Top line in top form as Jets down Leafs

[May 15, 2021]    Kyle Connor scored two goals and Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele each had two assists as the Winnipeg Jets finished the regular season with a 4-2 win over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday.

Toronto Maple Leafs center Jason Spezza (19)and Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) watch the puck in the first period at Bell MTS Place. Mandatory Credit: James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports

The Jets twice came back from deficits in the game, with Connor finally putting Winnipeg ahead to stay at 4:21 of the third period.

After enduring a 1-9-0 stretch, Winnipeg ends its regular season with back-to-back victories.

Toronto took its first regulation loss in 10 games (7-1-2).

The Maple Leafs (35-14-7, 77 points) finished atop the North Division for their first division title since the 1999-2000 season. Toronto will face the fourth-place Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, beginning on Thursday.

The third-place Jets (30-23-3, 63 points) finished third in the North. Winnipeg's first-round series with the second-place Edmonton Oilers will start on Wednesday.

Connor finishes the regular season with 26 goals and in the midst of a three-game scoring streak.

Winnipeg's entire top line of Connor, Wheeler and Scheifele heads into the playoffs in strong form. Wheeler has 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in his past nine games, and Scheifele has eight points (two goals, six assists) during a five-game points streak.

Jets forward Paul Stastny left for a portion of the first period and didn't take the ice for the third period. Stastny seemed to sustain an injury after absorbing a Justin Holl bodycheck in the first minute of the game.

Mason Appleton and Jansen Harkins also scored for the Jets.

Toronto's Ilya Mikheyev had a goal and an assist, ending a personal seven-game points drought.

Pierre Engvall collected the Maple Leafs' other goal. After scoring only three times in his first 37 games, Engvall produced four goals over the last five games of the season.

Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck stopped 34 of 36 shots to finish with a 24-17-3 record.

Leafs goalie Jack Campbell (17-3-2) stopped 20 of 23 shots.

The Maple Leafs won the season series against the Jets by a 6-4-0 margin.

--Field Level Media

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