Blake Wheeler thought it was time to give up passing and his determination paid off.
Wheeler scored the game-winner late within the second interval because the Jets handed the Arizona Coyotes their ninth straight loss with a 2-1 victory on Sunday in Winnipeg.
After Wheeler’s linemates, Cole Perfetti and Mark Scheifele, handed the puck round within the Arizona zone, Scheifele lastly despatched it to Wheeler and his shot beat goalie Karel Vejmelka at 16:45.
“I used to be simply drained and wished to get off the ice,” Wheeler admitted. “I hoped one among them would rating. It’s a kind of, sort of humorous, puck’s in your stick, empty internet, you simply wish to do away with it. Yeah, it labored out.”
WATCH | Wheeler scores winner as Jets sink Coyotes:
Wheeler pots a fantastic winner as Jets down Coyotes
Blake Wheeler go-ahead objective within the second interval was adequate for Winnipeg to defeat Arizona 2-1 Sunday night time.
Pierre-Luc Dubois had the opposite objective for the Jets (29-14-1), who’ve gained their previous three video games and are 8-1-0 of their final 9.
Winnipeg’s 59 factors additionally places the group in first place within the Western Conference, two factors forward of the Dallas Stars.
Jets head coach Rick Bowness stated the spot they’re in is “significant.”
“Maybe you recognize what we have been by with the journey and the accidents and the illness and all the things, and for us to be sitting there — and hear, there’s loads of arduous work forward of us and there is a lengthy street to go, we all know that — however it’s a credit score to their resilience that we’re sitting right here the place we’re right now,” Bowness stated.
Connor Hellebuyck made 20 saves for Winnipeg in entrance of 13,949 followers at Canada Life Centre, the place the Jets have gained 5 consecutive video games.
‘I do not know what to say anymore’
Clayton Keller scored for the Coyotes (13-25-5), who have been coming off a 2-1 loss to Minnesota on Saturday.
Vejmelka stopped 22 pictures for Arizona, which final misplaced 9 straight in regulation in October/November 2021. The Coyotes even have a 13-game winless streak on the street (0-11-2).
“I do not know what to say anymore,” Coyotes head coach Andre Tourigny stated. “We labored actually arduous. I’m actually pleased with the blokes. It’s back-to-back. Winnipeg is a very, actually good group. I feel we maintain our personal, we battle arduous.”
Keller stated he is staying constructive regardless of his group’s tough trip.
“It’s an honour and a privilege to play within the NHL, the very best league on the planet,” Keller stated. “Every day is a chance, day by day is enjoyable being on this league.
“Even on the powerful days, you are the most effective gamers on the planet and simply to compete each single night time, it is good. Tonight no less than we had a great effort. It was a fast turnaround and I believed we battled arduous.”
The Coyotes went on a four-minute energy play at 11:16 of the opening interval after Jets ahead Kevin Stenlund was dinged with a high-sticking double minor towards Keller, who was sporting a swollen lip and medical tape on his chin after the sport.
Shots on objective at first of the person benefit was 9-1 for Winnipeg and ended with the Coyotes firing three extra pucks at Hellebuyck.
Winnipeg went on its first energy play with 23 seconds left within the first and capitalized on it 37 seconds into the center body after Dubois tipped in a Josh Morrissey shot for his twentieth objective of the season.
Redirecting 101 with the Professor 😛 <a href=”https://t.co/43oXcSrm7n”>pic.twitter.com/43oXcSrm7n</a>
—@NHLJets
On solely their fifth shot of the sport, Keller tied it at 11:02 of the second with a tight-angled shot that beat Hellebuyck.
Wheeler’s tiebreaking objective got here from the circle with 3:15 left within the second.
Arizona defenceman Josh Brown hit the put up early within the third interval, shortly adopted by Dubois additionally clanging a puck off the iron throughout a Winnipeg energy play.
Hellebuyck additionally stymied Nick Schmaltz on a close-in shot with two minutes remaining.
