Blake Wheeler's New York Rangers picked up a 3-2 overtime win on Monday from Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg.
On Monday night, the Winnipeg Jets welcomed Blake Wheeler and the New York Rangers to Canada Life Centre with a video message, a phantom tripping penalty and nearly a full period of overtime.
“I was choking back some tears, but overall, you just feel a little uncomfortable having all of that for you," Wheeler said postgame.
Mika Zibanejad got the game-winner with 25 seconds left in overtime, while Igor Shesterkin picked up the win.
The game was Wheeler's first back in town after a 12-year career with the Jets. As expected, fans gathered at the rink gave their former captain a lengthy standing ovation while a welcome back message played on the scoreboard.
"I love those guys and they know that," Wheeler said of the Jets. "I’m cheering for them every game, except for (Monday). I want nothing but the best for this organization and those guys,” said Wheeler. “I’m happy that as many guys as I’ve played with over the years were still on that bench, to kind of share in that. So many of them are going to have their moment one day and I look forward to being part of that.”
"Getting an ovation like that, it feels great to know that you made an impact," he added. "This community, this town and this organization has been such a huge part of our lives and it will continue to be going forward.”
It was Wheeler's visitors who opened the scoring late in the frame, as Artemi Panarin redirected a perfect shot-pass from Jacob Trouba – who much like Wheeler – also spent considerable time in a Jets sweater.
Trouba put the puck perfectly on the stick of Panarin, who one-touched it past Hellebuyck from the doorstep.
It took Winnipeg just 1:08 to strike back, as Cole Perfetti led a rush up ice, to which David Gustafsson found his second of the season. After going 1,427 days between goals to start the season – a streak that dated back to 2019 – Gustafsson needed just six days to find his second of the year.
That goal evened the game, sending the two teams to the second period tied at ones, with the Rangers holding a slight 11-10 edge in shots.
“I was just trying to make a play," Perfetti said of Gustafsson's goal. "I knew I had JMo coming up the left side and I saw Gussy busting his hump coming up the side. I knew Wheels was on me, behind me, so I was just trying to buy as much time as I could to wait for either one of JMo or Gussy to be open and both D ended up coming at me."
The middle stanza provided nothing in terms of scoring, but the Rangers did come close in the early stages. Hellebuyck and Brenden Dillon teamed up for a desperation save on the goal-line, robbing the trio of Vinny Trocheck, Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad from the foot of the crease.
The power play continued to plague Winnipeg as the game went on. Entering the game just one for its last 15 opportunities on the man advantage at home, the Jets went 0/2 through the first 40 minutes.
Winnipeg pulled ahead early in the third, as Ehlers found his second goal in three games. He scored on a wraparound as he followed up on a Cole Perfetti rebound off a two-on-one up-ice. The goal came 5:08 in, giving Winnipeg its first lead of the game.
“I think we’ve played really good games," Ehlers said of his line mates. "We haven’t spent a lot of time in our own zone. When we have we’ve gotten the puck out and played really well. It’s that patient game we’ve got to get a little bit better at. I thought we did that well today. We got some zone time, got some turnovers down there and created some chances. We’re going to continue working on that.”
The Jets then found themselves in penalty trouble as the third period wore on. Although able to kill off an Adam Lowry interference minor, the same could not be said of Winnipeg's attempt on a Brenden Dillon boarding call.
The Rangers needed just 31 seconds of power play time for Kreider to redirect an Adam Fox point shot past Hellebuyck, knotting the game at twos with 6:48 to go.
For the second-straight game, Winnipeg needed extra time to find a winner.
With the third period running out of time, Rangers defenceman Ryan Lindgren was given a two-minute tripping minor after Mason Appleton wiped out on a rush up-ice. The call may have been of phantom nature, but Winnipeg surely took it, setting up a 1:42 of four-on-three power play time to start the extra frame.
Winnipeg was unsuccessful on its overtime power play, as the hockey gods looked with favour upon the Rangers.
With 25 seconds to play, Zibanejad sealed the deal with a one-timer from a cross-ice feed from Panarin. Zibanejad's shot beat Hellebuyck across the net, shot side, midway up the cage.
After falling 4-3 in a shootout to Montreal on Saturday, the Jets have now lost two-straight games, but increase their point-streak to five games.
Hellebuyck finished the game with 23 stops on the 26 Rangers shots fired his way, while Shesterkin made 27 saves on 29 Winnipeg shots.
Next up for Winnipeg is a three-game road trip through the Western Conference, as the Jets make stops in Vegas on Thursday, Arizona on Saturday and St. Louis on Tuesday, before returning to Canada Life Centre for a five-game homestand beginning on November 7.
Head coach Rick Bowness remains at home with his wife Judy for the second-straight week, as she continues to recover from a seizure. Associate coach Scott Arniel continues to fill in in Bowness' absence.