Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck makes a save on Vancouver Canucks forward Jimmy Vesey in the second period at Rogers Arena. The Jets beat the Canucks 5-1 on March 24, 2021.Bob Frid/USA TODAY Sports via Reuters
A four-goal performance by Andrew Copp lifted the Winnipeg Jets to a dominant 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks Wednesday.
Copp had a pair of power-play strikes in the second and two more goals in the third to give the Jets (20-11-2) their second-straight win over the Canucks.
Mark Scheifele also scored for the Jets.
Connor Hellebuyck stopped 38 shots for Winnipeg and Thatcher Demko had 31 saves for the Canucks (16-18-3).
Vancouver got on the board with 1:25 left to play as Nils Hoglander drove a puck past Hellebuyck in tight.
Winnipeg also topped Vancouver 4-0 on Monday.
The Canucks pulled Demko with more than five minutes left on the clock in favour of an extra attacker on Wednesday.
Copp completed the hat trick 15:50 into the third, sending a bouncing puck from the Jets blue line sailing into the empty Canucks net.
His fourth of the night came with less than three minutes to go when he beat Demko with a backhanded shot in tight.
Hoglander responded for Vancouver 18:35 into the third, blasting a shot past Hellebuyck in the slot for the Canucks’ lone goal of the night.
A trio of goals in the middle frame proved to be the Canucks undoing Wednesday.
Copp registered Winnipeg’s first of the night on a power play 5:53 into the second period after Vancouver was called for too many men.
Neal Pionk wound up and unleashed a blast from the blue line and Copp, stationed in the slot, deflected it in to get the Jets on the board.
A similar situation unfolded five minutes later. Once again, the Canucks were called for too many men and once again the Jets capitalized, with Copp knocking in a rebound.
Winnipeg was 2 for 3 with the man advantage on Wednesday. Vancouver failed to capitalize on two power plays.
The Jets added another strike before the second intermission.
Demko came up high in his creased to challenge a shot from Blake Wheeler and made a solid stop with his left skate. But Scheifele was there to collect the rebound and pop it in to give Winnipeg a 3-0 lead.
There weren’t any goals in the first period Wednesday, but there was a little bit of drama.
Just 23 seconds into the game, Wheeler limped to the bench after taking a slap shot from Alex Edler off his foot. Wheeler stayed on the Winnipeg bench but appeared to be in some serious pain.
Near the end of the first, Canucks big man Zack MacEwen dropped the gloves with Logan Stanley. The pair exchanged blows before MacEwen dropped the Jets defenceman to the ice. They were each handed five-minutes for fighting.
The Canucks will now get a brief reprieve. Their next game comes March 31 when they host the Flames. Meanwhile, the Jets are headed to Calgary where they’ll take on the Flames on Friday.
NOTES
Bo Horvat returned to the Canucks lineup after missing much of the third Monday. He took a slap shot to the foot early in the period and couldn’t put weight on his left leg as he headed to the dressing room ... Jets defenceman Tucker Poolman played his 100th NHL game.