The Winnipeg Jets downed the Arizona Coyotes in an important wildcard battle. Winnipeg moves back above the playoff line after picking up the two points while Arizona is now fighting from even further behind. The second line led the way tonight as Ehlers had three points while Eakin had two, including the game winning goal in the third period. Hellebuyck was fantastic once again as things got interesting in the final few minutes with Arizona throwing everything towards the net. Hellebuyck stood tall and Scheifele added the empty net goal for a big 4-2 victory.

After missing a month and a half due to injury, it didn’t take long for Adam Lowry to make his presence felt as he laid a big hit in the opening few minutes. Crowse took exception to the hit and dropped the gloves but Lowry definitely got the best of him.

The rest of the first period didn’t have much going on with neither team getting great chances offensively. The Jets gave Arizona the first great chance of the game as nobody picked up Schmaltz who found some wide open ice in the middle of the crease. The defending was less than ideal as all of the Jets just sat back and watched him score.

The Jets had a terrible powerplay later in the period but things got even worse in the dying moments as the Coyotes got a second one past Hellebuyck. The real issue with the second goal was that it came with only one second remaining in the period. Those are always tough goals to give up and it widened Arizona’s lead heading into the first intermission.

After a relatively boring first, things started to pick up in the second. There was action at both ends of the rink with odd-man rushes and great goaltending from both netminders. The Jets had slightly more energy than the Coyotes and it showed as Ehlers broke in all alone. He was able to chip it up and over the shoulder of Kuemper to get Winnipeg on the board.

The chances kept coming just a few moments later as Connor had a breakaway of his own. The Jets’ leading goal scorer and player with goals in five straight games decided to not even attempt a shot… wait, what?

The pass to Wheeler is understandable on a full blown breakaway, but with the Coyotes hot on your heels, the puck needs to go at the net. There was a massive groan from Bell MTS Place as the Coyotes stayed up by a goal.

In the meantime, Arizona was getting plenty of chances of their own but Connor Hellebuyck was really strong in the second period. He made several big saves and allowed the Jets to even the score later in the period. The second line did the work once again as Eakin nearly scored twice on the same shift. The second chance was stopped by Kuemper but left all alone in the crease. Poolman was able to crash the net and shovel it home to tie the game.

In the game tied in the third period, things got much tighter as neither team wanted to give up the go ahead goal. It was going to take a lucky bounce to go one way or the other. Winnipeg have so often been on the wrong side of that bounce, but that flipped tonight as Cody Eakin won a draw in Arizona’s end. Laine immediately sent the puck towards the net and it bounced right onto the stick of Eakin who headed for the net. He out-waited Kuemper and tucked it away on the backhand to send the Jets in the lead.

Things got really tight in the closing minutes as the Coyotes nearly put the tying goal past Hellebuyck but the save was made with a number of players laying in the crease. Scheifele added the empty net goal a few moments later and the Jets pick up a huge two points with the 3-2 victory.

It was something to watch for in the pregame post and it turned out to be a factor on the Jets’ opening goal. Speed through the neutral zone is huge for Winnipeg and Ehlers showed why with his first goal. He came flying over the line as was able to get a partial breakaway because of the speed he had. We walked right around the defender to a one on one with the goalie because the Coyote defender wasn’t able to turn fast enough. The Jets have a few speedsters in the lineup, but Ehlers is the guy that can hurt opposition the most with his feet. We saw it last game against Vegas and it happened again tonight against the Coyotes.

It’s been mentioned already, but this win gives a crucial two points in the standings.

The Jets leapfrog back into the first wildcard spot with the victory and now hold a four point lead on the Coyotes. There’s still more work to do, but this was an important step towards the playoffs.

Tonight’s game winning goal came off the stick of Cody Eakin, his first as a member of the Jets. It couldn’t have come at a better time with the game tied in the third period. Many people have said that Eakin shouldn’t play with Ehlers and Laine, but that trio combined for three out of the four goals tonight. It was a dominating performance from this second line and it bodes well for Winnipeg’s chances down the stretch. As for Eakin’s goal, it showed excellent awareness to keep the puck moving before putting it on net.