NHL

Winnipeg Jets at Pittsburgh Penguins

· National Hockey League
Final
4 - 1

Connor has goal and assist as Jets beat Penguins 4-1

Winnipeg Jets vs. Pittsburgh Penguins: Game Highlights

Connor became the third player in Jets history to record at least 25 points through 20 games in a season. Gabriel Vilardi scored a power-play goal, while Nino Niederreiter and Vladislav Namestnikov also scored for the Jets, who built a 3-0 lead through two periods.

Winnipeg equaled the second-most wins (17) by any franchise through the first 20 games of a season. The Jets are 10-0 when scoring first.

Connor Hellebuyck, who stopped 17 shots, has a league-best 14 wins in 16 games. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner also ranks among the NHL leaders in goals-against average and save percentage.

Michael Bunting scored a power-play goal in the third period for Pittsburgh. Tristan Jarry made 26 saves.

Takeaways Jets: The Jets have won 17 of 20 games to start the season. They won 15 of their first 16 games before a brief two-game skid against Tampa Bay and Florida in which they were outscored 9-1. It appears Winnipeg is back on track following wins against Florida and Pittsburgh.

Penguins: Lost for the fifth time in six games. Pittsburgh has dropped 13 of its last 17 overall.

Key moment Niederreiter scored in the first 90 seconds of the game and Vilardi gave the Jets a 3-0 lead in the final minute of the second period. Niederreiter took advantage of a Pittsburgh turnover behind the net and Vilardi scored on a wide-open one-timer from between the circles.

Key stat The Jets/Atlanta Thrashers franchise won for just the third time in 23 road games against Pittsburgh dating back to March 24, 2007.

Up Next Jets visit Nashville on Saturday, and Penguins host Utah.

Regular Season Series

WPG wins series 2-0

Scoring Summary

Goal 1st Period 1:22 Nino Niederreiter Goal (8) Backhand, assists: none
Goal 2nd Period 4:53 Vladislav Namestnikov Goal (6) Backhand, assists: Nikolaj Ehlers (14)
Goal 2nd Period 19:01 Gabriel Vilardi Goal (8) Wrist Shot, assists: Kyle Connor (13), Josh Morrissey (18)
Goal 3rd Period 5:49 Michael Bunting Goal (4) Wrist Shot, assists: Bryan Rust (3), Evgeni Malkin (15)
Goal 3rd Period 18:49 Kyle Connor Goal (13) Wrist Shot, assists: Cole Perfetti (10), Mark Scheifele (13)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/wpg.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originWPG https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/pit.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originPIT
14 Blocked Shots 14
11 Hits 29
5 Takeaways 6
30 Shots 18
1 Power Play Goals 1
3 Power Play Opportunities 3
33.3 Power Play Percentage 33.3
0 Short Handed Goals 0
0 Shootout Goals 0
32 Faceoffs Won 31
50.8 Faceoff Win Percent 49.2
18 Giveaways 14
4 Total Penalties 4
11 Penalty Minutes 11

Game Information

PPG Paints Arena

Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Attendance: 15,232 | Capacity:

2024-25 Central Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Winnipeg 27 12 56 2
Minnesota 25 11 54 4
Colorado 25 15 51 1
Dallas 24 13 49 1
St. Louis 19 18 42 4
Utah 17 15 41 7
Nashville 13 20 33 7
Chicago 13 25 28 2

2024-25 Metropolitan Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Washington 26 10 56 4
New Jersey 25 15 53 3
Carolina 24 14 50 2
Pittsburgh 17 17 41 7
Columbus 17 17 40 6
Philadelphia 17 18 39 5
NY Rangers 18 20 37 1
NY Islanders 15 18 37 7
Full Standings