WINNIPEG — Scoring twice and adding an assist to end a 15-game goal drought was no big deal for Blake Wheeler.
The Winnipeg Jets captain basically shrugged off the notable numbers he delivered as the Jets downed the Colorado Avalanche 6-1 on Friday.
"With the amount of ice time I get, the guys I play with, the expectation would be that you'd score a goal once in a while," said Wheeler, who has 16 goals and 48 assists through 58 games.
"Sometimes it doesn't happen. It's a crazy game. I had 13 shots the last two games before this one, and one behind the goal line goes in. I don't lose much sleep over it."
It was his eighth three-point game this season.
Linemate Mark Scheifele picked up a trio of helpers, giving the centre seven points in his last three games. It was his fourth game back since he missed 16 with an upper-body injury.
"We did the right things all game," Scheifele said. "We didn't get away from it and it showed."
Winnipeg's special teams were clicking.
Wheeler's second goal was on the power play, while Patrik Laine scored his team-leading 26th and NHL-leading 15th power-play goal of the season. Andrew Copp picked up his fifth goal of the season while the Jets were shorthanded.
Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers also scored for Winnipeg (34-15-9), which was playing the eighth of a 10-game (5-2-1) homestand. Dustin Byfuglien and Tyler Myers each had two assists and Laine added one.
Winnipeg led 1-0 after the first period and 4-0 after the second.
Goalie Connor Hellebuyck made 30 saves to pick up his 30th win of the season. It was the most wins by a Jets goalie since the franchise moved to Winnipeg from Atlanta prior to the 2011-12 season. Former netminder Ondrej Pavelec had 29 wins the first season.
Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen nixed Hellebuyck's shutout bid when he scored unassisted on a wraparound with 5:56 left in the third period.
Colorado goalie Jonathan Bernier was replaced by Semyon Varlamov to start the third period after letting in four goals on 20 shots, but injury played a role.
"He got hit in the head there on a play around the net and was going in for the concussion protocol so we put (Varlamov) in," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. "I haven't caught up with the trainers yet (to check his status)."
Midway through the second period, Jets forward Nic Petan clipped Bernier as he went around the net and the goalie's helmet came off. Bernier finished the period.
Varlamov stopped six of the eight shots he faced in relief for the Avalanche (31-22-4).
The Jets outmuscled and stole the puck just before their first two goals in the second period.
Byfuglien won a battle along the boards with winger Gabriel Landeskog and passed the puck to Connor for his 19th goal of the season at 10:49 to make it 2-0.
Scheifele then stole the puck from Rantanen while Winnipeg was shorthanded and went on a 2-on-1 for Copp's goal in his 200th career game.
"We didn't play our best game in the first, but we were still in the game," Rantanen said. "Then they get a second goal. Then we get a power play and a chance to get it to 2-1, but then a turnover by me and it's 3-0. It's a tough, tough play but I have to get over it."
The Jets host Florida Sunday night. Colorado goes home to take on Edmonton Sunday afternoon.
Judy Owen, The Canadian Press