Penguins 4, Jets 1
James Neal's tiebreaking tally kickstarted a three-goal third-period barrage, lifting the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-1 win over the host Winnipeg Jets on Friday night.
The teams played an even 40 minutes before the Penguins took charge early in the third. Neal broke the deadlock with a blistering slapshot just 22 seconds into the frame, and Jordan Staal struck on a power play at 4:14 to make it 3-1.
Pascal Dupuis capped the barrage 40 seconds later, chasing down a loose puck on the left wing and snapping a shot past the blocker of Winnipeg netminder Ondrej Pavelec.
It was the third straight victory for the Penguins, who have outscored their opponents 15-6 over that span. Winnipeg, which was outshot 39-19 in the loss, wrapped up its six-game pre-holiday homestand with a 3-2-1 record.
Pittsburgh's Joe Vitale had the lone goal of the first period, pouncing on a loose puck at the left edge of the crease and poking it into a partially open net for his second of the season.
Alex Burmistrov drew Winnipeg even midway through the second frame, finishing off a well-placed cross-ice pass from Blake Wheeler.