The Winnipeg Jets improved to 10-1-0 on the year with a 6-2 win over Columbus on Friday.
Nikolaj Ehlers scored a hat trick, while backup goaltender Eric Comrie collected his third victory of the season, as the Winnipeg Jets scored at least six goals for the fifth time this season, ultimately beating the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-2 on Friday night.
The win improved Winnipeg's road record to a perfect 6-2 on the year, while helping the Jets become the league's first team to 10 wins, and a 10-1-0 record, overall.
Ehlers opened the scoring just 5:13 in. Picking up the puck from Colin Miller, Ehlers walked his way into the Blue Jackets' zone and blasted home his fifth of the year on a full slap shot, beating Elvis Merzlikins cleanly.
Columbus got one back after a slight mis-cue behind the Jets' net, to which Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrissey lost the puck, leaving a wide-open Sean Kuraly in front of the net, who easily beat a bewildered Eric Comrie, knotting things up at ones.
After opening the scoring, Ehlers got Winnipeg's lead back, scoring on yet another perfectly-placed shot. With just under five minutes left in the period, he fired his second of the game home, making it 2-1 for the visitors, to which the period would end.
For Ehlers, it was the 24th multi-goal game of his career.
“We have a lot of talent on our team, however, it feels like Kyle Connor is every single night, I guess he’s really that good," Comrie laughed postgame. "It was great. Our whole team is really playing well. It is just a commitment level that we have.
"We can see the talent around the room. Scheifele, KC, Gabe, Fly, you can go up and down the lineup. Their commitment to defence is unbelievable. It’s special and not a lot of teams really have that.”
The middle stanza was a bit more of the same.
Mason Appleton put the finishing touches on a strong offensive shift, scoring a one-timer from the face-off circle on a feed from defensive scoring leader Neal Pionk. The goal was Appleton's fourth of the year.
Seconds after the Jets nearly made it 4-1, Mark Scheifele found himself in the box for tripping and the Blue Jackets' power play went right to work.
Columbus needed just seven seconds to make it 3-2, with former Jets forward Sean Monahan scoring his 250th career marker on a redirection. The goal was his team-leading sixth of the season and third on the man advantage.
But Ehlers had enough of that, cashing in on a Vladdy Namestnikov rebound, putting the puck into the net for his fifth career hat trick, but first since December of 2018.
Josh Morrissey added a power play blast midway through the third period on Winnipeg's 41st shot of the game, before Kyle Connor picked up his first point of the game, as he assisted on an incredible Gabe Vilardi marker.
The point for Connor ensured he had at least one point in each of Winnipeg's 11 games so far this season. The goal was the cherry on top of the 6-2 win, which gave the Jets 10 wins on the year.
Eric Comrie finished the night with 20 stops on the 22 shots he faced. Merzlikins allowed 37 goals on 43 shots against.
"For Coms to come in here, I think he even mentioned this morning that this is the first place he ever got a win," head coach Scott Arniel said.
"For him to step in like he has, it's been great. Like I've mentioned, we're going to need both of them here. Helle's got a big workload with the 4 Nations Cup coming up and when (Comrie) can step in like this and not miss a beat, you love to see that."
Next up for Winnipeg is a Sunday afternoon test against Tampa Bay. The game starts a four-game homestand, to which Winnipeg plays every second day at Canada Life Centre through next Saturday.