WINNIPEG — Kyle Connor scored twice and added an assist as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-1 on Tuesday.
Connor scored shorthanded and into an empty net. Mathieu Perreault scored at even strength and Mark Scheifele also had an empty-net goal for Winnipeg (30-14-2). Scheifele added an assist and Blake Wheeler contributed a pair.
Winnipeg Jets’ Mathieu Perreault (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Trevor Hagan)
Laurent Brossoit, making his 11th start in net this season for the Jets, stopped 43 shots for Winnipeg, which won every game in a three-game homestand and is 5-0-1 in its past six games.
Brandon Pirri scored and Marc-Andre Fleury made 22 saves for Vegas (28-17-4), which is 8-1-1 in its last 10 games.
It was the first meeting between the teams since Vegas beat the Jets in five games in last season’s Western Conference final.
After a scoreless first period, Winnipeg got goals from Connor and Perreault in a middle period that was slanted toward the visitors.
Vegas outshot the Jets 10-9 in the first period and 26-7 during the second.
The Golden Knights went on the power play 36 seconds into the first period and Knights centre Jonathan Marchessault hit the crossbar. Brossoit then made a number of big saves, quick glove grabs and a pair of pad saves in succession.
At one point in the second period, Vegas was outshooting Winnipeg 17-2, but Connor scored his 17th goal of the season while the Jets were shorthanded.
Connor got the puck after a turnover and skated in on a breakaway, dekeing and then flipping the puck over Fleury after the netminder went down at 5:45.
Jets centre Bryan Little, playing in his 800th NHL career game, assisted to extend his point streak to six games with four goals and four assists.
Perreault scored an unassisted goal at 16:23 after he got a loose puck and skated across the front of Fleury, sending a backhand shot over his glove. The goal drew jeering chants from the crowd of “Fleury, Fleury.”
Winnipeg’s lead was also surprising considering the Golden Knights were carrying over their sixth power play of the game into the third period.
Shortly after that penalty expired, Pirri tipped in a point shot by Brayden McNabb to make it 2-1 at 1:03 of the third.
Vegas pulled Fleury for the extra attacker with almost two and a half minutes remaining and Brossoit turned aside a shot during a scramble around the net.
Connor then scored into the empty net at 18:47 and Scheifele added his with six seconds remaining.
The Jets finished 0 for 2 on the power play and the Golden Knights 0 for 6.
Vegas forward Alex Tuch had a nine-game point streak (three goals, eight assists) end.
Winnipeg heads out for a two-game road trip, starting Thursday in Nashville. Vegas returns home to host Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Judy Owen, The Canadian Press
