Connor Hellebuyck didn’t play a single second in Winnipeg on Tuesday, and he still got booed like he’d started all 60 minutes. The New Jersey Devils went with Jake Allen, climbed out of a 2-0 hole with two goals 44 seconds apart, then handed the Jets a too-many-men penalty in the third. Dawson Mercer, one of the four players New Jersey sent to Winnipeg for Hellebuyck, made them pay with his second goal of the night. Jets 4, Devils 2, and the five-game winning streak is over.

Nico Daws, also part of that trade, got the win in the other net, so Winnipeg got its closure after all, just not the way anyone drew it up. The Washington Capitals come to Newark on Thursday fresh off an overtime win in Ottawa. Around the league, the Chicago Blackhawks are shopping picks and veterans, Florida’s Sasha Barkov and Brad Marchand are closer than anyone expected, and a Detroit columnist thinks the Devils should be nervous about Hellebuyck sitting out. The links are below.

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The full recap of Mercer burning his former team in the Jets’ 4-2 win. Jesper Bratt and Cody Glass scored 44 seconds apart early in the second period to tie it, but Winnipeg outshot New Jersey 12-4 in the third, and Mercer’s power-play goal at 11:58 came less than two minutes after the too-many-men call. Kyle Connor added a power-play goal and an empty-netter.

Before puck drop, I wrote that Jets coach Scott Arniel wants closure, but the Devils don’t owe him one. Arniel said Hellebuyck “just gave up on us.” The trade already settled things between the two clubs, and GM Sunny Mehta‘s statement made clear the decision to sit Hellebuyck came from the front office, not the goalie. If Winnipeg wants a real argument, Allen’s 9-11-3 career record against the Jets is a better one.

Devils Postgame Live: Hellebuyck hears it, and Mercer and Daws get their revenge in the 4-2 loss in Winnipeg.

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Jeff Hamilton writes that Hellebuyck sent a mixed message to Winnipeg Jets fans looking for closure. “The day I said I was a Jet for life, I meant it,” Hellebuyck said at his pregame media session, adding that he didn’t want to be locked into a team that had just missed the playoffs. Hamilton also takes a shot at the irony of Hellebuyck leaving a team where he controlled his playing time for one that now sets it with analytics.

Thursday’s opponent got a scare in Ottawa. Cole Hutson scored 74 seconds into overtime, set up by Alex Ovechkin, as the Washington Capitals beat the Ottawa Senators 3-2. The Capitals (10-6-0) were outshot 17-2 in the second period and went more than 20 minutes without a shot before Pierre-Luc Dubois tied it in the third. Logan Thompson made 23 saves.

Jack Bushman breaks down Elliotte Friedman’s latest on the Chicago Blackhawks trade buzz. At 4-13-1, the Blackhawks are willing to move the 2027 first-round picks they got from Edmonton and Florida, and veterans Jordan Greenway and Teuvo Teravainen are available. Friedman also said other teams have asked about Chicago’s prospects and players who can play center.

Bob Duff says the Hellebuyck situation is a lot like the Detroit Red Wings’ history with Dominik Hasek and Curtis Joseph. Hasek stormed into Scotty Bowman’s office to demand the start in Buffalo, while Joseph was happy to skip his return to Toronto. Detroit got swept in the first round that spring, and a team source later told Duff they knew they’d signed the wrong goalie.

George Richards has good news from Paul Maurice on Sasha Barkov and Brad Marchand. The Florida Panthers coach said both are “within two weeks” of returning from knee injuries, even though Marchand said last week he was five or six weeks away. Florida then beat Columbus 4-1 on Tuesday night.

Jim Cerny finds plenty for the New York Rangers to feel good about despite Monday’s 3-1 loss in Edmonton. The Rangers (10-8-1) outshot the Oilers 29-20 and allowed just six shots in each of the last two periods, but a Dylan Garand turnover gift-wrapped a goal for Connor McDavid, and Leon Draisaitl scored twice.

Aarif Deen writes that Devon Toews is giving the Colorado Avalanche another offensive weapon. Toews had a goal and an assist in a 6-3 win in Toronto and now has 18 points in 19 games, after managing just 24 points in 68 games last season.

Jack Studley looks at how Boston Bruins forward Morgan Geekie found his scoring touch again. After one goal in his first 14 games, Geekie has scored in four straight and is shooting more, averaging three shots a game during the run.