Connor, Ehlers tally two apiece in Jets' win over Sabres

BUFFALO, New York - The Winnipeg Jets didn't care that the Buffalo Sabres were playing their first home game in over three weeks, capitalizing on the suspect goaltending and undisciplined play from their hosts to record their third straight win and sixth in their last seven games with a 7-4 victory at KeyBank Arena on Tuesday night.

"We did a lot of great things in the first period, the second period was good as well," Wheeler said.
"We did enough to hang on there."
Added Mason: "It was nice to have the goal support. It made it a little bit easier for me to settle back into a rhythm. After not playing a whole lot, it's tough to find your groove, but when you have that kind of goal support, it allows you to be little more calm back there."
Even though the Jets allowed four goals on the night including two late in the third period to make things a bit closer, Head Coach Paul Maurice was happy for his goaltender.
"He made some saves in tonight's game," Maurice said. "At 5-1, he made some saves, so we needed him to play well, but good for him. He did some real good work."

With the win, the Jets improve to 26-11-7 on the year and remain atop the Central Division standings with 59 points.
"We were on the puck and on the man, and that created a lot of loose pucks and jumped on them," Maurice said. "I liked our offensive zone play. I've got a higher opinion of Buffalo probably than all of you do. They've got some high-end skill."
The Sabres took the first penalty of the game when Brendan Guhle hooked Joel Armia at 4:47 and with four seconds left on the power play, Patrik Laine took a wrister that got past Robin Lehner with Kyle Connor providing the screen in front. The goal ended Laine's seven-game goalless drought, giving Winnipeg a 1-0 lead and the Finn his 100th point.

The Sabres tied the game shortly thereafter during a delayed penalty against the Jets. Jack Eichel fired a shot from the half boards and it got past Mason to make it 1-1 at 14:51.
Winnipeg got that goal back just 49 seconds later when Dustin Byfuglien one-timed a Mathieu Perreault pass from the right point and it got past Lehner, who clearly misplayed it. After going 33 games without a goal, the defenceman has scored twice in three games - both of them coming against the Sabres.
Just 1:26 into the second, the Jets chased Lehner after Ehlers unleashed a wrist shot that went over Lehner's glove on the far side to give Winnipeg a 3-1 lead.
Mason preserved that lead with a nice save on a Kyle Okposo breakaway, kicking out his right pad when Okposo went forehand to backhand.

The top line then went to work at 12:49. Wheeler left it outside the blue line for Connor and the rookie skated down the right side before cutting to the net and firing it home, high glove side on Johnson to make it 4-1.

Sabres forward Jordan Nolan lost his cool in front of the Sabres goal and tried to get Marko Dano to fight. Dano did not cooperate, so that led to Nolan getting a double minor for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct. After the first minor penalty had expired, Ehlers took a pass from Tyler Myers and fired a laser that Johnson never saw for Ehlers' second of the night, and the second power-play goal of the evening for the Jets.
Laine and Ehlers now share the team goal scoring lead with 19 each.

"I don't even know how many goals he has right now, but he (Laine) definitely knows," joked Ehlers. "You know we're roommates and we bug each other all the time. Sometimes when he's not doing well, I chirp him and he chirps me. So it's all fun."
Buffalo took advantage of a Toby Enstrom interference penalty with 1:18 left in the second. Eichel sent a perfect cross-crease pass to Ryan O'Reilly and he placed a shot inside the near post upstairs on Mason for his 11th of the year and it was 5-2 after 40 minutes.
The night almost took a rough turn when Wheeler blocked a Nathan Beaulieu shot early in the third period and immediately went to the dressing room. Fortunately, Wheeler came right back and was on the ice for Connor's second of the night. Jacob Trouba threw a shot at the net, but Connor knocked it down in front, spun to the near side and buried it to give the Jets a 6-2 lead.
The captain joked a little when asked about his hand after the game.
"My hands are nice," he said with a chuckle before getting serious. "I can't tell you where it caught me, but a slap shot to the hand doesn't feel great.
"Nothing serious; no problems."

The Sabres weren't going quietly, though, scoring twice in the final 10 minutes to make it a two-goal game late, but Armia rounded out the scoring with an empty net goal at 18:55 to seal a 7-4 victory for the visitors.
The Jets now head to Chicago for a few days where they will play the Blackhawks on Friday at the United Center.