Rookie Laine scores twice as Jets top Stars
WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- More than two decades passed since anybody was able to say the league's leading scorer led the Winnipeg Jets to victory.
Finnish phenom Patrik Laine scored a pair of goals -- his fifth and sixth of the season -- to propel the Jets to a 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars on Thursday night at the MTS Centre.
The rookie is tied for the league goal-scoring lead with fellow rookie Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Richard Panik of the Chicago Blackhawks. Several who were tied at five goals were still in action late Thursday night.
The last Jet to lead the league in scoring was Teemu Selanne back in his rookie season of 1992-93.
Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck made 38 saves in the win. Tyler Myers and Kyle Connor also scored for the Jets (3-4-0).
Stars center Tyler Seguin broke Hellebuyck's shutout bid when he ripped a snap shot over his shoulder on the power play just 33 seconds into the third period.
The Jets received a scare off the ensuring faceoff when defenseman Dustin Byfuglien got tangled up with Stars left winger Antoine Roussel and went down in a heap. Byfuglien was helped off the ice and was taken to the dressing room to be evaluated. He returned to the ice to a rousing ovation before the midway point of the period.
The Jets got a two-man advantage shortly afterward when defenseman Jordie Benn shot the puck over the glass and received a delay-of-game penalty with left winger Gemel Smith already off for kneeing.
Laine made them pay when he ripped his second of the game off the right post at 10:17. He has scored four of the Jets five power-play goals this season.
Dallas goalie Antti Niemi made 32 saves as the Stars outshot the Jets 39-36.
Hundreds of fans were yet to reach their seats when defenseman Tyler Myers' seeing-eye shot from the point got by a screened Niemi 15 seconds after the opening faceoff.
It was the second-fastest goal from the start of a game since the Jets relocated from Atlanta in 2011. Kyle Wellwood owns that distinction at eight seconds. The NHL record belongs to original Winnipeg Jets winger Doug Smail, who scored five seconds into a game December 20, 1981.
The Stars had several excellent chances to even the score with 75 seconds of a two-man advantage in the middle of the period but Hellebuyck's knee pads were there every time. The Jets had several excellent chances on their own power play -- center Adam Lowry had the puck on his stick just outside Niemi's crease, but deflected it just wide of the empty net.
Connor made people forget Lowry's transgression shortly after when he buried his first NHL goal at 16:12 on a nifty pass from right winger Nikolaj Ehlers on a two-on-one.
Joel Armia nearly gave the Jets a 3-0 three minutes into the second period but the right winger's wrist shot in traffic rang off the post to Niemi's left.
Laine did the honors instead on a power play moments later at 4:30. He set up shop in what is becoming his office to the right of the net and fired a wrist shot under the cross bar. It was Laine's fifth goal of the season.
Connor nearly got the second of his career with four minutes to go in the second but Niemi stuck out his right knee pad in the nick of time. The rebound went to Ehlers, who was staring at an open net, but the puck bounced over his stick.
NOTES: The Stars head to Minnesota for a game against the Wild on Saturday and wrap up their three-game road trip in Columbus on Monday. ... The Jets will wear their new Heritage Classic jerseys -- which pay homage to their WHA history -- for two more home games this season against the Calgary Flames on Jan. 9 and the Wild on March 19. ... Scratched for the Jets were D Paul Postma and RW Drew Stafford, who left Tuesday's game in Dallas with an upper-body injury. Joining them from the Stars were D Jamie Oleksiak, D Stephen Johns and C Jason Spezza.