Ehlers ready, rested for second round of playoffs with Jets

WINNIPEG --Nikolaj Ehlers said he's eager to be at his best for the Winnipeg Jets in the Stanley Cup Second Round.

He's already set a high standard in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Ehlers missed the final nine games of the regular season and the first two of the first round against the Edmonton Oilers with an upper-body injury. He returned for Game 3 on Sunday and scored his second goal of the game at 9:13 of overtime to help the Jets to a 5-4 victory.
Winnipeg swept the best-of-7 series with a 4-3 triple-overtime win Monday and awaits the winner of the first-round series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens. Toronto leads 3-1 heading into Game 5 on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS).
Making his return in a back-to-back situation that included 9:13 of overtime in Game 3 and 46:52 of overtime in Game 4 took a toll, Ehlers said Thursday. His total ice time in each game was 15:46 and 26:54, respectively.
"[I'm] feeling good now," he said. "But the first two days, yesterday and the day before that, the legs were pretty tired. Going into two overtimes in two games and playing three overtimes in the second game, the legs are going to be a little tired for everyone, so I feel good now. I'm well rested and ready to get back at it."

The Jets practiced Thursday after not skating Tuesday or Wednesday.
Ehlers scored 46 points (21 goals, 25 assists) in 47 games during the regular season, tied for third on the Jets with captain Blake Wheeler (15 goals, 31 assists). When he returned to the lineup, his speed and his shot made a difference.
"After being out for a little while and coming back, it was just a matter of going back out there and playing the game and sticking with the game that the Winnipeg Jets play," he said. "I think I was able to do that well and help this team win.
"Playoffs are so fun to play. You don't want to lose any game in the playoffs, but if we go out there and we battle hard every single game, we're going to give ourselves a chance to do something big here."
Ehlers scored a power-play goal at 17:13 of the second period in Game 3 and the game-winning goal with a quick shot off an offensive-zone face-off win by Paul Stastny.
"Two huge goals, for sure, but also kind of that positivity he brings, that energy," Jets coach Paul Maurice said of Ehlers. "He's been off an awfully long time and then to step into playoff hockey, so difficult to do. So the critical piece to the game, really.
"He scores a goal on the power play … and then, of course, the game-winner. Almost symbolic of the year that he had for us. Nikolaj had a brilliant year here and he's kept it going. We're clearly happy to have him back."
Ehlers averaged 0.98 points, the best of his six NHL seasons. He has scored 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 27 NHL playoff games the past four seasons, but didn't get his first postseason goal until he had two in the best-of-5 Stanley Cup Qualifiers last season, when the Jets lost in four games to the Calgary Flames.
"You learn every single year and you learn every single playoffs about what it takes to win and what it takes to help the team win," Ehlers said. "I think that for myself, I just tried to learn from the past and tried to get better.
"When you've got a game plan and a system that works and doesn't change much during the playoffs, it's easy to get back in. It was just a matter of getting myself going. Getting my body and my legs going for this series, I felt good out there and it was exciting."