WINNIPEG -- Mark Scheifele scored twice and added an assist to spoil a spirited Montreal come back and lead the Winnipeg Jets to an 8-4 victory over the Canadiens on Tuesday night.
Pierre-Luc Dubois also had a goal and two assists as the Jets (24-21-9) snapped Montreal’s five-game winning streak. Paul Stastny, Andrew Copp, Adam Lowry, Nate Schmidt and Evgeny Svechnikov also scored for Winnipeg.
Josh Anderson scored three goals in a losing cause for Montreal (13-34-7). Artturi Lehkonen scored the other Montreal marker.
The Jets had blown a 4-0 first-period lead, but rebounded to take the lead late in the second period. They then added two more in the third.
Goalie Connor Hellebuyck stopped 31-of-35 shots for Winnipeg at Canada Life Centre.
Montreal netminder Sam Montembeault made 17 saves on 23 shots before being replaced by Andrew Hammond at 5:49 of the third. Hammond made five saves on six shots.
Winnipeg took a 6-4 lead early in the third period. Scheifele scored a power-play goal when he banked in a shot off Montembeault’s back from behind the net. Captain Blake Wheeler assisted.
After the Canadiens tied the game 4-4, Copp gave Winnipeg a 5-4 lead on the power play with 2:43 left in the second period. Copp fired a shot from the faceoff circle past Montembeault. Neal Pionk and Stastny assisted.
That goal came mere moments after Montreal centre Rem Pitlick missed on a short-handed penalty shot.
Anderson knotted the score at 4-4 just 4:08 into the second period, converting a two-on-one with centre Ryan Poehling, and completing a hat trick.
After the Jets had jumped to a 4-0 first-period lead, Montreal scored three straight goals to pull to within one before the opening 20 minutes had ended.
Anderson scored his first goal when beat Hellebuyck with a bad-angle shot at 11:18. Jeff Petry assisted. Anderson followed that up when he pounced on a rebound of Cole Caufield’s point shot on the power play at 17:00 to make it 4-2. Nick Suzuki also assisted. Then, Montreal centre Jake Evans intercepted a Josh Morrissey pass and sent Lehkonen in alone on Hellebuyck and beat him cleanly to make it 4-3 at the 18:28 mark.
Scheifele had given Winnipeg a 4-0 lead at the 9:13 mark. His one-timer on a pass from Dubois beat Montembault. Kyle Connor also assisted. Lowry had given Winnipeg a 3-0 lead when he deked Montembault and scored on a backhand, converting a two-on-one with defenceman Dylan DeMelo.
The Jets had scored goals 36 seconds apart to open the game. Svechnikov tipped a pass from Schmidt past Montembeault at 5:21. Connor also assisted. Schmidt then upped the mark to 2-0 with a point shot that beat Montembault. Dubois and Svechnikov assisted.
It was the first of a four-game homestand for Winnipeg, who will play host to the Dallas Stars on Friday.
The Canadiens will face the Flames in Calgary on Thursday.
NOTES – After a tribute to Ukraine as it endures an invasion by Russia and a call for peace, the Hoosli Ukrainian Male Chorus kicked off the proceedings with an emotional rendition of the Ukrainian national anthem. That was followed by a rousing Canadian national anthem. The crowd responded with standing ovations … Jets forward Andrew Copp returned to action after missing six games with a concussion … Captain Blake Wheeler played his 800th game with the Jets.