Kyle Connor scored his team-leading eighth goal of the season and added an assist as the Winnipeg Jets defeated the visiting Chicago Blackhawks 5-1 Friday night.
Paul Stastny, Neal Pionk, Dominic Toninato and Nikolaj Ehlers also scored and Andrew Copp had three assists for the Jets, who extended their points streak to seven games (6-0-1). Goaltender Eric Comrie, subbing for the ill Connor Hellebuyck, made 17 saves.
MacKenzie Entwistle scored the lone goal for the Blackhawks, who remained winless (0-5-1) in six games on the road. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 28 of 33 shots.
The Jets took control early with two goals in the opening 2:23.
Stastny opened the scoring just 47 seconds into the first on the game’s first shot. Copp split two defenders with a pass, sending Stastny in alone on Fleury, and he put a forehander past the goalie.
The Jets made it 2-0 on a power play just 1:36 later. Connor passed the puck to Pionk at the left point and he skated unchecked nearly to the faceoff dot before wiring a shot into the upper-right corner of the net.
The Jets scored twice in a 1:29 span late in the second period to make it 4-0.
Skating down the right wing, Toninato took a cross-ice pass from Copp, faked a backhander from close range to put Fleury off-balance and pulled the puck back to his forehand before sliding it into a nearly open net at 13:48.
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The Jets forced a turnover at center ice and Connor skated down the right wing before beating Fleury with a wrist shot at 15:17. The tally moved Connor into third place in the NHL’s goal-scoring race, behind Washington’s Alex Ovechkin (10) and Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl (9).
Entwistle spoiled Comrie’s bid for his first career shutout with a short-handed goal 56 seconds into the third. Seth Jones’ shot was tipped wide of the net by Kirby Dach, but the puck came back off the end boards and Entwistle slammed the rebound off Comrie’s pads and into the net.
Ehlers capped the scoring at 14:03, stealing the puck at center ice and skating past two defensemen before tallying from between the faceoff circles.
–Field Level Media