Roslovic Scores First NHL Goal but Jets Fall to Ducks.

Sports

WINNIPEG, MB – Jack Roslovic scored his first NHL goal, but the Anaheim Ducks spoiled the party with a 4-3 shootout win over the Winnipeg Jets Thursday night.

The Jets (29-13-8) picked up an important point in the loss and will go into the All-Star break atop the Central Division standings, one point ahead of the Nashville Predators.

With the All-Star break beginning immediately following the game, both teams emptied their tanks in what was one of the most physical games the Jets have played all season. The teams combined for 70 hits on the night, with each team collecting 35. Brandon Tanev led the Jets with six hits, upping his team-leading total to 126 this season.

Jack Roslovic, who was moved to the top line for the game, scored his first National Hockey League goal in the third period. Playing on top line with Blake Wheeler and Patrik Laine, Roslovic picked off a Ryan Getzlaf clearing attempt and snapped a shot into the open cage to tie the game at three. The 20-year-old (Roslovic turns 21 on January 29th) had some great opportunities to light the lamp since being added to the Jets lineup back on January 7th, but was snake-bitten in the previous seven games heading into Thursday night.

The see-saw battle started early in the first period when Laine found the puck at the side of the Ducks net and moved to the top of the crease before sliding the puck between the legs of John Gibson to give the Jets a 1-0 lead.

It was short-lived however as the Ducks would tie the game just 3:23 after Laine’s goal. Anaheim hemmed the Jets in their own zone, forcing a turnover that saw Adam Henrique steal the puck from Laine and snapped a shot over the blocker of Hellebuyck to tie things at one.

The scoring came in bunches all night long between the two clubs. Early in the second period Nick Ritchie and Brandon Tanev exchanged goals 2:11 apart, while Ryan Kesler and Roslovic would score 31 seconds apart in the third.

The Ducks (24-17-9) had a scary moment late in the third when Blake Wheeler inadvertently fell into Gibson while Gibson was looking the opposite way, falling on his right leg and forcing the netminder to leave and be replaced by Ryan Miller with 6:40 to go in the third period. The Jets couldn’t capitalize and would fail to get a shot on Miller through the rest of regulation and overtime, as the Ducks outshot the Jets 6-0 in the extra frame and 39-27 overall.

Both Hellebuyck and Miller were solid in the shootout, stopping the first four shooters they faced before Henrique sent a backhand bar-down to give the Ducks the lead. Mathieu Perreault needed to score to extend the shootout but was stopped by Miller to give the Ducks the win.

Blake Wheeler and Connor Hellebuyck will now head to Tampa Bay for the weekend to take part in the NHL All-Star weekend, while the rest of the Jets will get some time off before returning to Winnipeg to begin a 10-game home-stand beginning on Tuesday night against the Tampa Bay Lighting at Bell MTS Place.

Bill Burfoot, Manitoba Post

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