Winnipeg Fans Boo Hellebuyck as Jets Beat Devils 4-2

Loud welcome in Winnipeg

Jets fans gave Connor Hellebuyck a noisy reception on Tuesday night. The goaltender sat on the bench for his return to Canada Life Centre after his October 23 trade to New Jersey, but home fans still booed him during pregame warmups.

The loud crowd energized Winnipeg to an early lead. The Jets pulled off a 4-2 win, extending their win streak to four games while snapping New Jersey's five game streak.

Early lead and second period push

Dawson Mercer opened the scoring for Winnipeg at 7:54 of the first period with a snap shot past Jake Allen. Kyle Connor made it 2-0 at 15:06 on a two man advantage, deflecting Cole Perfetti's pass. Mark Scheifele earned an assist on the goal, tying Dale Hawerchuk for second in franchise history with 550 assists.

New Jersey responded early in the second period with two goals in 44 seconds. Jesper Bratt scored at 1:14 off a pass from Arseny Gritsyuk, with Jack Hughes adding an assist to stretch his point streak to six games. Cody Glass leveled the score 2-2 at 1:58 by deflecting a shot from Johnathan Kovacevic past Jets goalie Nico Daws.

Mercer put Winnipeg back ahead on a power play at 11:58 of the third period. Connor sealed the win with an unassisted empty net goal. Allen made 21 saves for New Jersey, and Daws finished with 19 saves for the Jets.

Hellebuyck speaks on sitting out

New Jersey announced Sunday night that Hellebuyck would not start against his former team, citing a drop in expected win probability. Hellebuyck has won all five of his starts since joining the Devils.

He addressed reporters on Tuesday for the first time since the trade. "I'm 14 days into a new team, and they handle their business differently than I'm used to," Hellebuyck said. He discussed the decision with coach Sheldon Keefe and general manager Sunny Mehta, adding, "When I went in there and said my piece and said I felt it was my duty to play this game and said 'I want to play,' I had a good conversation with (Keefe and Mehta), and I left that conversation understanding where they're at."

What it means for the next game

Washington Capitals at New Jersey Devils (NHL, Fri, 13 Nov): New Jersey Devils win 51%, Washington Capitals win 49%; projected score New Jersey Devils 3, Washington Capitals 3. Our safest pick: Under 8 goals.

Winnipeg Jets at Dallas Stars (NHL, Fri, 13 Nov): Dallas Stars win 70%, Winnipeg Jets win 30%; projected score Dallas Stars 3, Winnipeg Jets 2. Our safest pick: Jets +3.