Jets Beat Devils 4-2 in Hellebuyck’s Return to Winnipeg as Mercer and Connor Score Twice

Seven games, and the biggest story of the night landed in Winnipeg before puck drop. Connor Hellebuyck, traded to New Jersey on Oct. 23, was back at Canada Life Centre, and the Jets beat the Devils 4-2 on two goals each from D. Mercer and K. Connor. Colorado scored four straight goals from a 3-3 tie to win 6-3 in Toronto, and J. Saros stopped all 30 shots for a 3-0 shutout at Los Angeles.

Key points

Five numbers that stand out from seven finals.

• Winnipeg scored twice in the third to take the night 4-2. J. Daws finished 19-of-21, J. Allen 21-of-24 the other way.
• Colorado sat at 3-3 at 4:11 of the third and answered with four unanswered, the last an empty-netter. G. Landeskog scored twice and S. Bobrovsky was .815.
• Nashville got two goals from F. Forsberg and blanked Los Angeles 3-0. The Kings went scoreless on 30 shots.
• Both overtime games ended fast: K. Kaprizov buried a power-play winner 21 seconds in for Minnesota at Montreal, and C. Hutson ended Ottawa at 1:14 for Washington.
• Florida won 4-1 in Columbus while being outshot 38-28. J. Markstrom made 37 saves.

Stories of the night

Winnipeg’s return game, Colorado’s four-goal burst, and a quiet night out west.

Hellebuyck spoke to Winnipeg media for the first time since his exit interview last April and pointed to family incidents and career uncertainty behind his trade request. Then his old team won. Mercer opened the scoring at 7:54 of the first, Connor added a power-play goal in the second, and after J. Bratt and C. Glass tied it 2-2 on goals 44 seconds apart, Mercer’s man-advantage marker at 11:58 of the third broke the tie for good. Connor sealed it at 19:02.

Toronto led first on D. Raddysh’s early goal, then Colorado flipped the game inside 77 seconds to close the first through B. Nelson and Landeskog. The Leafs clawed back to 3-3 on J. Roslovic’s goal at 4:11 of the third. Landeskog answered 51 seconds later, A. Lehkonen added another at 17:15, and M. Necas empty-netted it for a 6-3 final as M. Blackwood made 28 saves.

In Los Angeles, F. Forsberg scored twice and both goals came off N. Hoglander passes. A. Wilsby’s empty-netter at 17:43 made it 3-0, and Saros was perfect at the other end on 30 shots.

Both overtime games moved quickly. In Montreal, B. Brink finally broke the scoreless tie at 2:53 of the third, N. Suzuki evened it with 98 seconds left in regulation, and Kaprizov’s power-play winner landed 21 seconds into overtime. J. Wallstedt was 27-of-28, J. Fowler 22-of-24. In Ottawa, M. Roy scored 35 seconds in, R. Greig and H. Hodgson flipped the game, and P. Dubois tied it at 12:31 of the third. C. Hutson, a defenseman with a two-point night, ended it at 1:14 of overtime with A. Ovechkin and D. Strome on the assists. L. Thompson stopped 24 of 26, and T. Chabot had two assists in the loss.

Florida put three goals in the middle period after a scoreless first. S. Bennett opened the scoring on the power play and added another at 14:29 of the third, and S. Reinhart’s goal at 17:44 pushed the final to 4-1. Markstrom was 37-of-38 against the home side’s 38 shots, C. Talbot 24-of-27.

St. Louis answered late in its own way. A. Copp gave Detroit a 1-0 lead with 13 seconds left in the first, then P. Suter and J. Barron scored 117 seconds apart in the second to flip it. J. Snuggerud’s third-period goal made it 3-1, M. Seider answered at 18:46, and J. Hofer’s 30-of-32 night closed the door on a 3-2 final.

The night, game by game

All seven finals in start order, with the NHL’s first star from each game.

Final	First star	Line
COL 6 at TOR 3	G. Landeskog	2 goals
MIN 2 at MTL 1, OT	J. Wallstedt	27 saves on 28 shots, .964
WSH 3 at OTT 2, OT	C. Hutson	1 goal, 1 assist, overtime winner
WPG 4 at NJD 2	D. Mercer	2 goals, 1 on the power play
FLA 4 at CBJ 1	S. Bennett	2 goals, 1 on the power play
STL 3 at DET 2	J. Snuggerud	1 goal, 1 assist
NSH 3 at LAK 0	J. Saros	30 saves on 30 shots, shutout

Pro Hockey Stats models the NHL in public. Every pick is graded on the Ledger, no deletions.