Connor powers Jets past Red Wings for first win of season

DETROIT — Kyle Connor is on a mission.

Whether it’s the baby bump from the birth of his second child or his constant mission to elevate his game and find new ways to score, the Winnipeg Jets left-winger is flying out of the gate and seemingly notching goals at will.

After scoring in the season opener for an NHL record ninth consecutive time, Connor delivered a pair of goals and added an assist in his home state to lead the Jets to a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday afternoon at Little Caesars Arena.

“The sheer amount of volume that he gets and how he gets himself in a good spot, he’s able to get that release off from anywhere,” said Jets forward Cole Perfetti. “His first one was just all skill. What a finish that was and then his second one, just reading the play so well. (Coming) off the pads like that, kind of in front of him and he put it in a small little window top shelf that no goalie could ever save. He doesn’t panic when he gets into those spots, obviously.

“He gets a lot of chances and his shot is so, so lethal, but I think the biggest part for him is how he jumps into those soft spots of the ice.”

All three of those goals have come on the power play, but don’t mistake that for him not being dangerous at five-on-five.

He’s been flying in both games in all situations, whether that’s even strength, the penalty kill or the man-advantage.

“That’s two games where he just dominates when he has that puck,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “You look at the offensive points, I look at that tracking, coming back and picking off that 3 on 2 rush. That’s the stuff he does on both sides of the puck.”

Connor already has 14 shots on goal and 25 shot attempts through two games and he had numerous quality looks to record his eighth career hat trick on Sunday.

His first goal of the contest was a thing of beauty, as Connor found some quiet ice, took a pass from Gabriel Vilardi, walked in alone and buried a backhand over the glove of Red Wings goalie John Gibson.

The Jets, who improved to 1-0-1, close out this two-game road trip on Monday night at PPG Paints Arena against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Let’s take a closer look at what transpired in this one:

Locking it down

After allowing a late goal in Friday’s opener to the Boston Bruins, the Jets looked a bit more comfortable protecting the lead down the stretch on Sunday and were able to close this one out.

One of the unheralded plays came with time winding down as Jets defenceman Neal Pionk appeared to get his stick on a shot from Lucas Raymond late in the third period that looked like it was about to tie the game.

“That’s what this league is about, those teams that have success in those one goal games, you usually give yourself a real good chance to gain points in the standings,” said Arniel. “If you’re going to be in a lot of those, (you) better make sure you’re able to handle them. Whether you’re up one, down one, just handle those the right way. I thought we did a really good job.”

The Jets struggled in one-goal games last season and that’s an area they are looking to flip the script on.

Sunday was an important step in that process.

Look who’s back, back again

The Jets power play is off to a sizzling start, scoring four times in seven chances, including a three for four effort against the Red Wings.

Although it’s early, the Jets have been moving the puck efficiently, creating lanes, getting shots through and pouncing on rebounds.

“It’s a lot quicker. The attack mindset is there. Not just the first attack, it’s the retrievals,” said Arniel. “We’re doing a fantastic job on retrievals. Our entries are real good. When you do that, that means it’s possession, and now you’re wearing the opposition’s PK down a little bit.”

Getting better results on special teams was another major focus during the off-season homework and the early returns have been positive for both the power play and penalty kill (which has killed off five of six minors thus far).

Strong start

Connor isn’t the only Jets forward off to a good start offensively.

Perfetti, who was promoted to the top line with Mark Scheifele and Connor, had a goal and two helpers to give him four points through two games.

Perfetti is doing a good job pursuing the puck on the forecheck and hasn’t been deferring to his linemates, unloading his shot when lanes open up for him, as he had nine shot attempts against the Red Wings.

“You want to contribute in any fashion that you can. (Sunday) was on the power play and helping out that way. In some games, it’s going to be in the defensive zone,” said Perfetti. “But yeah, it’s definitely nice to get the start on that unit and make an impact and be a part of it.”

The key play

Connor’s second goal of the contest, converting a rebound after a point shot from Josh Morrissey, proved to be the game-winner.

The three stars

1. Kyle Connor, Jets, Two goals, one assist.

2. Cole Perfetti, Jets, One goal, two assists.

3. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Red Wings, One assist, six shots on goal, four hits.

The scrap

After Jets defenceman Tyrel Bauer caught JT Compher with a heavy check along the boards in the first period, Manitoban Keegan Kolesar stepped in to defend his linemate.

Both players landed several big punches, but Bauer caught Kolesar with two hard lefts to earn the decision.

Since Kolesar was given an instigator penalty to go along with a mandatory 10-minute misconduct, the Jets were awarded a power play.

That led to the first of three power-play markers of the contest for the Jets.

“Yeah, that was a good one,” said Perfetti. “(Bauer) lays a big hit, gets into a fight, gets momentum on our side and we score two goals right away. He obviously plays with a lot of passion, a lot of emotion, and he’s scared of nothing. He’s a big energizer for us and that hit and fight got us going. It’s awesome to see that.”

Bauer is up to two scraps in his first two NHL games and his ice time was up in Game 2, as he took 14 shifts for 8:35 of ice time.

Kolesar was a bit woozy as he left the ice, but he’s a tough customer and after he was evaluated by doctors, he returned for the second period and finished the game.

Extra! Extra!

Stuart Skinner made 33 saves to record his first win with the Jets, raising his save percentage to .908 through two games … Former Jets forward Andrew Copp is currently playing centre on Detroit’s top line and he set up a power-play marker by Viktor Arvidsson on Sunday … The Jets dressed the same lineup as the season opener, which meant forward Cole Koepke and defencemen Haydn Fleury and Jack St. Ivany were the healthy scratches … The Manitoba Moose improved to 2-0, earning a weekend sweep over the Chicago Wolves, outscoring their opponent 11-3 in the process.

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