National Hockey League
Winnipeg 6, New Jersey 1
When: 7:00 PM ET, Sunday, April 2, 2023
Where: Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Referees: Tom Chmielewski, Chris Rooney
Linesmen: Ryan Galloway, Travis Toomey
Attendance: 14107

Nikolaj Ehlers scored a pair of goals and Connor Hellebuyck made 31 saves to fuel the host Winnipeg Jets to a 6-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday.

Pierre-Luc Dubois collected a goal and an assist and Nino Niederreiter, Morgan Barron and Kyle Connor also tallied for the Jets (43-31-3, 89 points), who have scored six goals in back-to-back games.

Blake Wheeler and defenseman Josh Morrissey each notched a pair of assists to propel Winnipeg within one point of the Seattle Kraken for the top wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

New Jersey captain Nico Hischier spoiled Hellebuyck's bid for his fourth shutout of the season and 32nd of his career by tucking home a loose puck with 14 seconds remaining in the third period. Hischier's goal was his career-high 31st of the season.

Vitek Vanecek yielded four goals on 21 shots before being relieved by Mackenzie Blackwood (four saves) for the Devils (48-21-8, 104 points), who fell three points behind the first-place Carolina Hurricanes in the Metropolitan Division. The Hurricanes skated to a 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders earlier on Sunday.

Wheeler warded off a defender and wired a centering feed from below the goal line that Ehlers deposited home to open the scoring at 4:59 of the first period.

Wheeler helped double the advantage after he redirected a pass from Vladislav Namestnikov to Niederreiter, who made no mistake with 3:45 left in the first period. The goal was Niederreiter's 24th of the season.

Barron was awarded a penalty shot after being hauled down by Devils defenseman Damon Severson at 2:42 of the second period. Barron made New Jersey pay by beating Vanecek between the pads to give Winnipeg a 3-0 lead.

Connor reached the 30-goal plateau for the fifth time in his career after scoring from in front at 10:34 of the second period.

Dubois one-timed Morrissey's cross-ice pass for his 26th goal of the season midway into the third period. Ehlers capped his two-goal performance nearly four minutes later by converting on the power play.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
New Jersey   Winnipeg
Nico Hischier 1 Points Nikolaj Ehlers 2
Nico Hischier 1 Goals Nikolaj Ehlers 2
Jesper Bratt 1 Assists Josh Morrissey 2
Nico Hischier 1 Power Play Goals Nikolaj Ehlers 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Vitek Vanecek .810 Save Percentage Connor Hellebuyck .969
Vitek Vanecek 17 Saves Connor Hellebuyck 31
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
New Jersey 32 1 1-3 2-3 6 24
Winnipeg 27 6 1-3 2-3 6 29
Upcoming Games
  • Winnipeg will play their next game at home against Calgary. The Jets have a W/L % of .558 after a win and .559 after a loss.
  • New Jersey will play their next game at home against Pittsburgh. The Devils have a W/L % of .612 after a win and .643 after a loss.