Jets 4, Capitals 2
Evander Kane and Blake Wheeler collected a goal and an assist apiece and Ondrej Pavelec turned aside 32 shots as Winnipeg recorded its first victory and snapped Washington's 10-game winning streak in home openers.
Captain Andrew Ladd and Jim Slater also scored and defenseman Tobias Enstrom notched three assists for the Jets, who went 2-for-5 on the power play. Winnipeg entered the game 1-for-10 with the man advantage.
Matt Hendricks and Troy Brouwer scored and Braden Holtby finished with 35 saves for the Capitals, who suffered their first loss in a home opener since a 4-1 setback to Los Angeles during the 2000-01 season.
After Kane scored from a sharp angle to tie the contest at 1-all, Ladd gave Winnipeg a lead it would not relinquish with 3:34 left in the first period. The captain accepted Nik Antropov's feed before blasting a shot which beat Holtby on the short side.
Wheeler gave the Jets a 3-1 advantage with 5:28 remaining in the second period, taking Kane's pass on a rush and snapping a shot past Holtby. Slater added to the cushion with 46 seconds left in the session by deflecting defenseman Dustin Byfuglien's shot from the point past Holtby.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Pavelec improved to 8-1-1 in his last 10 games versus the Capitals. ... Holtby has struggled in both career outings against the current Jets franchise. The netminder yielded three goals on five shots in a 5-0 loss to the then-Atlanta Thrashers on Nov. 19, 2010. ... Winnipeg posted a 4-1-1 mark versus Washington last season.