OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Connor Hellebuyck made 24 saves and the NHL-leading Winnipeg Jets ran their franchise-record winning streak to 11 games, beating the Ottawa Senators 4-1 on Wednesday night.
Hellebuyck made his second straight straight since starring for the United States in the 4 Nations Face-Off. The NHL victory leader improved to 36-7-2, helping the Jets get to 42-14-3 overall and 19-9-0 on the road.
Cole Perfetti and Mason Appleton opened the scoring for the Jets, Kyle Connor added his 31st goal of the season and Mark Scheifele had an empty-netter for his 33rd. Connor and Scheifele also had assists.
Thomas Chabot scored for Ottawa, and Linus Ullmark stopped 36 shots. The Senators have lost five straight.
AVALANCHE 5, DEVILS 1
DENVER (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon had two power-play goals and an assist, Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 22 shots against his former team and Colorado beat New Jersey.
Artturi Lehkonen, Casey Mittelstadt and Logan O’Connor added goals to help the Avalanche snap a two-game skid. Colorado scored three times in a 4:04 span in the third period to crack open a tight game.
Blackwood continues to come up big when he faces the Devils, improving to 2-0 over three starts and allowing just one goal. He was selected by New Jersey in the second round of the 2015 draft.
Jake Allen finished with 31 saves as the Devils fell to 1-1 on their five-game trip. Jack Hughes cut it to 2-1 with 11:32 remaining before Colorado’s goal eruption.
CANUCKS 3, KINGS 2, OT
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Conor Garland scored his second goal of the game at 4:28 of overtime to give Vancouver a victory over Los Angeles.
Garland — who had a power-play goal in the second period — lofted a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle under the blocker of goalie David Rittich for his 16th goal of the season.
Nils Hoglander also scored and Kevin Lankinen stopped 24 shots to help the Canucks move past Calgary into the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
Adrian Kempe and Warren Foegele scored in the third period for the Kings, who trailed 2-0 after two periods. Rittich made 14 saves.
Ottawa Senators defenseman Nick Jensen and Winnipeg Jets centre Gabriel Vilardi, right, look on as Jets centre Mark Scheifele fires the puck at Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark during the second period of an NHL game Wednesday, Feb 26, 2025 in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) — Bo Bichette and the New York Mets agreed Friday to a $126 million, three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was subject to a successful physical and had not been announced.
A two-time All-Star at shortstop with the Toronto Blue Jays, Bichette will move to third base with the Mets, who have Francisco Lindor at shortstop. Bichette has never played a professional game at the hot corner.
Bichette can opt out of the deal after the first or second season to become a free agent again. He would receive $47 million for one year and $89 million for two years, the person said.
The deal does not contain any deferred money and Bichette gets a full no-trade provision. His $42 million average annual value ties for the sixth-highest in baseball history.
It was the latest big development in an eventful offseason for the Mets, who angered fans by letting popular slugger Pete Alonso and star closer Edwin Díaz leave in free agency. President of baseball operations David Stearns also traded two other stalwarts in outfielder Brandon Nimmo and versatile veteran Jeff McNeil — both homegrown players.
New York signed closer Devin Williams to a $51 million, three-year contract, infielder Jorge Polanco to a $40 million, two-year deal and reliever Luke Weaver to a $22 million, two-year agreement.
Although he lacks Alonso's prodigious power, Bichette is a proven hitter with lightning-fast hands and a penchant for line-drive doubles. He would give the Mets a dangerous right-handed bat to help complement lefty slugger Juan Soto.
Because of his inexperience at third, however, Bichette becomes the latest question mark in the field for New York even though Stearns has insisted the team must improve its defense and is determined to do so.
Polanco has one pitch of major league experience at first base, where he and Mark Vientos, previously a third baseman, are the leading candidates to replace Alonso.
New York had planned to start Brett Baty at third, where he provides a strong glove. Baty, who also has experience at second base, is viewed as a versatile defender who could see time in the outfield and perhaps at first.
Or, the Mets could look to trade Baty for pitching or outfield help. Gold Glove winner Marcus Semien is set to play second after arriving from Texas in a November trade for Nimmo.
Bichette batted .311 with 18 home runs, 94 RBIs and an .840 OPS in 139 games for the Blue Jays last year. He homered off Shohei Ohtani in Game 7 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Late last season, Bichette sprained his left knee in a Sept. 6 collision with New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells, keeping the infielder out of the lineup until the World Series. He returned for Game 1 against the Dodgers and played second base for the first time in six years.
Bichette led the American League in hits in 2021 and 2022. He finished second in the major leagues in batting average last season to Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.
Bichette turned down a $22,025,000 qualifying offer from the Blue Jays in November, so they would receive an extra draft pick in July after the fourth round if he completes his deal with the Mets.
New York would forfeit its second- and fifth-highest draft picks, along with $1 million in 2027 international signing bonus pool allocation.
Bichette was one of the last remaining big-name hitters on the free agent market after outfielder Kyle Tucker spurned the Mets and agreed Thursday to a $240 million, four-year contract with the Dodgers.
Bichette, who turns 28 in March, has spent his entire career with the Blue Jays since they selected him in the second round of the 2016 amateur draft. He is a .294 career hitter with 111 home runs and an .806 OPS in 748 major league games.
He is a son of former big league slugger Dante Bichette, a four-time All-Star outfielder.
AP Baseball Writers Ronald Blum and David Brandt and AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston contributed to this report.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb
FILE - Toronto Blue Jays' Bo Bichette celebrates his three run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning in Game 7 of baseball's World Series, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
FILE - New York Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns responds to questions during a news conference about MLB trade deadline deals, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith, File)
