets are also facing a new set of problems this year; problems that underscore the difficulty of evolving from intriguing ingenues to legitimate power. Their goaltending remains a question mark. Their bottom six is in need of an upgrade. There are ongoing question over the suitability of having Dustin Byfuglien as your team leader in minutes played.

The Jets, we remind you, are also way ahead of the Canucks in their development. This year they hope they can make the playoffs by augmenting their roster and shoring up their goaltending with Steve Mason and Connor Hellebuyck.

The Canucks’ hope is that one of their young prospects turns into a Scheifele or an Ehlers before they can consider the next phase.

“We’ve tried to establish that young core, lock it up and build around it,” said Cheveldayoff. “The moment you start signing players to seven-, eight-year contracts, players who’ve established what they are, that’s where things really start.

“It’s not the one-year deals where you’re changing this guy or that guy after each season. Your team starts to grow and that core has to expand, but it doesn’t happen unless you give those guys the opportunity to play.”

As to when that opportunity should occur, Cheveldayoff can’t offer any eternal truths. He just knows it takes time and patience and, even then, there are no guarantees.

NHL.com https://www.nhl.com/news/winnipeg-jets-vancouver-canucks-game-recap/c- 291876378?tid=282287648

Hellebuyck helps Jets hold off Canucks Makes 30 saves; four players score for Winnipeg by Kevin Woodley / NHL.com Correspondent

VANCOUVER -- The Winnipeg Jets turned around an early slump by simplifying their game.

Patrik Laine and Tyler Myers scored 3:13 apart late in the second period, and the Jets defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 at Rogers Arena on Thursday.

It was the second straight win for Winnipeg (2-2-0) after giving up 13 goals in two losses to open the season.

"We're being simple when we need to be simple and then when we have a chance our skill comes out," goalie Connor Hellebuyck said. "You can't argue we have a lot of skill on this team but knowing when to use it is key."

Hellebuyck made 30 saves in his second straight start ahead of Steve Mason, who signed a two-year, $8.2 million contract as a free agent July 1 but gave up 11 goals in the first two games.

Hellebuyck's best two saves came against Bo Horvat on power-play chances from the slot, the first less than a minute before Myers scored shorthanded, and the second at 9:54 of the third period with the Jets ahead 3-2.

"I am getting more comfortable in the net and a lot of that is the guys in front of me," Hellebuyck said. "We're blocking shots and doing the little things right and it's really paying off, and if we continue this I like our chances."

Josh Morrissey (9:04, first period) and Nikolaj Ehlers (empty net) scored, and Bryan Little had two assists for the Jets, who were outshot 12-6 in the second period but scored the only two goals.

Laine scored his second goal of the season on a quick shot from the slot at 15:31, and Myers scored on a 2-on-1 to make it 3-1 at 18:44.

"Simplicity," Myers said of the difference the last two games. "We're not trying to get too cute when things aren't going our way. That's a habit we have to start creating to where it becomes second nature for us."

Canucks defenseman Christopher Tanev made it 3-2 with a fluttering point shot that somehow eluded Hellebuyck's glove at 12:43 of the third period, but Vancouver couldn't tie it despite outshooting Winnipeg 12-5 in the period.

"I'm not going to be playing baseball anytime soon," Hellebuyck said. "That was tracking to my glove and I don't know why I went down, that was my mistake and I kind of blinded myself. You don't see many pucks move from one end to the other."

Daniel Sedin (7:25, first period) scored a power-play goal, and Jacob Markstrom made 16 saves for the Canucks (1-1-1), who lost defenseman Alexander Edler to a lower-body injury in the first period.

"He's our minute-logger, plays in every situation," Tanev said. "It's tough to lose him and play with five the rest of the game."

Goal of the game Myers, who played 11 games last season because of a groin injury, may not be known as a scorer, but the 6-foot-8 defenseman put the game-winning goal perfectly over the left shoulder of Markstrom, who was caught moving right. "He's going to hit that spot," said Hellebuyck, who had Myers as a shooter at goaltending camps this summer. "You think he's so big and a defenseman that he's not going to snipe, but then it comes off and he fools a lot of goalies because he has a really good, heavy shot."

Save of the game Horvat had a great chance to tie the game from the slot on a power play with 2:10 left in the second period, but Hellebuyck threw out his blocker to stop it.

Highlight of the game Little gained the offensive zone off the rush and peeled into the left corner before finding Laine alone in the high slot for a quick wrist shot past the glove of Markstrom. "He's an elite center," Laine said. "He can see and make those plays."

They said it "Square, strong, and then he had one that he didn't like, I am sure, but then more important than that is you don't give up the next one, that's the key piece. He's had two really, really good nights where he has looked the same in both. His positioning is really strong and he's seeing the puck." -- Jets coach Paul Maurice on goalie Connor Hellebuyck

"That's a really good team over there. We did a lot of good things tonight. … Sometimes you are going to play well and lose and you're going to play bad and win. I think this was one of those nights." -- Canucks coach Travis Green

Need to know Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien missed a second straight game with a lower-body injury but skated in the morning and could return against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday. … Rookie Brock Boeser, who led the Canucks with seven points (four goals, three assists) in preseason, had one assist in his season debut after being a heathy scratch the first two games.

What's next Jets: Host the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; SN1, CITY, FS-CR, NHL.TV) Canucks: Host the Calgary Flames on Saturday (10 p.m. ET; SN1, CITY, NHL.TV)

TSN.ca http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/has-hellebuyck-done-enough-to-be-jets-starter~1230287 (VIDEO LINK)

Has Hellebuyck done enough to be Jets' starter?

After making 31 saves to backstop the Jets in a win over the Canucks, has Connor Hellebuyck done enough to claim the number one goaltending spot? How can Patrik Laine catch and release the puck so fast? TSN Hockey analyst Mike Johnson has more. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/maurice-has-no-concerns-with-injured-byfuglien-fishing~1231013 (VIDEO LINK)

Maurice has 'no concerns' with injured Byfuglien fishing

With Dustin Byfuglien missing his second straight game with a lower-body injury, the extent of Byfuglien's injury was called into question when a picture appeared of the hulking defenceman fishing. Farhan Lalji has more.

Sportsnet.ca http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/era-adjusted-mark-scheifele-vs-dale-hawerchuk/

Era Adjusted: Mark Scheifele vs. Dale Hawerchuk

By Steve Dangle

Not too many things were fair about Patrik Laine’s rookie season.

When Laine’s every move wasn’t being compared to Auston Matthews, he was burdened with being branded as the second coming of Teemu Selanne. Being compared to a teenaged peer is somewhat fair, but being expected to be the Finnish Flash 2.0 is not. If you doubled Laine’s impressive 36-goal rookie season to 72, it would still be four goals shy of Selanne’s 76-goal berserker rampage as a rookie in 1992-93.

Let Teemu be Teemu and let Laine be Laine.

There is however a more fair comparison to make between a great Winnipeg Jet of today and one of the past.

Mark Scheifele vs. Dale Hawerchuk. I haven’t written one of these Era Adjusted pieces in a while, so let’s quickly revisit what we’re trying to do here.

As you know, back in the 1980s there were a lot of goals in the NHL. By the early 2000s, scoring had dried up. Then, after scoring picked up again following the 2004-05 lockout, it has dried up yet again.

The result: You look at a some retired players’ incredible point totals from past eras and go, “Yeah, but keep in mind they played in the 1980s.”

Well, with a little simple math — and thank goodness it’s simple because I’m brutal at it — we can now adjust point totals from era to era.

HockeyReference.com (HR) tracks these era-adjusted stats and they’re such a fun rabbit hole to crawl down.

So, how does Mark Scheifele, one’s of the NHL’s brightest young centres today, compare to Dale Hawerchuk, whose prime was in the mid-1980s and is 30 years his senior?

Dale Hawerchuk was a beast from the moment he walked into the NHL, winning the 1982 as the NHL’s rookie of the year with 45 goals and 103 points. He scored over 100 points in six of his first seven seasons. He also scored at least 40 goals in seven of his first eight seasons, including a career-high 53 goals in 1984-85 as a 21-year-old.

Mark Scheifele’s career got off to a different start. He only played a handful of games in each of his first two seasons before being sent back to the Hockey League’s . His head coach in Barrie? Dale Hawerchuk.

Scheifele scored 0.54 points-per game as a rookie, 0.60 as a sophomore, 0.86 as a third-year player. This past season he was better than a point-per-game with 1.04 (82 points in 78 games).

“So what?,” you might ask. “Sure, 82 points is nice, but Dale Hawerchuk scored more than that 12 times.”

Here’s where the era-adjusted stats come into play.

Using HR’s era adjusted stats, Mark Scheifele’s 82 points suddenly become 90. standard NHL career statistics Scoring Goals Assists Shots Ice Time Season Age Tm Lg GP G A PTS +/- PIM EV PP SH GW EV PP SH S S% TSA TOI ATOI FOW FOL FO% HIT BLK TK GV Awards 2011- 12 18 WPG NHL 7 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 5 20.0 12 77 10:57 18 33 35.3 3 1 0 2 2012- 13 19 WPG NHL 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0.0 12 46 11:32 10 4 71.4 4 0 0 0 2013- 14 20 WPG NHL 63 13 21 34 9 14 12 1 0 2 18 3 0 100 13.0 184 1031 16:21 331 454 42.2 63 39 31 22 2014- 15 21 WPG NHL 82 15 34 49 11 24 12 3 0 2 24 10 0 170 8.8 307 1524 18:35 506 659 43.4 98 61 52 44 2015- 16 22 WPG NHL 71 29 32 61 16 48 22 7 0 3 28 4 0 194 14.9 320 1317 18:33 515 651 44.2 53 36 61 35 2016- 17 23 WPG NHL 79 32 50 82 18 38 25 7 0 5 40 8 2 160 20.0 278 1624 20:34 635 826 43.5 49 34 67 42 AS-4,Byng-60,Selke-30 2017- 18 24 WPG NHL 4 3 2 5 2 0 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 9 33.3 13 83 20:38 48 49 49.5 4 4 9 1 Career NHL 310 93 139 232 56 124 73 20 0 12 111 26 2 644 14.4 1126 5701 18:23 2063 2676 43.5 274 175 220 146 Data courtesy Hockey-Reference.com.

So how does Scheifele’s 90 points in his age-23 season compare to what Hawerchuk put up in his own age-23 season back in 1986-87?

When adjusting for era, Hawerchuk’s 100 points in 1986-87 drop to 85, five fewer than Scheifele put up last season. standard NHL career statistics Per Game Adjusted Plus/Minus Point Shares Season Age Tm Lg GP GC G A PTS GC PIM S G A PTS GC TGF PGF TGA PGA +/- OPS DPS PS 1981- 82 18 WIN NHL 80 41 0.56 0.73 1.29 0.51 0.59 4.24 33 42 75 29 144 55 97 4 -4 6.8 1.1 7.9 1982- 83 19 WIN NHL 79 36 0.51 0.65 1.15 0.46 0.39 3.76 32 41 73 29 135 60 107 15 -17 6.3 0.6 7.0 1983- 84 20 WIN NHL 80 38 0.46 0.81 1.28 0.47 0.91 3.20 29 52 81 30 137 46 120 15 -14 6.5 0.5 7.1 1984- 85 21 WIN NHL 80 50 0.66 0.96 1.63 0.63 0.93 3.50 42 61 103 40 172 57 102 9 22 9.8 1.3 11.1 1985- 86 22 WIN NHL 80 41 0.58 0.74 1.31 0.52 0.55 3.91 36 46 82 32 130 53 128 24 -27 7.3 0.5 7.8 1986- 87 23 WIN NHL 80 40 0.59 0.66 1.25 0.51 0.65 3.34 40 45 85 34 135 41 95 4 3 7.9 1.2 9.1 1987- 88 24 WIN NHL 80 45 0.55 0.96 1.51 0.56 0.74 3.65 37 64 101 38 157 80 104 18 -9 9.0 0.9 10.0 1988- 89 25 WIN NHL 75 37 0.55 0.73 1.28 0.50 0.37 3.19 34 45 79 31 132 53 123 14 -30 7.0 0.2 7.2 1989- 90 26 WIN NHL 79 29 0.33 0.70 1.03 0.37 0.76 2.67 22 46 68 25 117 44 91 7 -11 4.8 0.7 5.5 1990- 91 27 BUF NHL 80 34 0.39 0.73 1.11 0.42 0.40 2.43 28 52 80 29 116 47 69 2 2 6.7 1.1 7.8 1991- 92 28 BUF NHL 77 33 0.30 0.97 1.27 0.43 0.35 3.14 20 66 86 29 139 83 91 13 -22 6.7 0.3 7.0 1992- 93 29 BUF NHL 81 30 0.20 0.99 1.19 0.38 0.64 3.20 13 64 77 25 147 87 83 6 -17 5.3 0.5 5.8 1993- 94 30 BUF NHL 81 34 0.43 0.63 1.06 0.42 1.12 2.80 32 46 78 30 130 66 55 1 10 7.3 1.6 8.9 1994- 95 31 BUF NHL 23 6 0.22 0.48 0.70 0.25 0.09 2.43 9 19 28 10 20 13 9 0 -2 1.1 0.3 1.4 1995- 96 32 TOT NHL 82 22 0.21 0.54 0.74 0.26 0.32 2.20 16 42 58 20 90 41 42 8 15 3.7 1.7 5.4 1995- 96 32 STL NHL 66 15 0.20 0.42 0.62 0.23 0.33 2.06 12 27 39 14 63 32 32 6 5 2.2 1.2 3.4 1995- 96 32 PHI NHL 16 6 0.25 1.00 1.25 0.40 0.25 2.75 4 15 19 6 27 9 10 2 10 1.4 0.5 2.0 1996- 97 33 PHI NHL 51 13 0.24 0.43 0.67 0.25 0.63 2.00 12 23 35 13 52 17 26 0 9 2.3 0.8 3.2 9 yrs WIN NHL 713 358 0.53 0.77 1.30 0.50 0.66 3.50 305 442 747 287 1259 489 967 110 -87 65.6 7.2 72.8 5 yrs BUF NHL 342 137 0.32 0.80 1.13 0.40 0.60 2.86 102 247 349 123 552 296 307 22 -29 27.0 3.8 30.8 2 yrs PHI NHL 67 19 0.24 0.57 0.81 0.28 0.54 2.18 16 38 54 19 79 26 36 2 19 3.8 1.4 5.1 1 yr STL NHL 66 15 0.20 0.42 0.62 0.23 0.33 2.06 12 27 39 14 63 32 32 6 5 2.2 1.2 3.4 Career NHL 1188 530 0.44 0.75 1.19 0.45 0.61 3.16 435 754 1189 443 1953 843 1342 140 -92 98.6 13.5 112.1 Data courtesy Hockey-Reference.com.

Again – so what? Yes, Scheifele had one truly excellent season but that doesn’t make him better than Dale Hawerchuk, who scored over 1,400 career points in the NHL before he was all said and done. And while that’s certainly true, consider this: After adjusting for era, Hawerchuk scored 90 points or more just twice in his 16 seasons.

In other words, Mark Scheifele’s production last season was at a level that even Dale Hawerchuk had difficulty reaching at the same age.

Now, none of this means Scheifele will have a career as good or better than Hawerchuk’s.

What it does mean is that Scheifele had a heck of season last year, by any era’s standards.

Blake Wheeler has scored over 70 points in each of his past two seasons and Patrik Laine might be even more of a monster as a sophomore than he was as a rookie. With those two by his side, Scheifele could have another Hawerchuk-level season up his sleeve. That Jets power play is already looking pretty filthy.

I totally understand if era adjusted stats aren’t your cup of tea. Personally, I think players are best compared to their contemporaries. You could also argue that Scheifele has a better supporting cast than Hawechuk did. Hawerchuk often led the (old) Jets in scoring by 20 or 30 points. You might also note that era-adjusted stats don’t really account for how good or bad a player is defensively or how gritty they are.

Unless we figure out how to time travel and start plopping players from today into the middle of the 1980s, we’ll never really be able to definitely say who was better than who.

But until then, era-adjusted stats will continue to provide us all with something fun you to argue about with your hockey-loving parents.

TSN 1290 (AUDIO LINKS) http://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/wiebe-byfuglien-seen-limping-skating-gingerly-1.883254

Wiebe: Byfuglien seen limping, skating gingerly

Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun joins the Afternoon Ride to discuss the circumstances surrounding Dustin Byfuglien being out of the Winnipeg Jets game in Edmonton and then Vancouver. Wiebe shares his thoughts on Tucker Poolman’s performance in relief on the blue- line, and looks ahead to the Jets-Canucks match-up. http://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/poulin-maurice-under-pressure-from-own-expectations- 1.883244

Poulin: Maurice under pressure from own expectations

TSN Hockey analyst joins the Afternoon Ride to discuss how the early games in an NHL season are tough on coaches as they try to evaluate their teams. Poulin also says that Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice is under presser from himself first, knowing what sort of team he has. www.winnipegjets.com https://www.nhl.com/jets/news/jets-double-up-canucks-to-wrap-up-road-trip/c-291878348 (INTERVIEWS INCLUDED)

Jets double up Canucks to wrap up road trip Morrissey, Myers, Laine & Ehlers score; Hellebuyck stops 31 by Mitchell Clinton @MitchellClinton / WinnipegJets.com

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - The Winnipeg Jets got a taste of the winning feeling in Edmonton on Monday night, and talked this morning about wanting to carry that feeling into Vancouver.

They did just that.

Josh Morrissey, Patrik Laine, Tyler Myers, and Nikolaj Ehlers found the twine for the Jets in a 4- 2 win over the Canucks at Rogers Arena Thursday night, giving them back-to-back wins to close out a three-game road trip.

"I thought the last two games, we played exactly the way we wanted to," said Myers, who's shorthanded goal proved to be the game winner. "These last two games we've adjusted nicely and kept things simple. Teams are going to make a push on us at some point, it happens in every game. These last two games are a good start to creating a new habit of how we need to play to win. We just have to keep it going."

Connor Hellebuyck stopped 31 shots, with 23 of those saves coming in the final 40 minutes.

"That's what I'm here for," said Hellebuyck. "I'm here for that one save that's going to leap us forward and get us a bit of momentum. You could tell the guys really picked up after that."

One of only two shots that did beat Hellebuyck gave Vancouver the early lead. With Marko Dano off for interference, Brock Boeser - making his season debut - took a pass from the corner and his wrist shot from the high slot was stopped by Hellebuyck, the rebound came right to Daniel Sedin who made no mistake from just outside the crease.

The Jets would answer back less than two minutes later. After some nifty stick work from Patrik Laine to maintain possession, a series of one-touch passes moved from the sticks of Bryan Little and Jacob Trouba before ending in Josh Morrissey's possession on the bench side half wall. Morrissey's play to the front of the net banked off Michael Del Zotto's skate and under the arm of Jacob Markstrom to tie the game at one.

Laine didn't get an assist on the Jets first goal, but he lit the lamp for the second. Skating down the side boards, Little made a quick button hook at the bottom of the circle and slid a pass to Laine in the high slot. One quick wrist shot later, it was 2-1 Jets.

"It was a great pass. He's an elite centre. He can see and make those plays. I just needed to take the puck and shoot it," Laine said of Little. "I think overall we haven't tried to do anything magical on the ice. Just try to be simple and defend well. That's how we're going to win."

It was Little's second of two assists on the night, and after the line of Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, and Ehlers combined for 10 points on Monday in Edmonton, head coach Paul Maurice was full of praise for the trio led by number 18.

"They were good at both ends, battled hard. Your best line can't drive the bus every night. So Bryan had an opportunity, and they were really good," said Maurice. "He deserved to be on the ice at the end of that game, but he's playing with guys that wouldn't see a lot of six-on-five time, so I didn't have him out there. He's been that good."

With just over a minute left in the second, and with the Jets on the penalty kill, Andrew Copp took advantage of a pinching Vancouver defenceman and started a two-on-one back the other way with Tyler Myers. Copp fed Myers just inside the Canucks blue line, and Myers wired a wrist shot over the shoulder of Markstrom that kissed the crossbar before hitting mesh. It was 3- 1 Jets after 40 minutes.

The Canucks would cut the Jets lead to one with 7:17 to go, when Chris Tanev's off speed knuckler from the point got by a couple sticks halfway to the net, and evaded Hellebuyck as well, going off the bar and in.

Ehlers would seal the deal, knocking down a knee high backhand just outside the Jets blue line, and using his speed to gain separation, dumped the puck into an empty net with 4.2 seconds left in regulation.

Now back at .500, captain Blake Wheeler is looking forward to Saturday's game back home against the Carolina Hurricanes as the next opportunity to keep the good feeling in the dressing room.

"Sometimes you start the season really excited, and the way we started kind of levels you a little bit," said Wheeler. "I think we're playing good hockey now. Instead of going out and blow the doors off teams, we're playing good hockey."