WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Dawson Mercer scored twice in his first meeting with his former club, including the go-ahead power-play goal late in the third period, as the Winnipeg Jets beat the New Jersey Devils 4-2 on Tuesday night at Canada Life Centre.
The night was built around Connor Hellebuyck, the longtime Jets goaltender who was traded to New Jersey on Oct. 23 after asking out of Winnipeg and being suspended for skipping training camp. The Devils announced before the game that he would back up Jake Allen, saying their analysis gave them a better chance with another goalie. Fans booed Hellebuyck loudly when he skated out for warmups, and he did not play. Jets coach Scott Arniel was among those who publicly criticized the decision to keep him out of the net.
Mercer and goalie Nico Daws both came to Winnipeg in that trade. Mercer opened the scoring at 7:54 of the first period, and Kyle Connor made it 2-0 on a power play late in the period.
New Jersey answered with two goals 44 seconds apart early in the second. Jesper Bratt scored at 1:14 and Cody Glass tied it at 1:58.
Mercer broke the tie with 8:02 to go in regulation, finishing a feed from Alex Iafallo on the man advantage. Connor added an empty-net goal at 19:02. Daws stopped 19 shots for his first win with Winnipeg, and Allen made 21 saves.
The Jets (8-8-3) have won four in a row after a nine-game winless skid. The Devils (13-6-0) had their five-game winning streak snapped and lost defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic to an apparent lower-body injury in the second period. Mark Scheifele picked up his 550th career assist, which pulled him even with Hawerchuk and Wheeler on the franchise list, three behind Thomas Steen.
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