$42,000,000 Jets star speaks out on interaction with J.T. Miller after 'violent' slashing incident

Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers has spoken out after a slashing incident involving New York Rangers forward J.T. Miller in Tuesday's game at Canada Life Centre.

During the game, Miller received a hooking penalty against Ehlers in the first period at 16:07. Later, in the second period at 04:03, Ehlers slashed Miller and received a slashing penalty. Miller was also penalized for interference against Ehlers.

After the game, Ehlers said he regretted his actions. On Friday, Jets beat writer Mike McIntyre reported that Ehlers apologized to Miller.

"I wasn't too proud of myself for that one. It wasn't meant to be that violent," Ehlers said.

Ehlers is in the final year of a seven-year, $42 million contract with the Jets. This season, he has recorded 57 points (21 goals, 36 assists) in 57 games. His +17 rating reflects strong two-way play.

J.T. Miller has 52 points (16 goals, 36 assists) in 56 games. He has 43 penalty minutes this season and a -4 rating. The Rangers (32-28-6) are fighting for a playoff spot. They need one more point to surpass the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Jets (45-17-4) are one of the top teams this season. Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck is having his career-best NHL season with 38 wins in 50 starts. He has recorded six shutout wins this season and has a career-best GAA of 1.99 with a .927 save percentage.

J.T. Miller and Rangers lost to Jets

The New York Rangers lost the game 2-1 to the Winnipeg Jets. Vladislav Namestnikov scored first for Winnipeg at 5:18 of the first period. Cole Perfetti’s pass deflected off Sam Carrick and went in.

Mika Zibanejad tied the game 1-1 at 11:00 with a power-play goal. J.T. Miller passed to him in the slot, and he scored. Gabriel Vilardi made it 2-1 for Winnipeg at 5:06 of the second period. Perfetti set him up with a backhand pass.

Igor Shesterkin made 22 saves for the Rangers, while Connor Hellebuyck stopped 21 shots for the Jets. New York coach Peter Laviolette was disappointed with the loss.

“I mean, there's no consolation at this point in the season, right?” Laviolette said. “We need wins, we need points. So, it's frustrating, for sure. The guys did play hard tonight. Just couldn't get it to swing our way.”

New York went 1-for-3 on the power play but struggled at even strength.