Iginla, Avalanche beat Jets for rare home win
DENVER -- Matt Nieto scored twice, Jarome Iginla had a goal and an assist, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Winnipeg Jets 5-2 on Saturday for a rare home win.
Nathan MacKinnon and Carl Soderberg also scored, Matt Duchene had three assists and Calvin Pickard stopped 23 shots for Colorado. The Avalanche snapped a nine-game winless streak and won for second time in 17 home games.
Adam Lowry scored twice for the Jets, who missed a chance at a 4-0 road trip with the loss. Ondrej Pavelec had 23 saves for the Jets (25-26-4).
Winnipeg wrapped up its road trip, which included wins over Chicago and Minnesota, by losing to the worst team in the NHL. Colorado (14-33-2) has a league-low 30 points after winning for just the fifth time in 31 games.
The Jets may have suffered more than a loss.
Center Bryan Little had to be helped off the ice midway through the third period after taking a shot off the left foot. He went straight to the locker room and did not return.
The game was tied 2-2 midway through the second period when Nieto scored into a wide-open net off a rebound. Soderberg put Colorado ahead 4-2 at 2:04 of the third when he one-timed a pass by Iginla for his fifth goal of the season.
The Jets pulled Pavelec for an extra skater with 2:25 left and Nieto scored his fourth goal of the season into the empty net.
Iginla, who has spoken publicly about wanting to be traded to a contending team, burnished his resume with just his second goal in the last 15 games. His power-play goal 5:27 into the game gave the Avalanche a 1-0 lead.
Lowry tied it with his first goal in 22 games at 9:35, but MacKinnon put Colorado up 2-1 with his 12th of the season at 14:35 of the first.
The Jets thought they had taken a 2-1 lead earlier but Jacob Trouba's goal was waved off on a goaltender interference, a call that was held up upon review.
Lowry's power-play goal 29 seconds into the second period tied it before Nieto struck later in the frame.
NOTES: D Mark Barberio made his Avalanche debut. Barberio was claimed off waivers from Montreal on Thursday. He had four assists in 26 games for the Canadiens. ... Winnipeg RW Drew Stafford practiced Friday but did not play Saturday. He has missed six games with a lower-body injury. ... Avalanche RW Rene Bourque was scratched with a hip flexor injury. He had played in the last two games after missing three with a lower-body injury. D Fedor Tyutin was also scratched due to a groin injury. ... Jets coach Paul Maurice said D Tyler Myers, who hasn't played since Nov. 11, is not close to returning.