Martin makes 33 saves for first NHL win; Winnipeg loses sixth in row
by Darrin Bauming / NHL.com Independent Correspondent
WINNIPEG — J.T. Miller had a hat trick and an assist for the Vancouver Canucks in a 5-1 win against the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre on Thursday.
It was Miller’s second hat trick and four-point game in the NHL.
“The puck just kind of followed me around today and I got lucky a couple went in,” Miller said.
Spencer Martin made 33 saves for his first NHL win, and Brock Boeser had a goal and two assists for the Canucks (19-19-5), who had lost three straight (0-1-2).
“It’s incredibly special, and just even to get an opportunity to play and having it go well and get a win, I don’t know if it’s sunk in yet,” Martin said. “Hopefully we just keep building off it. It’s a really special day for me.”
Martin is 1-0-2 with a 1.59 goals-against average and .958 save percentage in three games since being recalled from Abbotsford of the American Hockey League on Jan. 8. He was called up from the taxi squad on Jan. 15.
Prior to this season, Martin hadn’t played in the NHL since 2016-17, when he went 0-2-1 in three starts with the Colorado Avalanche.
“I think that’s three outstanding games [Martin] has played for us in a row,” Vancouver coach Bruce Boudreau said. “I can’t be happier. He kept us in there and he got points in every game for us. I think it’s the makings of a really good goalie.”
Andrew Copp scored, and Connor Hellebuyck made 28 saves for the Jets (17-16-7), who have lost six in a row (0-4-2).
“We’re going to have to continue to work,” Winnipeg coach Dave Lowry said. “We’ve got a group here where we know how to win. We’re not the first team that has faced this kind of situation. We just will continue to work, we’ll work for our bounces, we’ll work for our breaks, and win a hockey game”
Miller made it 1-0 with a one-timer 10 seconds into a power play at 13:23 of the first period.
Copp tied it 1-1 at 15:32 when he batted the puck out of the air near the right post.
“I thought we did a really good job just controlling scoring chances,” Martin said. “I felt like they had a lot of shots from the point, and when I did make the save, the pucks were lying around and we boxed out really well. It felt like a really controlled environment and we played an awesome game.”
Miller scored twice in the second period, making it 2-1 at 5:25 and 3-1 at 12:55. He has scored eight points (four goals, four assists) during a four-game point streak.
“We have a lot of guys that step up and our best players are different players on a nightly basis, which is a great thing to have,” Miller said. “But at the same time, we need to take it game by game and play like we did a little bit today.”
Boeser scored seven seconds into a power play to extend the lead to 4-1 at 1:08 of the third period.
“I think our PK has been going pretty good, but that struggled tonight,” Copp said. “I think there’s just a lot of different facets where we’re just a half step off. So it’s got to get cleaned up. We just got to play better.”
Elias Pettersson scored at 14:00 from the left face-off circle for the 5-1 final.
“(We) just need to be a little bit better everywhere,” Winnipeg captain Blake Wheeler said. “Those little things are adding up right now. We’re just a little bit late to everything right now and it’s hurting us.”
NOTES: Miller’s only other hat trick came against the Ottawa Senators on March 13, 2018, when he played for the Tampa Bay Lightning. His previous four-point game (one goal, three assists) came against the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 9, 2019, with Vancouver. … Pettersson has scored in two consecutive games and has five goals in his past six. The Canucks forward scored six goals in his first 37 games. … Jets forward Adam Lowry played in his 500th NHL game. He had one shot on goal and three hits in 14:00 of ice time. … Winnipeg defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic had one shot in 10:21 in his NHL debut. The Jets selected him in the third round (No. 74) of the 2017 NHL Draft.
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