Ehlers scores first postseason goal to push Jets past Flames

EDMONTON -Paul Maurice challenged his Winnipeg Jets team to "get off the mat" after a tough Game 1 loss to the Calgary Flames.

Heading into Game 2, they were down three forwards in Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine, and Mason Appleton, with Scheifele and Laine accounting for over 26 per cent of the Jets' offence in the regular season.

Not only did the Jets get off the mat and win Game 2 by a 3-2 score to even the best-of-five series, it was Nikolaj Ehlers who delivered the final blow.

In his 23rd career postseason game, Ehlers deflected a Neal Pionk wrist shot past Cam Talbot on Winnipeg's sixth and final power play with 9:36 to go in regulation.

The 24-year-old's first playoff goal came when his team needed it most.

"You want to score goals. You want to be a difference maker. When you're not able to score goals, you have to help the team in other ways," said Ehlers. "I tried to do that as good as I could and not think about it too much that it's been a while since I scored a goal. It felt nice to finally get it. Hopefully they keep coming now."

Speaking of firsts, Jansen Harkins also scored his first postseason goal (in his first playoff game) while Adam Lowry had a goal and an assist in the victory for his first multi-point effort in the playoffs.

It was exactly the type of performance the Jets needed after the tough loss in Game 1. One that will stand out in Maurice's mind for a long time, ranking it right up there with some of the grittiest efforts he's seen.

"Those backs against the wall games don't happen very often. It's right up near the top. You get into the playoffs with the loss we took and the players that were out, but it ties more into the year we've had," said Maurice.

"We've been in this situation so many times. It's going to be top five for me."

The Jets got the start they were looking for, with the early spark being provided by Jansen Harkins. Making his postseason debut, Harkins took a breakaway pass from Lowry and snapped it into the top right corner to add a little more fuel to the belief the Jets came into the game with.

"You want to make a difference. A lot of nerves and excitement to get in there today. The last thing you want to see is guys on your team go down," said Harkins. "I tried to step in, do my job out there, and help the team in any way I could, I got a great break in the first and I'm happy it went in."

Winnipeg then had a full two-minute, two-man advantage in the second period as an opportunity to increase the lead. The reworked power play unit with Blake Wheeler, Ehlers, Jack Roslovic, Andrew Copp, and Pionk had plenty of zone time, but couldn't cash in.

Not to worry though, as 40 seconds after the power play expired Lowry swatted a puck out of mid-air in front of Talbot and in, giving the Jets a 2-0 lead.

"We're hard on the forecheck. (Gabriel) Bourque comes around the net and puts the puck to the point. We had a guy in the slot and a guy at the net," said Lowry. "That's where we've created the majority of our offence for our line. Fortunately the puck got through and seemed to land on my stick and I was able to put it in the back of the net."

To that point, Lowry had factored in on every goal the Jets had scored in the Qualifying Round. Just as importantly, he won 69 per cent of his face-offs in Game 2 and spent 5:19 of his 15:43 of ice time helping the Jets penalty kill go six-for-six.

"He was huge. Our penalty kill got right - that was a big part of the win. He scores a big goal. He's a big powerful man," Maurice said of Lowry. "I've been an Adam Lowry fan for a long time, just the impact he can have. You can hang two different wingers on his line like I did tonight and it doesn't affect what he can do."

But 5:46 later, Elias Lindholm snapped home his first of the postseason to cut the Winnipeg lead in half. Six minutes after that, Calgary then drew even when Sam Bennett's wrap around attempt went off Connor Hellebuyck's pad, then the skate of Nathan Beaulieu, and through the Jets goaltender's legs with 2:31 left in the middle frame.

"What are we going to do with a two-goal lead? That's too easy for us," said Wheeler.

"It was that type of game. We were invested in whatever it was going to take to get a win tonight. Losing a two-goal lead, it didn't feel like there was any let down in our group. There was no disappointment. Our mindset was just finding a way to get that next goal."

Then on Winnipeg's fifth power play chance of the game, Ehlers - who was in the penalty box just minutes earlier - came up big.

"Nik has had some incredible opportunities in the last two postseason runs to score goals and it just hasn't worked out for him. Then he's getting cross-checked in the back and one goes off his stick and into an empty net," said Blake Wheeler. "I think that's a testament to a guy sticking with it and staying in the fight. You guys have no idea who much of a lift that is."

There isn't much time for the Jets to enjoy this win though, as they have to get right back on the ice for Game 3 on Tuesday.

Wheeler definitely had that fact at the forefront of his mind.

"Our season was on the line, so that makes it special," said Wheeler. "It's one win in a long journey."