The NHL’s best team in the month of October got November started on the right foot Friday night in Columbus.
Fresh off an impressive win in Detroit, the Winnipeg Jets knocked off the Blue Jackets 6-2 to improve to 10-1 on the season.
Nikolaj Ehlers got the scoring started at the 5:28 mark of the first when he wheeled into the Columbus end and beat Elvin Merzlikins with a long-range slap shot.
Sean Kuraly answered for the Jackets just over 11 minutes into the period. James van Riemsdyk won a puck battle behind the Jets’ net and fed Kuraly in front, who potted it past Eric Comrie to level the score.
But just over four minutes later, Ehlers restored the Jets’ lead. Columbus had chances to clear the puck but failed to do so thanks in part to some good stick work by Dylan Samberg at the blue line. After a scramble near the blue line, the puck eventually found its way to Ehlers in some open ice and he buried a hard wrister to make it 2-1.
It stayed that way until the 2:20 mark of the second period when the Jets make it 3-1 thanks to some nice puck movement in the offensive end. Adam Lowry dropped it off to Neal Pionk as he drove down the wall before Pionk fed Mason Appleton in the slot. He one-timed it home for his fourth of the year.
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Winnipeg kept the pressure on as they searched for more goals and Kyle Connor came very close when he rang one off the crossbar but Merzlikins kept his team in the game.
Columbus found some life late in the period after Mark Scheifele was called for tripping and just eight seconds later, Sean Monahan tipped a point shot past Comrie to make it 3-2.
Before the period ran out, though, Winnipeg regained its two-goal cushion. After a scramble in front of Merzlikins, the puck escaped and landed on the stick of Ehlers who had a wide-open net to score into for his fifth career hat trick and first since Dec. 2018.
The Jets took the 4-2 lead into the third period after outshooting Columbus 19-8 in the second and 31-16 over the first two periods.
It stayed a two-goal game until the 11:39 mark of the third when Josh Morrissey blasted one home from the point on the power play to make it 5-2.
Gabriel Vilardi made it 6-2 with just over five minutes left, finishing off a brilliant play from Connor who made a nice toe drag around a defender before sending it to Vilardi in front of the crease.
For Connor, who was named the NHL’s second star of the month of October earlier in the day, it extended his season-opening point streak to 11 games.
Comrie only had to make 20 saves to improve to 3-0 on the season while Merzlikins turned aside 38 shots in defeat.
The Jets will return home to face the Tampa Bay Lightning Sunday afternoon. It’s a 2 p.m. puck drop with pregame coverage on 680 CJOB beginning at noon.
