National Hockey League
Winnipeg 4, Minnesota 2
When: 2:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 30, 2023
Where: Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Referees: Cody Beach, Pierre Lambert
Linesmen: Devin Berg, Jonathan Deschamps
Attendance: 15225

Nino Niederreiter scored twice and the Winnipeg Jets defeated the visiting Minnesota Wild 4-2 on Saturday to extend their point streak to seven games.

Alex Iafallo and Axel Jonsson-Fjallby also scored for the Jets, who are amid a 5-0-2 stretch. Niederreiter, meanwhile, recorded his second multi-point effort in three games for the Jets, who improved to 6-0-1 at home this month.

Ryan Hartman scored in his fourth straight contest for Minnesota, which had its four-game winning streak end. Filip Gustavsson stopped 19 of 22 shots through two periods, but did not come out for the third, with no official word given for the move. He was replaced by Marc-Andre Fleury, who saved 9 of 10 in career-game 999.

Down 3-1, the Wild scored 20 seconds into the third period when Matt Boldy got the puck past Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck (34 saves) after it caromed off the end board. However, the Jets restored their two-goal lead a little more than 2:20 later when Jonsson-Fjallby sent in a behind-the-net pass from Dominic Toninato.

The Jets opened the scoring 3:59 into the game when Iafallo slapped at a bouncing puck that deflected off the body of Minnesota defenseman Jared Spurgeon, then the skate blade of Gustavsson, before trickling over the goal line.

After surviving some sustained pressure by the Wild, Winnipeg went up 2-0 with 5:22 remaining in the first. After a successful end-board battle, Adam Lowry didn't convert his wraparound attempt, but Niederreiter did off the rebound.

Niederreiter made it 3-0 at the 6:45 mark of the second period. This time he grabbed Morrissey's shot toward the net and beat Gustavsson at close range.

Minnesota finally scored via the power play with 9:55 remaining in the middle frame. On some nifty passing, starting with Frederick Gaudreau at the point, then down to Marcus Johansson, who slapped a cross-crease pass for Hartman to bury the one-timer.

The teams will meet again Sunday at Saint Paul, Minn.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Minnesota   Winnipeg
Matt Boldy 1 Points Nino Niederreiter 2
Matt Boldy 1 Goals Nino Niederreiter 2
Frederick Gaudreau 1 Assists Mason Appleton 1
Ryan Hartman 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Marc-Andre Fleury .900 Save Percentage Connor Hellebuyck .944
Filip Gustavsson 19 Saves Connor Hellebuyck 34
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Minnesota 36 2 1-5 4-4 15 26
Winnipeg 32 4 0-4 4-5 17 29
Upcoming Games
  • Winnipeg will play their next game on the road against Minnesota. The Jets have a W/L % of .650 after a win and .571 after a loss.
  • Minnesota will play their next game at home against Winnipeg. The Wild have a W/L % of .588 after a win and .353 after a loss.