Jets Survive Rangers – Scheifele With 3 Points

WINNIPEG — Mark Scheifele scored twice and added one assist as the Winnipeg Jets held off the New York Rangers for a 4-3 victory on Tuesday.

Jets defenceman Joe Morrow recorded his first goal of the season and Andrew Copp also scored for Winnipeg.

Mika Zibanejad scored twice and Pavel Buchnevich had the other goal for the Rangers. Mats Zuccarello added two assists.

Connor Hellebuyck made 34 saves for the Jets (36-18-3), who were starting a three-game homestand. Winnipeg has at least a point in its past nine home games (8-0-1).

Winnipeg Jets Mark Scheifele Blake Wheeler
Winnipeg Jets Mark Scheifele celebrates with Blake Wheeler (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Trevor Hagan)

Henrik Lundqvist stopped 32 shots for the Rangers (24-24-8), who were beginning a four-game road trip.

The game was tied 2-2 heading into the third period, but Zibanejad’s second goal of the game at 57 seconds made it 3-2 for the visitors.

Winnipeg responded with goals from Morrow and Copp 1:58 apart to take a 4-3 lead.

The Jets had mounted a 2-0 lead in the first period on Scheifele’s pair of goals.

He got the scoring going at 4:58 of the first period when his shot from the bottom of the circle went between the pads of a kneeling Lundqvist. He then sent the puck over Lundqvist’s stick with 1:24 left in the period.

Scheifele is up to a team-leading 30 goals in 57 games, two goals away from his career-high reached in 79 games in 2016-17. He has 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists) in his past 17 games.

The Rangers delivered their own pair of goals in the second period, striking early with Zibanejad’s first goal at 38 seconds when the puck went off a post and in.

Buchnevich tied it 2-2 with 17 seconds remaining in a New York power play when he redirected a shot by Ryan Strome at 19:19.

The Jets took another penalty with 18 seconds remaining in the period and the Rangers capitalized early in the third.

Zibanejad got his 25th goal of the season 57 seconds into the third period after he shot the puck and it bounced off two Winnipeg defenders and into the net for the 3-2 lead.

Zibanejad has 21 points (13 goals, eight assists) in his past 13 games. Zuccarello has 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) in his past 12 games.

Winnipeg hosts Colorado on Thursday. New York plays in Buffalo on Friday.

Judy Owen, The Canadian Press