By Canadian Press

Andrew Copp’s late goal lifts Winnipeg Jets over Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3

Nov 23, 2019 | 8:12 PM

WINNIPEG — Andrew Copp scored with 1:54 left in the third period to lift the Winnipeg Jets to a 4-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.

Columbus goalie Elvis Merzlikins tried to clear the puck up the middle of the ice and Copp knocked it down and scored.

He also picked up an assist for the Jets (14-9-1), who are 4-1-0 in their past five games.

Nikolaj Ehlers scored his team-leading 11th goal of the season for Winnipeg. Blake Wheeler had a goal and assist and Mathieu Perreault also scored.

Pierre-Luc Dubois, Seth Jones and Gustav Nyquist each scored power-play goals for Columbus (9-9-4), which had a three-game win streak end. Oliver Bjorkstrand contributed a pair of assists.

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Winnipeg netminder Laurent Brossoit stopped 27 of the 30 shots he faced before he left the ice limping with 11:19 remaining in the third period. Connor Hellebuyck replaced him and made five saves.

Merzlikins stopped 27 shots for the Blue Jackets, who are 3-1-1 in their last five games.

The Jets lost defencemen Josh Morrissey (lower body) and Nathan Beaulieu (upper body) to injuries in the second period.

The game was tied 1-1 after the first period and 3-3 after two.

Dubois got the power-play scoring started at 4:59 of the first period with his 10th goal of the season, extending his point streak to four games with four goals and two assists in that span.

Winnipeg responded with Wheeler firing in a one-timer past Merzlikins for his sixth goal of the season at 8:23.

Ehlers came out of the penalty box for tripping early in the second period and promptly scored after a passing play with Wheeler to give the Jets a 2-1 lead at 5:19. It was Wheeler’s 600th career point with the franchise.

The lead was short lived as Jets defencemen Tucker Poolman and Luca Sbis were dinged with penalties nine seconds apart.

Jones scored with the two-man advantage at 6:30 and Nyquist notched his goal 47 seconds later to swing the score 3-2 for Columbus.

Blue Jackets defenceman Zach Werenski picked up an assist on Jones’s goal, rolling his point streak to six games with three goals and five assists.

Perreault tied it up with just over five minutes left in the second period.

Morrissey left the game a minute after Nyquist’s goal and Beaulieu departed with four minutes remaining.

The Blue Jackets outshot Winnipeg 29-19 after two periods.

The Jets got their second power play of the game early in the third period, but couldn’t break the tie. They were 0 for 3 on the power play and Columbus finished 3 for 5.

After only one home game, Winnipeg heads out for a three-game road trip starting Wednesday in San Jose. Columbus returns home to host the Ottawa Senators on Monday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 23, 2019.

Judy Owen, The Canadian Press