Hellebuyck, Jets ease past sliding Senators

WINNIPEG --Connor Hellebuyck made 41 saves for the Winnipeg Jets in a 5-1 win against the Ottawa Senators at Bell MTS Place on Thursday.

"I got into a rhythm and got into it early," Hellebuyck said. "We killed where they wanted to go with the puck and then we created some battles which we came out on top of. It was getting the puck to stop moving, and then jump on them."
Paul Stastny and Nikolaj Ehlers each had a goal and an assist for the Jets (8-4-1), who have won three of their past four.
Josh Norris scored for the Senators (2-12-1), who lost their fourth straight. Matt Murray allowed three goals on 15 shots through two periods before being removed with an undisclosed injury. Marcus Hogberg replaced him and made nine saves.

Ottawa outshot Winnipeg 18-6 in the first period.
"We took it to them for 20 minutes and it was 0-0," Ottawa coach D.J. Smith said. "We've probably got to score a goal there. We know they're going to turn it up. And they get one, and then a power play at the end [of the second period] and that's it."
Hellebuyck said of the first period, "They got a lot of shots, but I thought we controlled where they were coming from, and we handled the rebounds and we controlled our zone."
It was the first of a two-game set; the teams play again here Saturday. The Jets have won all four games against the Senators this season.
Stastny gave Winnipeg a 1-0 lead eight seconds into the second period off a pass from Mason Appleton after Murray misplayed the puck behind his net.
Ehlers made it 2-0 at 7:53 before Blake Wheeler extended the lead to 3-0 on the power play at 19:33. Stastny got the rebound of Josh Morrissey's shot and passed across to Wheeler for a one-timer from low in the right face-off circle.
"[The power play] was about getting those shots and then getting those rebounds and playing quick, instead of trying to slow it down," Stastny said. "You open up seams like that and you just don't hesitate. When you can play downhill like that, offensively it's easier because you kind of just know where the puck is going."

Murray did not play the third period. Smith said it was done as a precaution and that the goalie was having tests done.
"We're hopeful [Murray] will be good and he'll go back in there [on Saturday]," Smith said, "but certainly we'll have to look at the options."
Mathieu Perreault made it 4-0 at 2:58 of the third period. Norris ended the shuout at 11:42 on a spin move in front, making it 4-1.
"It's one of the best goalies in the world over there tonight," Norris said. "He made some really good saves. We kind of laid an egg in the second, obviously. I think [Hogberg] bailed us out a few times too in the third. We kind of left him out to dry there at the start."

Pionk scored on a wraparound at 13:45 for the 5-1 final, extending his point streak to five games with his first goal of the season.
"Neal now is back to form to where he played the second half of last year," Jets coach Paul Maurice said. "Man, he's starting to jump into holes. His quickness is back. He's been a good, good player for us. … Neal is looking sharp."
NOTES: Stastny tied Kyle Wellwood (Oct. 17, 2011, against the Pittsburgh Penguins) and Andrew Ladd (Feb. 28, 2013, against the New Jersey Devils) for the fastest goal to start a period by a Jets player since their return to Winnipeg in 2011-12. The fastest such goal in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers history was by Kamil Piros, seven seconds into the second period against the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 6, 2003. … Wheeler scored his 218th goal with the Jets/Thrashers, passing Bryan Little (217) for second place. Ilya Kovalchuk is first (328). … Winnipeg forward Mark Scheifele (two assists) has seven points (two goals, five assists) in a five-game point streak. … Jets defenseman Tucker Poolman had three shots, two hits and a blocked shot playing 15:00 in his return from the NHL COVID-19 protocol. He missed 11 games.