Dawson Mercer Made New Jersey Pay for the Hellebuyck Trade

Connor Hellebuyck came back to Winnipeg on Tuesday and never touched the ice. He took warmups in a New Jersey Devils sweater while the crowd that used to chant his name booed him, threw a Jets jersey onto the ice and settled into a chant of "Coward." Then he watched the game from the bench, because the Devils had decided on Sunday that their three-time Vezina Trophy winner would not play in his return — a decision coach Sheldon Keefe and general manager Sunny Mehta owned, and one the club framed as analytics.

The two players Winnipeg got for him won the game instead. The Jets beat the Devils 4-2 at Canada Life Centre, and both sides of the October 23 trade were on the scoresheet: Dawson Mercer scored twice against his former team, and Nico Daws made 19 saves in the net Hellebuyck used to own.

Mercer opened it at 7:54 of the first period, circling out of the corner to the high slot, spinning and firing a wrist shot through traffic that beat Jake Allen on the blocker side. Kyle Connor made it 2-0 on the power play at 15:06, his shot going in off the skate of Devils defenseman Brenden Dillon. Cole Perfetti assisted on both goals.

New Jersey answered in 44 seconds flat. Jesper Bratt cut it to 2-1 at 1:14 of the second, finishing a one-handed, no-look feed from Arseny Gritsyuk behind the net. Cody Glass tied it at 1:58, deflecting Johnathan Kovacevic's shot past Daws. The Devils had won five straight and arrived 13-5-0. For two minutes, they looked like it.

Then the third period happened to them. New Jersey managed four shots in the final 20 minutes, and Winnipeg's power play — 2-for-4 on the night, against a Devils power play that went 0-for-4 — produced the winner. With the Devils serving a too-many-men penalty, Alex Iafallo sent a pass through the crease and Mercer one-timed it home from the bottom of the left circle with 8:02 left. It was his second goal of the night and his third since the trade; his first as a Jet came on November 5 against Vancouver.

Daws did the rest. The goalie who came back in the same package stopped 19 of 21 for his first win as a Jet, in his second start since the trade, against his former team. Allen made 21 saves at the other end. Connor closed it with an empty-net goal at 19:02, his second of the game.

The context makes the scoreline heavier than a Tuesday in November. Hellebuyck requested a trade, was suspended by Winnipeg after not reporting to training camp, and got his move on October 23: Mercer, Daws, Nick Bjugstad, prospect Alexander Command and two draft picks came back. He spoke to reporters before the game and said he hopes the fans can forgive him by the time he retires. On Tuesday's evidence, that clock has not started. Winnipeg, meanwhile, has won four straight after going nine games without a win (0-7-2), and sits 8-8-3. New Jersey's five-game winning streak is done, at 13-6-0.

There is a second date on this trade's calendar. The Jets go to Newark on Saturday, November 28 — Hellebuyck's new building, where there is no version of the night that keeps him on the bench. Winnipeg plays at Dallas on Thursday first; New Jersey hosts Washington the same night. Follow Tuesday's game in the Game Center.