By Canadian Press

Kyle Connor has hat trick as Jets down Canucks 7-4; Winnipeg wins fifth straight

Jan 8, 2023 | 4:03 PM

WINNIPEG — Kyle Connor had a hat trick as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Vancouver Canucks 7-4 on Sunday and stretch their win streak to five games.

Connor was one of five Jets (26-13-1) with multi-point outings at Canada Life Centre as Winnipeg had its first five-game win streak of the season.

Nikolaj Ehlers had a goal and pair of assists, Axel Jonsson-Fjallby had a goal and assist and Morgan Barron and Dylan DeMelo, with a shorthanded marker, also scored. Pierre-Luc Dubois contributed four assists and Brenden Dillon had a pair of helpers.

David Rittich stopped 34 shots for Winnipeg, which improved to 18-1-0 this season when scoring four or more goals in a game.

Bo Horvat scored his 29th of the season and J.T. Miller had a goal and a pair of assists for the Canucks (17-19-3), who have one win in their past five games. Jack Studnicka and Sheldon Dries also scored.

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Collin Delia started the game in net for Vancouver, but was replaced at 5:34 of the second period after giving up four goals on 13 shots. Replacement Spencer Martin made 11 saves.

Connor scored his 18th of the season after taking a feed across the front of the net from Ehlers at 6:22 of the first period.

Ilya Mikheyev appeared to score with Vancouver’s first shot of the game half a minute later, but Winnipeg successfully challenged for offside and the goal was nixed.

Connor made it 2-0 after racing around defenceman Tyler Myers and beating Delia with a low shot at 7:59.

Miller got Vancouver’s first goal at 15:14, followed by Studnicka tipping in a Luke Schenn shot at 17:33 to tie the game 2-2.

In his second game back after missing 36 games after sports hernia surgery, Ehlers recorded his first goal of the season at 3:40 of the second period.

Barron made it 4-2 just under two minutes later, but the Canucks quickly tied it up.

Horvat blasted a shot past Rittich at 7:05 and Dries redirected a Miller shot during the game’s first power play at 9:26. Horvat has three goals and two assists in a four-game point streak, and 13 points in his past seven outings.

A high wrist shot by Jonsson-Fjallby with 1:43 left gave the Jets a 5-4 edge.

Vancouver got a second power play early in the third, but DeMelo scored shorthanded at 5:29 after taking a drop pass from Jonsson-Fjallby.

Connor scored his third goal of the game at 13:42.

Connor and Dubois are both riding six-game point streaks. Connor has five goals and six assists in his point run, while Dubois has four goals and six assists.

HOME COMFORTS — Connor extended his home point streak to 11 games, collecting nine goals and 12 assists during that span. Ehlers holds the franchise record with points in 12 consecutive games at home last season. Josh Morrissey had his 10-game home point streak end.

UP NEXT — The Winnipeg Jets begin a three-game road trip Tuesday in Detroit against the Red Wings. The Vancouver Canucks play the second game of a five-game road trip Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 8, 2023.

Judy Owen, The Canadian Press