Byfuglien hits a milestone as Jets open road trip on winning note

DETROIT, Michigan - It was a night where persistence paid off.
The Winnipeg Jets trailed the Detroit Red Wings 1-0 through 20 minutes at Little Caesars Arena, but they expected a fast start from the home side.
From that point on, the Jets (7-3-1) outshot the Red Wings 31-14, had goals from Kyle Connor and Dustin Byfuglien, and left Detroit with a 2-1 win.
Not only was Byfuglien's goal his second of the season and the eventual game-winner, it was also his 500th career NHL point. Not only that, he became the 14th player drafted in the eighth round or later to reach that milestone.

"That was a good pick. One we'd like to take credit for," said head coach Paul Maurice with a grin, a nod to the fact Byfuglien was drafted by Chicago in 2003.
"He's such an important piece to our game. Early on in the game, we're talking about being a better defensive team and he made some great reads.
"That seam pass he picks off in the third period, he has the ability to read the play like very few other people. When he does it defensively as well, he's hard to stop."
For Connor, his team-leading fifth goal of the season extended the Jets' streak of games with a power play goal to seven straight. It was also scored in front of friends and family, something the Michigan native will cherish.
"It's a good feeling," he said, adding that he felt the power play was dangerous on all four opportunities on Friday night.
"We had a lot of good looks. First couple we had good entries, we were on the puck, we had good recoveries too. I thought it was just a matter of time."

The Red Wings (1-7-2) came out flying early, holding a 6-1 advantage in shots on goal.
A Jacob Trouba interference penalty would offer the Red Wings a chance to open the scoring. Just over a minute into the man advantage, Anthony Athanasiou ripped a one-timer from the right circle past the glove of Laurent Brossoit for his fourth of the season.
But that was the only goal the Jets gave up.
"I'm pleased. You get a 2-1 win, we didn't give up anything five-on-five," said Maurice.
"We built on the game. Our compete started to get really strong. On pucks, knocking things down… It was a night you had to battle for every inch and we did a real good job with that."
From there Brossoit kept the door shut, finishing with 27 saves to earn his third consecutive win to start the season.
After making 42 saves in each of his first two starts, this game offered a bit of a different challenge, especially with most of the play in the Detroit zone in the second.
"That forced me to stay focused throughout the game even though I wasn't getting tested," said Brossoit.
"It's definitely nice to come out and have a good start and it makes it easier to look forward for the rest of the season with a lot of optimism for sure."

Jimmy Howard held the Jets off the scoreboard into the second with two highlight reel stops on Bryan Little and another glove save on Jack Roslovic from the high slot.
After relentless pressure, the Jets would finally beat Howard, and it came on the power play.
Wheeler's initial shot from the right wing off the rush was stopped, but the Jets captain followed the play, sending his own rebound back in front. Kyle Connor was waiting there and the Michigan native slid home a backhand to tie the game.
Overall, the Jets outshot Detroit 21-4 in the middle frame.
"It was a good road win," said Connor. "We really started coming on in the second period. We stuck with it and kept playing the same game and we got rewarded."
The Jets started the third period with a key penalty kill, and with just under seven minutes to go, their persistence in Detroit's zone would pay off.
Byfuglien took a pass from his partner Ben Chiarot from across the blue line and found some open ice toward the Detroit net. Byfuglien saw daylight high on the short side over Howard's left shoulder, and fired. The puck went off Howard, into the air, and over the line, giving Byfuglien his second of the season - and his team a 2-1 lead.
The goal also made him the 14th player drafted in the eighth round of the NHL Draft or later to reach 500 career points.
The Jets now look forward to the rematch with the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday night in Toronto.
"Everybody is looking forward to that," said Connor. "It's good to play a team pretty close together in games. We'll make a couple of adjustments there, watch the video, and get ready to go."