WINNIPEG 鈥� Nikolaj Ehlers quickly shook off the suggestion that he is now the Wayne Gretzky of Denmark.
With an insurance goal into an empty net in Winnipeg鈥檚 7-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday afternoon, the Jets forward became the highest-scoring Danish NHLer in history with 474 points.
鈥淣o, no, no no, definitely not,鈥� Ehlers protested. 鈥淚鈥檓 trying to be myself out there 鈥� There鈥檚 been a lot of really good Danish NHL players so far. I鈥檝e played with most of them, so that鈥檚 pretty cool for me, too. They鈥檝e been idols to me. To be up there now, it鈥檚 a pretty cool feeling.鈥�
Frans Nielsen, who played for both the New York Islanders and Detroit Red Wings, had held the mark since 2021.
鈥淥bviously I鈥檓 very proud of this,鈥� Ehlers said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 Danish guys that I鈥檝e watched growing up and Frans was obviously one of them. He was an outstanding player in this league. Lucky enough I got to play with him at the world championships in his last year. It鈥檚 a very proud moment. Very happy.鈥�
Ehlers had tied the milestone when he set up Logan Stanley鈥檚 goal early in the second period.
鈥淚 knew I was one point off getting to the same as him,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd I forgot there after the empty-netter, I forgot for a second. And then I asked (Mark Scheifele) to go get the puck. It was pretty cool.鈥�
Ehlers had not talked to Nielsen recently.
"I've played with Frans a few times, for the national team,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e's an incredible role model. Great guy. He was a great a player. So, I'm sure he's 鈥� I hope he's happy for me."
Jets coach Scott Arniel was pleased for the man they call 鈥楩ly.鈥�
鈥淗is career, obviously, he鈥檚 a goal scorer,鈥� Arniel said. 鈥淭hat line (with Vladislav Namestnikov and Cole Perfetti), they got off to a slow start and they鈥檙e up and running now. He鈥檚 feeling pretty good about himself.鈥�
The Jets were also feeling good about the hellacious hit that Stanley laid on Luke Glendening early in the third period. Zemgus Girgensons then challenged Stanley to a fight, which the Jets defenceman won. Girgensons was then penalized for third-man-in, a major for fighting and a 10-minute misconduct. Stanley got a major penalty.
Alex Iafallo scored on the ensuing power play, giving Winnipeg a 4-3 edge. Although the Bolts tied it 4-4, that gave the Jets a psychological lift.
"That hit, I was on the ice, I felt that one too,鈥� Ehlers said. 鈥淎nd you know, for him to step up and then fight, it gets the whole team going 鈥� the bench going 鈥� and then we got a power play that goes in and scores a goal. That's pretty exciting for us. And obviously, it changes the momentum.鈥�
Arniel said that hit sparked the fans.
"They got into it,鈥� he said. 鈥淥bviously, our bench did as well. Stan's a big man. When he does that stuff, he's going to create more space for himself. It was a big moment and we knew what we had to do after that."
Stanley seemed to relish the hit.
鈥淵ou just try to have a good gap and sometimes, those ones present themselves,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou just have to take advantage of it. It was a good hit.鈥�
Stanley took no issue with Girgensons challenging him to a fight.
鈥淚 have a lot of respect for him,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 been in the league a long time and is sticking up for his teammates. I would do the same.鈥�
NOTES 鈥� With his assist on Iafallo鈥檚 goal, Kyle Connor extended his franchise-record 12 games with points from the start of a season. 鈥� With two helpers on Sunday, Josh Morrissey recorded his 13th assist in 12 games. 鈥� The Jets have now been in first place for 14 straight days, the longest in franchise history. 鈥� The Jets have scored a power-play goal in five straight games. 鈥� The contest was Winnipeg鈥檚 annual Pride Game to promote inclusivity, acceptance and respect of those in the Rainbow community. Pride jerseys were auctioned off at the game to raise money for the Rainbow Resource Centre and Pride Winnipeg.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 3, 2024.
Jim Bender, The Canadian Press
