WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- Winnipeg Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba figures the NHL team's got its groove back.

Trouba doubled his season output with a pair of goals and center Bryan Little added three assists to power the Jets to a 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday at the MTS Centre.

The win was the second straight on home ice for the Jets (17-17-2), who head out on a crucial five-game road trip against Western Conference opponents.

Trouba netted his third and fourth goals of the season, while left winger Andrew Ladd supplied his 10th on the power play and right winger Alexander Burmistrov chipped in his third.

Right wingers Drew Stafford and Blake Wheeler each had two assists as Winnipeg ran its home record to 11-5-1, including six victories out of seven in December.

The Jets led 2-0 and 4-0 at the period breaks. Veteran center Pavel Datsyuk scored the lone goal, his fifth, for the Red Wings (18-12-7) early in the third period.

The loss was the second in as many nights for Detroit, after suffering a 3-1 defeat to Minnesota on Monday.

Trouba was asked if his club, dumped by both Edmonton and Calgary just before the holiday break, basically hit the re-set button when they got back to work Sunday.

"In a way, I think. But I think even going back before Christmas, we'd been playing how we wanted to play," said Trouba, whose first goal of the night came with the Jets shorthanded at 4:27 of the first period. "I think we ran into some hot goaltenders. But it's all about our character, keep playing the same style (and) knowing it's going to work for us."

The Jets are last in the Central Division and seven points back of the final wild-card spot.

"To get back in this thing, we need to get rolling here and get on a streak," added Trouba. "This road trip coming up is very important and we are going to get a lot of the same styles of games."

Jets rookie goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made 33 saves for his seventh win in 10 games since being called up Nov. 22 from the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League after No.1 goalie Ondrej Pavelec injured his knee.

Hellebuyck, coming off a 1-0 shutout of the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday, was stingy again, allowing only a power play marker by Datsyuk at 1:52 of the third period. Later in the period, he stopped the still-shifty 37-year-old forward on a clear-cut breakaway to preserve a three-goal cushion.

He has been a beast against Eastern Conference squads, going 6-0-0.

"I thought the team played really well in front of me. Getting that early lead was huge and we set the pace from there," Hellebuyck said. "The penalty kills right off the start were huge, we blocked a lot of shots and you could tell the guys wanted to pay the price tonight."

Starting goalie Jimmy Howard struggled for Detroit, giving up every Jets goal on 14 shots before being replaced by Petr Mrazek midway through the second period. Mrazek made 10 saves in relief.

"Simple as that, it wasn't good enough for the guys once again," said Howard. "It wasn't good enough and I need to be better. I've got to find a way to stay sharp, find a way to just be out there competing for the guys. It's unacceptable."

It was the second straight start Howard was pulled early. He gave up three goals on just six shots through 14 minutes of the first period to the New Jersey in a game the Devils eventually won 4-3 a week ago.

Getting yanked isn't something the veteran netminder is used to.

"This is a first being pulled in consecutive starts, so it's unfortunate. But at the same time, like I said, I've got to go out there and do my job better," said Howard.

The Red Wings were just one-for-six on the power play against Winnipeg, the second-most penalized team in the league behind only the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Jets made good on one of two opportunities with the man advantage.

Datsyuk said he wasn't aware of Winnipeg's penchant for breaking the rules.

"If you let me know earlier, maybe it would give us more confidence," he said, with a half grin. "We're not like great on the power play, either."

Detroit's power play is currently ranked 18th in the league, at 18.3 per cent effectiveness.

Datsyuk said the Wings needs to snap out of their funk in a hurry.

"Every team has (back-to-back game), maybe six or seven times. It's tough," he said. "If you just look at the two games, we gave away Christmas presents. We made mistakes, made turnovers, made it easy for the home team."

NOTES: Jets D Adam Pardy, D Paul Postma and RW Anthony Peluso were healthy scratches. ... Detroit C Luke Glendening returned to the lineup after missing Monday's game in Minnesota due to illness. D Jonathan Ericsson (upper body) missed the game. A recent Wings call-up, LW Eric Tangradi, who played for the Jets for two seasons (2012-14), didn't dress. ... C Bryan Little made a bit of history Sunday night, scoring Winnipeg's first penalty-shot goal since the club relocated from Atlanta in 2011. It also marked just the fourth time in league history a goal on a penalty shot earned a 1-0 victory. ... Red Wings C Darren Helm hails from St. Andrews, a small community just 10 minutes north of Winnipeg. ... The Jets play the Coyotes on Thursday in Arizona. ... The Red Wings head home to play the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.