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There was only one game in the NHL on Friday night, as Toronto and Winnipeg wrapped up their respective 2020-21 regular-season schedules. The Maple Leafs host the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 of Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Thursday. The Jets will visit the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday in Game 1 of their opening round series.
There wasn’t much to play for in Friday’s matchup with the seedings for the first round already set. Toronto lost a chance to lock up the fifth overall spot, which Pittsburgh will occupy going into the playoffs, but that doesn’t become a factor until the semifinals and there is still plenty of work to do before that is of any importance.
The win arguably meant much more to Winnipeg because of the team’s struggles down the stretch. The team will be feeling much better following two straight of victories on the heels of a brutal 1-9-0 stretch. The team’s top line was excellent, which is an encouraging sign, and perhaps more importantly it was another great performance from Connor Hellebuyck. The Jets will need the 2020 Vezina Trophy winner to be at his dominant best to advance past Edmonton. Hellebuyck stopped 58 of 60 shots in a pair of wins to conclude the season.
The Oilers complete their regular season on Saturday afternoon against Vancouver. It’s a strange situation because of the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin that night when the Boston Bruins play on the road versus the Washington Capitals.
You can see view the series opener of Boston against Washington on NBC at 7:15 p.m. ET and stream all the action.
TORONTO 2 WINNIPEG 4
The Jets won for a second straight time to finish their 2020-21 season on a high note.
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Kyle Connor scored a pair of goals to give him a total of 26 on the season. He tied the game at 13:52 of the second period and scored what proved to the game winner 4:21 into the third.
Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele registered two helpers apiece, as they both had a hand in each of Connor’s goals.
Pierre Engvall opened the scoring 7:15 into the contest. He scored four times in his last five appearances to conclude the year. That could help him see action come playoff time for the Maple Leafs.
Mason Appleton tied the game at 1:13 of the second stanza. He has found the back of the net three times in the past four games to give him 12 on the season.
Ilya Mikheyev gave the Leafs a 2-1 lead in the second period. Mikheyev’s seventh marker of the year snapped a 12-game goalless drought.
Jansen Harkins got his first goal of the year in Winnipeg’s regular-season finale in his 26th appearance. He sealed the team’s win with an empty-netter.
Alex Galchenyuk. Alexander Kerfoot, Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin, Adam Lowry, Dominic Toninato, Trevor Lewis and Dylan DeMelo picked up one assist apiece.
Jack Campbell stopped 20 of 23 shots in the loss.
Connor Hellebuyck turned aside 34 shots in the win.