ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) Connor Hellebuyck made 28 saves, and Nikolaj Ehlers and Kyle Connor scored for the Winnipeg Jets in a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.
Ehlers scored his team-leading seventh goal of the season and Connor added his second for Winnipeg, which is 6-1-1 since an 0-2 start to the season.
Rookie Luke Kunin scored his second goal of the season and goaltender Alex Stalock stopped 17 shots for Minnesota, which had won two in a row and three of its previous four games.
The Wild were 0 for 5 on the power play.
Hellebuyck continued his strong run in net for the Jets, who had made the move to acquire Steve Mason as the starting netminder in the offseason. While Mason has a 4.84 goals-against average and .872 save percentage in his four games, Hellebuyck’s numbers rank among the league’s best.
He entered the game sixth in the NHL in save percentage (.937). Hellebuyck (6-0-1) is the only goaltender in the NHL who has made at least five starts and is undefeated in regulation.
Connor opened the scoring 7:10 into the first period. Mark Scheifele tipped defenseman Tyler Myers’ shot from the point and the puck fell right to Connor. The line of Connor, Scheifele and Blake Wheeler have accounted for five goals in the past two games.
Ehlers took advantage of a mistake by Wild defenseman Matt Dumba in the third. Dumba tried a drop pass in the defensive zone to Mikael Granlund, but Ehlers was between them and quickly collected the loose puck, skated past Granlund and scored for a 2-0 lead.
NOTES: Minnesota F Nino Niederreiter returned to the lineup after missing six games with a left high ankle sprain. He assisted on Kunin’s goal for his point in four games this year. . Winnipeg F Adam Lowry (upper-body injury) practiced with the team during Tuesday’s morning skate and coach Paul Maurice left open the possibility he could return on Saturday against Montreal after missing seven games. . The Jets are 15 for 16 on the penalty kill in their last four games and 27 for 31 in past eight games after giving up four power-play goals in the first two games.
UP NEXT
Jets: Return home against Dallas on Thursday.
Wild: Two more games remain in their season-long, six-game homestand with Montreal on Thursday.
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