The Winnipeg Jets have improved to 5-0-0 on the season. They remain the lone club across the league with a perfect record.
On Sunday afternoon, the Jets took care of business against Sidney Crosby and the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins.
Mason Appleton, Nikolaj Ehlers and Colin Miller each had multi-point outings, as Eric Comrie picked up his first victory of the season in Winnipeg’s 6-3 win over Pittsburgh.
The Jets opted to make some changes to their lineup for Sunday’s tilt. They gave Connor Hellebuyck the night off, allowing Comrie to start his first game of the season.
David Gustafsson and Logan Stanley also drew into the lineup in replacement of Rasmus Kupari and Haydn Fleury.
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The Jets and Penguins played to a scoreless draw through 20 minutes, with both big plays of the period coming off the stick of Nino Niederreiter.
He deflected a point shot off the post, before getting his stick on a sure Penguins scoring chance atop the Jets’ crease.
Comrie played well in goal, turning aside a number of difficult Penguins chances, including a couple top-notch power play opportunities.
But his fortunes would change in the middle stanza, as Pittsburgh came out firing in the early stages.
Kevin Hayes got himself a power play marker with just 10 seconds left in a Colin Miller minor, before Lars Eller doubled the visitors’ lead off an Erik Karlsson rebound play.
But Winnipeg turned things around in the second half of the period. After giving up the two goals, the Jets fired up the afterburners and potted three quick ones, pulling back ahead 3-2 before the third period could begin.
First, on a delayed penalty, Kyle Connor hammered home his fourth of the season, as he jumped off the bench and picked up the puck off a pass from Nikolaj Ehlers.
Colin Miller earned his second assist of the game moments later, as he put a heavy slap shot on net, to which the rebound was banked into the net by Mark Scheifele, for his fifth of the campaign.
Then, with just 30 seconds remaining, Winnipeg pulled ahead off the stick of Vladislav Namestnikov. On a four-on-four situation, Ehlers pinched down low, broke up a Penguins breakout and got the puck to Namestnikov, who calmly redirected it past Alex Nedeljkovic, giving the Jets a 3-2 lead through 40 minutes.
Pittsburgh wasn’t going out quietly, however, as Eller found his second of the game on a beauty wrist shot, knotting things back up at threes just 1:39 into the third.
But Adam Lowry took it upon himself to restore the lead. Winning an offensive zone face-off, Lowry collected the puck off a deflected Josh Morrissey point shot and jammed it home, pulling Winnipeg ahead 4-3.
Then it was Mason Appleton, who connected on a play with Neal Pionk, to give the Jets a two-goal lead with roughly 12 minutes to play.
Niederreiter put the cherry on top with an empty-netter with 2:30 remaining, giving Winnipeg the 6-3 final.
Comrie turned aside 39 of the 42 shots he faced, picking up his first win of the season.
Winnipeg will now head out on the road for three-straight games against Western Conference opponents. Things begin on Tuesday night in a battle with the Blues in St. Louis, before the team travels to Seattle on Thursday and Calgary on Saturday night.
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