Ehlers lifts Jets over Hurricanes 2-1; leads Winnipeg with fifth goal of season
WINNIPEG — The Winnipeg Jets and Carolina Hurricanes both made moves in the off-season in search of a No. 1 goaltender. The Hurricanes found theirs, while the Jets answer was seemingly right there all along.
Nikolaj Ehlers’s team-leading fifth goal of the season was the winner and Connor Hellebuyck stopped 28 shots to win his third straight game as the Winnipeg Jets earned a 2-1 win over Carolina on Saturday at Bell MTS Place.
The Jets are 3-0 in games Hellebuyck starts after going 0-2 in front of Steve Mason, who was signed as a free agent in the off-season as the supposed answer to the Jets’ need for a veteran starter.
Yet it’s been Hellebuyck, the third-year pro who started 56 games last season, who has been the one to put his thumbs into the Jets’ leaky boat. Since giving up 13 goals in their first two games, the Jets (3-2-0) have allowed just five goals in the last three games.