WINNIPEG – Brandon Tanev scored his first NHL hat trick as the Winnipeg Jets won their sixth game in a row in their fourth consecutive overtime contest.
In a battle between two of the NHL’s top clubs the Jets defeated the Boston Bruins 5-4 in a shootout on Tuesday at Bell MTS Place.
The Jets had a two goal advantage to start the third period but they gave up back-to-back powerplay goals to tie up the game. The Jets re-took the lead only to relinquish it again. After a thrilling back and forth overtime period Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine scored in the shootout to get the Jets their second straight shootout victory.
Tanev scored three times while Joe Morrow registered the other Jets’ marker as Winnipeg kept their win streak intact. When asked after the game Tanev couldn’t remember his last hat trick.
“That’s a special moment.” Tanev said. “It’s an unbelievable feeling. You don’t expect that going into the game. But I think it’s a testament to our team and how they play.”
The Jets penalty kill surrendered three powerplay goals in the third period to allow the Bruins to get back in the game.
“It was kind of a weird game tonight.” Jets captain Blake Wheeler said.
“I mean we were on the kill seemingly all night. The guys who were on the kill kind of lost their juice a little bit, but you just got to battle. Hopefully that doesn’t happen again going forward, but you never know, we might have to go through that sometime this spring. You got to find a way to go through it.”
With an assist in the second period Wheeler recorded his 600th career point. The assist also extended Wheeler’s point streak to seven consecutive games.
The Bruins got goals from Ryan Donato, Danton Heinen, David Pastrnak, and Torey Krug.
Connor Hellebuyck made 28 saves and stopped three of the four Bruins’ shooters in the shootout.
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The Jets opened the scoring just past the five minute mark of the first period. At the side of the net, Tanev appeared to jam the puck just across the goal line before Anton Khudobin covered up. It was ruled a goal on the ice but it went to review, and after looking at the replay the officials confirmed it was a good goal. Andrew Copp and Adam Lowry were awarded the assists on the game’s opening goal which was Tanev’s fifth of the season.
With less than a minute left in the first period Scheifele handed the puck right to Donato in the Jets’ zone. Donato deaked his way past Morrow and lifted the backhand over Hellebuyck. His third career NHL goal was unassisted. It was tied after the first in a period in which the shots were even at nine apiece.
Just 16 seconds into the middle frame Tanev raced down the wing, cut in and beat Khudobin to the glove side. His second goal of the night and sixth of the season was assisted by Lowry and and the Jets had regained the lead.
Midway through the period the Jets tacked on another goal. Scheifele fed the puck back to the point and Morrow hammered home the slapper. It was Morrow’s sixth goal of the season but first since joining the Jets. Wheeler also had an assist and it was a 3-1 lead.
Tempers flared at the end of the period after Brad Marchand checked Scheifele hard into the boards. Only seconds later Josh Morrissey caught Matt Grzelcyk with a high hit in the corner. A scrum ensued as Wheeler dropped his gloves in trying to get a piece of Marchard. Morrissey was assessed a five minute major penalty for boarding.
The Bruins powerplay went right to work to start the final frame and just 1:45 into the period Heinen fired the puck past Hellebuyck. Only moments earlier the puck came close to leaving the zone so Jets head coach Paul Maurice used his coaches challenge, but upon review it was ruled the play was onside so the goal stood. Heinen’s 14th of the season made it a one goal game.
With the Jets getting a delay of game penalty for the failed challenge the Bruins had a 5-on-3 powerplay. And early in the two man advantage Torey Krug set up Pastrnak in the slot and he beat Hellebuyck. His 31st was also assisted by Marchand and the game was tied at three apiece.
But the Jets quickly seized the lead back less than a minute later. With the Jets still shorthanded Tanev circled the net and tucked it in on the wraparound for his third goal of the game. The goal was unassisted as hats littered the ice for Tanev’s first career hat trick and it was 4-3 Winnipeg.
The see-saw affair would continue as the Bruins tied the game on the powerplay shortly after. Marchand made the cross ice pass to Krug and he blasted it home. His 14th evened the game up at four. It was the Bruins third powerplay goal of the period.
Both teams had chances to win the game in the overtime period but the Jets would go to a shootout once again.
The Bruins first shooter, Donato, scored to give the Bruins the early upper hand. Scheifele scored to tie it up to send it to a fourth shooter. Laine scored through the five-hole and then Hellebuyck denied Heinen to give the Jets the victory.
Marko Dano, Jack Roslovic and Shawn Matthias were healthy scratches for Winnipeg. The Jets were also without injured players Toby Enstrom, Jacob Trouba, Dmitry Kulikov, Matt Hendricks and Steve Mason.
The Jets will now embark on their final road trip of the season. The four game trek starts Thursday in Chicago against the Blackhawks.
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