Patrik Laine scored twice to snap a 15-game goalless drought as the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 6-3 Friday night in Las Vegas.
Nikolaj Ehlers, Kyle Connor, Adam Lowry and Andrew Copp also scored for the Jets, who snapped a three-game losing streak and reclaimed the lead in the NHL's Central Division, moving a point ahead of the Nashville Predators.
Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made 29 saves, and defenseman Jacob Trouba had three assists.
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Shea Theodore and Jonathan Marchessault scored for the Golden Knights, who are 3-9-1 in their past 13 games and have won just once in their past eight home games (1-6-1). Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 23 of 28 shots.
Both of Laine's goals came on the power play, the first at 19:29 of the second period to snap a 2-2 tie. Laine took a cross-ice pass from Blake Wheeler and beat Fleury to the near post. Laine went down to a knee, punched the air and then jumped into the end boards to celebrate.
Lowry scored 27 seconds later to give the Jets a 4-2 advantage heading into the third period.
Laine's second score came at 6:31 of the third, after the Golden Knights had rallied to within 4-3 on Marchessault's goal just eight seconds into the period.
Laine set up at the left faceoff dot, the same spot from where he scored his first goal, and Wheeler controlled the puck between the top of the faceoff circles before feeding Laine for a one-timer.
Not only did the Jets strike twice in the final minute of the second period, they made it 2-0 in the opening 1:28 of the game.
Ehlers, who had missed the previous 20 games with an upper-body injury, got the Jets on the board just 56 seconds in, off assists from Bryan Little and Connor.
Connor then made it 2-0 just 32 seconds later, with Little getting the primary assist.
Bellemare pulled the Golden Knights within 2-1, scoring at 15:43 of the first.
Vegas tied the score at 2-2 on Theodore's goal at 8:09 of the second.
Copp scored an empty-netter for Winnipeg at 18:34 of the third.
--Field Level Media
Winnipeg | Vegas | |
Jacob Trouba 3 | Points | Pierre-Edouard Bellemare 1 |
Patrik Laine 2 | Goals | Pierre-Edouard Bellemare 1 |
Jacob Trouba 3 | Assists | William Karlsson 1 |
Patrik Laine 2 | Power Play Goals | N/A |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Connor Hellebuyck .906 | Save Percentage | Marc-Andre Fleury .821 |
Connor Hellebuyck 29 | Saves | Marc-Andre Fleury 23 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
Winnipeg | 29 | 6 | 2-4 | 3-3 | 6 | 30 |
Vegas | 32 | 3 | 0-3 | 2-4 | 8 | 38 |