Hellebuyck, Jets Stay Hot with 3-0 Win over Ducks

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Connor Hellebuyck made 24 saves for his second shutout and the Winnipeg Jets continued their torrid November with a 3-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Friday.

Neal Pionk had a power-play goal for the Jets, who have won three straight and are 10-2-1 this month with one game to play. Nikolaj Ehlers and Kyle Connor also scored, and Blake Wheeler had two assists.

John Gibson made 17 saves for the Ducks.

The Jets went up 1-0 at 1:08 of the second period when Pionk scored on a slap shot from the blue line during a power play. Gibson could not see it through the screen set by Connor.

Ehlers made it 2-0 at 9:13 by scoring for the fifth time in seven games. Wheeler found Ehlers for a shot from the near hash on the left circle, picking up his fourth assist and sixth point during a three-game streak.

Nikolaj Ehlers
Winnipeg Jets’ Nikolaj Ehlers and the Jets bench (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Connor extended the lead 51 seconds into the third on a one-timer from Mark Scheifele.

Tempers flared during the first period. Anthony Bitetto was penalized for interference on a high hit to Ondrej Kase, briefly forcing the Ducks forward out of the game. Erik Gudbranson stuck up for his teammate by fighting Bitetto but received an instigator penalty and 10-minute misconduct.

Nick Ritchie was called for charging on a hit to Pionk with 32 seconds left in the first, which led to Pionk’s third goal early in the second.

There was a video review of a shot by Ducks centre Sam Steel at 5:15 of the first which concluded the whistle blew to stop play before the puck crossed the line.

NOTES

Jets D Dmitry Kulikov did not return after sustaining an upper-body injury in the first period. … Patrik Laine had an assist, his sixth point in the past five games. … The Jets are 6-1 in their past seven road games. … Gudbranson got a second 10-minute misconduct in the third period.

UP NEXT

Jets: At Los Angeles on Saturday night.

Ducks: Host Los Angeles on Monday night.

___

More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Dan Greenspan, The Associated Press