LDN - Sports

Jets get rare road win in Vancouver

[December 23, 2016] VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Nikolaj Ehlers scored two third-period goals and collected an assist as the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-1 on Thursday night.

Rookie Patrik Laine and Bryan Little also scored for the Jets (16-17-3), who scored three times in the third period.

Markus Granlund scored for Vancouver (14-17-3).

Goaltender Ryan Miller stopped 21 shots for Vancouver. Michael Hutchinson made 22 saves for Winnipeg.

It was just the sixth road win of the year for Winnipeg. The Jets have won three of their last four games.

Vancouver finishes a four-game homestand collecting five of a possible eight points.

It was the second time in three nights the two teams played each other. The Canucks defeated the Jets 4-1 Tuesday in Vancouver.

Ehlers gave Winnipeg a 2-1 lead just 1:23 into the third period on a great individual effort. He knocked a pass from Vancouver's Henrik Sedin out of the air, then skated into the Canucks zone. Ehlers faked a pass to Laine, then beat Miller low on the glove side.

Ehlers gave Winnipeg a two-goal lead on a power play at 12:24 after the Canucks were called for too many men on the ice.

After taking a pass from Nic Petan, Ehlers skated out from behind the Canuck net and lifted the puck over Miller's shoulder for his ninth of the season.

Little made it 4-1 at 15:43 when he jammed in a puck at the side of the net.

Ehlers also had a hand in Winnipeg's goal that tied the game 1-1 with just 43 seconds remaining in the second period.

The play started with Ehlers carrying the puck into the Vancouver zone on a two-on-two breakaway. Ehlers passed to Laine who rifled a shot from the top of the faceoff circle that Miller could only get a piece of. It was Laine's 19th goal of the season.

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The Canucks turned a turnover into the only goal of the first period.

Loui Eriksson intercepted a pass from defenseman Jacob Trouba behind the Jets' net, then passed it out front to Granlund. He beat Hutchinson from the top of the crease for his seventh of the season at 3:54.

It was just the ninth time this season the Canucks scored first. It also was their 14th first-period goal.

The last time Vancouver played back-to-back games against the same team in the same city was during the 2005-06 season, when it happened six times.

NOTES: Vancouver C Henrik Sedin became the fourth Swede to play in 1,200 NHL games, joining Nicklas Lidstrom, Mats Sundin and Daniel Alfredsson. ... The Canucks recalled RW Anton Rodin, who hasn't played this season due to a knee problem, from a conditioning stint with the AHL Utica Comets. ... Vancouver's healthy scratches were C Brendan Gaunce, for a fifth straight game, and D Andrey Pedan. ... The Canucks play in Calgary on Friday, their final game before Christmas. ... Jets RW Joel Armia, out 24 games due to a lower-body injury, and C Shawn Matthias, who missed 25 games with a lower-body injury, both returned to the lineup. ... Winnipeg LW Brandon Tanev skated Thursday but missed the game after sustaining an undisclosed injury in Tuesday's loss. ... Healthy scratches were D Mark Stuart, C Alexander Burmistrov, RW Chris Thorburn and C Andrew Copp. ... Winnipeg's next games is Tuesday in Chicago.

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