Kyle Connor scored two power-play goals and added an assist to lift the Winnipeg Jets to a 3-2 victory over the host Detroit Red Wings on Sunday afternoon.
Cole Perfetti scored the Jets’ other goal and had two assists, while Josh Morrissey added two assists. Stuart Skinner made 33 saves in Winnipeg’s first victory. The Jets lost to Boston in overtime in their season opener Friday.
Viktor Arvidsson and Emmitt Finnie scored for the Red Wings and John Gibson stopped 24 shots.
Former Detroit captain Dylan Larkin, who has requested a trade, missed the game with an upper-body injury. Forward Marco Kasper was also sidelined by an upper-body injury suffered during the team’s 2-0 opening-night loss to the New York Rangers on Friday.
Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, a teammate of Larkin’s on the gold medal-winning Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics, was not with the team after being suspended for failing to show up for training camp. He has also requested a trade.
The crowd was riled up with 7:50 left in the opening period, as the Jets’ Tyler Bauer and Wings’ Keegan Kolesar dropped the gloves.
Along with the fighting penalties, Kolesar was whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct, giving the Jets a power play. They cashed in on Perfetti’s goal. Connor passed the puck to Perfetti and the puck was deflected up and over Gibson with 6:56 remaining in the period.
At the same time as the goal, Detroit’s J.T. Compher was whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct. Once again, Winnipeg converted its power play, as Connor skated to the net and flipped a backhander past Gibson with 5:24 left in the period. Gabriel Vilardi and Perfetti collected the assists.
Connor’s second power-play goal came after Lucas Raymond was penalized for holding. Connor collected a rebound in the right circle and rifled a shot past Gibson.
With Dylan DeMelo in the penalty box for tripping, Arvidsson ended Detroit’s drought when he scored in front off an Andrew Copp feed. Moritz Seider had the second assist.
Finnie made it 3-2 at 4:56 of the third, converting in front off Michael Brandsegg-Nygard’s pass from behind the net.
–Field Level Media
