- Aug 5, 2011
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NHL.com
The Winnipeg Jets come to St. Paul off their most impressive victory of the season, a 7-1 thrashing of the Pittsburgh Penguins at Bell MTS Place on Sunday.
Plymouth native and former University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Blake Wheeler posted his second career hat trick, scoring all three goals in a span of 4 minutes, 20 seconds in the first period.
Winnipeg scored five first period goals in all on Sunday, including three in just 34 seconds, smashing the previous franchise record for fastest three goals by 24 seconds.
The victory snapped a brief two-game losing streak; the Jets had five days off after a 4-3 win against Minnesota on Oct. 20 before losing back-to-back road games in overtime against the Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets late last week. Winnipeg has gained at least a point in four consecutive games and in seven of its past eight games overall.
Wheeler leads the Jets with 12 points in 10 games, including a team-leading eight assists. Nikolaj Ehlers has six goals among eight points. Both Wheeler and Ehlers had goals the last time these teams met.
Minnesota forward Nino Niederreiter, out since Oct. 12 with a high left ankle sprain, is expected to returnTuesday night.
Go Wild!