LEADING FROM THE FRONT: Winnipeg Jets captain Andrew Ladd celebrates his second goal of the game against Tampa Bay during the second period of their NHL game, on Tuesday. (Reuters)
Agencies/Winnipeg
Winnipeg Jets captain Andrew Ladd did the heavy lifting on Tuesday, scoring twice in regulation and adding the shootout winner as Winnipeg slipped by the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 to move into a tie for eighth place in the Eastern Conference and stay in the playoff picture.
Ladd also had an assist and Blake Wheeler chipped in with a goal and two assists for the Jets, who are tied with the New York Rangers for the final playoff spot. Ondrej Pavelec made 24 saves and Mike Santorelli also converted in the shootout for Winnipeg, which let a 3-1 lead get away in the third period.
“He’s our leader in the dressing room and he leads us on the ice,” said Bryan Little, who assisted on Ladd’s first goal. “He really took tonight serious. He went out there and put us on his back and he did a great job. When he’s going, I think he’s one of the better players in the league.”
Defenceman Zach Bogosian added a pair of assists for the Jets (22-19-2), who are riding a season-high four-game winning streak. Martin St Louis, Pierre-Cedric Labrie and Steven Stamkos — with his 27th goal of the season — scored for Tampa (17-22-4).
Winnipeg’s 46 points puts it in a tie with the Rangers for eighth spot in the Eastern Conference after New York lost 4-2 to Philadelphia on Tuesday. The Rangers have a game in hand over the Jets.
Winnipeg held a 3-1 lead heading into the third period, but Labrie scored after a scramble in front of the net following a Pavelec rebound at 5:19. Stamkos then came in at Pavelec and beat the goaltender on the stick side at 11:17. Pavelec made 24 saves and Bishop stopped 32 shots for Tampa.
“You don’t want to give up a 3-1 lead in the third period, but they have some guys at the top of goal scoring in the NHL and a guy that can hurt you,” said Ladd. “Maybe we played a little too passive instead of staying on our toes and playing in their end, but at the end of the day we had two goals in the shootout and got our two points so we’ll take it and move on.” Ladd is on a five-game point streak with four goals and five assists.
Even though Tampa is close to being mathematically out of the playoffs, there’s pride on the bench, Stamkos said.
“For the second half of the game we showed a lot of character and that’s a trait of our team,” said Stamkos. “We never give up no matter what. By no means are we gonna pack it in the last five games of the year. We’re trying to win as many games and get as many points as we can and finish the year off strong.”