Andrew Copp recorded the first four-goal game of his career and Connor Hellebuyck made 38 saves as the Winnipeg Jets continued their road dominance of the Vancouver Canucks with a 5-1 win on Wednesday night.
After stopping 22 shots in Winnipeg’s 4-0 win at Vancouver on Monday night, Hellebuyck looked in position to post back-to-back shutouts of the Canucks until Nils Hoglander scored with 1:25 left in the game.
Copp, who entered the game with six goals for the season and had never scored a hat trick, scored twice in the second period and two more in the third for the Jets, who have won eight straight road games over the Canucks and outscored them 15-4 in going 4-0-0 at Vancouver this season.
Mark Scheifele followed Copp’s two second-period goals with his 13th of the season later in the frame and Winnipeg won back-to-back games for the first time since March 2 and 4.
Vancouver, meanwhile, lost consecutive games in regulation for the first time since Feb. 23 and 25. The Canucks are 8-4-1 in March, but 0-2-1 following a four-game winning streak.
After the two teams combined for 23 shots on goal but none finding the net in the first period, Winnipeg opened the scoring at the 5:53 mark of the second. On the power play, Copp redirected Neal Pionk’s slap shot past Thatcher Demko (31 saves).
Copp struck again a little less than five minutes later. Again with the man-advantage for the same penalty — a second straight Vancouver bench minor for too-many men on the ice — Copp was waiting in the slot and knocked in a Demko rebound of Nikolaj Ehlers’ shot to make it 2-0.
The Jets took control when Scheifele flipped the puck from the crease into the top of the net with 1:47 left in the middle frame.
Copp completed his first career hat trick via an empty-netter with 4:10 to go in the third and scored his fourth off another rebound with 2:26 to play.
Hoglander converted amid a scrum in front of the Winnipeg net to spoil Hellebuyck’s shutout bid.
–Field Level Media