Nino Niederreiter scores twice to lift Jets to 3-0 win over Utah
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Nino Niederreiter scored twice in his 900th NHL career game and Connor Hellebuyck made 21 saves to help the Winnipeg Jets defeat the Utah Hockey Club 3-0 on Tuesday night.
It was Hellebuyck’s second shutout of the season and 39th of this career.
Gabriel Vilardi also scored for the Jets. Adam Lowry assisted on both goals by Niederreiter.
Utah ended a run of picking up points in three consecutive games (1-0-2).
Karel Vejmelka stopped 25 shots for Utah in its second stop on a four-game road trip.
Jets winger Kyle Connor had his franchise-record, season-opening points streak end at 12 games.
Takeaways
Utah: The visitors had three power plays, but didn’t get a shot on goal in the first one and only forced Hellebuyck to make one stop in each of the next two. The Jets blocked 17 shots compared to Utah’s five.
Jets: Winnipeg had opportunities to fire at the net, but got derailed early on looking for the perfect setup until Josh Morrissey sent a blast from the point with Vilardi in front of the net.
Key moment
Niederreiter lifted a Utah opponent’s stick in Winnipeg’s end, allowing the Jets to get the puck and head toward the visitor’s net. He then joined the rush, deked and put the puck around Vejmelka.
Key stat
The Jets went 1-for-2 on the power play, giving them a power-play goal in six consecutive games. They entered the game tops in the NHL with the man advantage (44.1%).
Up next
Utah visits the Blues on Thursday, and the Jets host the Avalanche on Thursday.
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