Connor helps Jets defeat slumping Penguins

PITTSBURGH -- Kyle Connor had a goal and an assist, and the Winnipeg Jets scored the first three goals in a 4-1 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Friday.

Nino Niederreiter, Vladislav Namestnikov and Gabriel Vilardi scored, and Connor Hellebuyck made 17 saves for the Jets (17-3-0), who have won two in a row after losing their previous two.

“You knew that Pittsburgh was going to come out and they were going to get after us,” Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said. “I thought we did a great job. That’s a great start, puts them back on their heels. Some negative thoughts, whatever it might be.”

Sidney Crosby, one goal from 600 in the NHL, was held without a shot on goal for a second straight game, and Michael Bunting scored for the Penguins (7-11-4), who have lost five of six and seven of nine. Tristan Jarry made 26 saves.

“I’d say every loss is a little different,” Jarry said. “Obviously, this one, they play a hard game. They’re a good team. They defend well. They don’t give up a lot. I think we saw that tonight. We didn’t get many shots. ... We were defending a lot, I think, and it was hard to get out of our zone.”

Niederreiter scored on the first shot of the game to put Winnipeg ahead 1-0 at 1:22 of the first period. He collected the puck just outside the crease off a turnover by Evgeni Malkin, who couldn’t control it after it bounced off the corner boards, and tucked a backhand around Jarry’s left pad. Niederreiter ended a six-game goal drought with his eighth of the season.

Jarry has allowed a goal on the first shot faced in four of six starts this season.

“It happens a million different ways,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. “For example, the first goal tonight, how do I explain that? Can you explain that? Because I can’t.”

Namestnikov, on his 32nd birthday, made it 2-0 at 4:53 of the second period. After dragging the puck around a sliding Bryan Rust, he took a wrist shot from the left face-off circle and followed the rebound to score with a backhand in the slot.

“Everyone started rolling, all four lines,” Namestnikov said. “I thought we played pretty good for 60 minutes and we got the win.”

Rickard Rakell had a chance to make it a one-goal game at 10:58. He took a pass from Crosby on a 2-on-1 for a wrist shot from the right circle, but Hellebuyck slid over for a glove save.

Vilardi then extended it to 3-0 on the power play at 19:01 with a one-timer from the slot off a pass from Connor.

Bunting cut it to 3-1 with a power-play goal at 5:49 of the third period when he tapped in a pass from Rust at the left post.

“They're top of the League for a reason,” Bunting said. “They play the right way. They play fast, and they make a lot of offensive plays to create chances. I thought we were in it for a lot of the night and we pushed back a lot. We could have given up there, but we didn't.”

Connor scored into an empty net with 1:11 remaining for the 4-1 final.

“They definitely came out a lot harder in the third,” Connor said. “Whether that was a message that the coach sent in between periods, I'm sure it was, whether it was the leadership group. They obviously came out and felt they needed to prove something, playing physical. Give them credit, they played hard there in the third.

“Whatever it was, I think for us to weather that storm and persevere and kind of get contributions from everybody up and down, it was a full team win."

NOTES: Connor, who had a Gordie Howe Hat Trick with a fight against Crosby early in the third period, has 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) in 20 games this season. ... The Jets are 10-0-0 when scoring first. They and the New York Rangers (10-0-0) are the only teams yet to lose after scoring the first goal. ... Winnipeg defenseman Josh Morrissey had an assist on Vilardi’s goal to reach 20 points (two goals, 18 assists). He is the second defenseman this season with at least 20 points, joining Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche (28 points; eight goals, 20 assists). ... Penguins defenseman Kris Letang had one blocked shot and one hit in 20:46 of ice time after missing the previous three games with an illness.