Nikolaj Ehlers' Speed Unlocks True Strengths Of Jets' Offence

Nikolaj Ehlers' return to the Winnipeg Jets' lineup has come at an important time, and his speed unlocks the true strengths of the team's offence.

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Ehlers opened the scoring against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night and extended his point streak to four games, dating back to before he sustained his injury.

His goal didn't show off his speed, but throughout the game, Ehlers used his speed to gain the offensive blue line and put the Wild defenders on their heels. What the goal did show was Ehlers' willingness to attack the net and go to the dirty areas to score.

The Jets picked up two vital points against the Wild, which helped them separate themselves in the race for the Central Division. On top of the two points, HC Scott Arniel was happy with the complete game the Jets played.

"I would say it’s probably one of our better efforts in the last few games here," said Arniel. "We knew they were coming in after playing last night, went after them in the first period, and kind of continued that through the three periods. Liked a lot of our compete, sort of our little details. A lot of good things that happened tonight."

Part of the complete game Arniel was talking about was playing with pace, and that was highlighted by the 28-year-old Danish winger.

"Yeah, when you see his speed like that, when he puts it on display, it’s nerve-wracking for the opposition and especially the defenders who have to play that side of the ice," said Arniel on Ehlers hitting another gear. "It just creates offensive zone time for that group. I thought those three, they did a really good job and spent a lot of time down in that end of the rink, and they got rewarded for it."

When Ehlers was out of the lineup, Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Gabriel Vilardi carried a heavy load of the Jets' offence, but with Ehlers back at his best, the Jets have become increasingly dangerous on multiple lines.

With a big fixture on deck against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday, the Jets will need Ehlers to continue to play at a high speed.

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