THREE THINGS: Fourth line produces two big goals in win

WINNIPEG – Cole Koepke had a goal and an assist to help the Winnipeg Jets to a 4-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres at Canada Life Centre. Kyle Connor, Tanner Pearson and Gabe Vilardi also scored for the Jets (14-12-1) who now have points in three of their last four games (2-1-1). Connor also had an assist recording his 615th and 616th career points and surpassed Ilya Kovalchuk (615) for the third most points in franchise history. Eric Comrie made 34 saves for Winnipeg who will face the Oilers in Edmonton on Saturday night.

MUCH BETTER START

The last time the Jets faced the Sabres on Monday, Buffalo jumped out to a 2-0 lead by the 3:01 mark of the first period on route to a 5-1 win. Friday night, Winnipeg made sure that they got off to a better start and Kyle Connor got them the first goal of the night.

Eric Comrie was pulled after the first period in Buffalo and since then, the Jets goaltender has stopped 63 of the last 66 shots he has faced.

FANTASTIC FOUR-TH LINE

After getting just one goal from someone besides Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Gabriel Vilardi over the previous eight games, the Jets got a couple in the second period from the fourth line. With the game tied 1-1, Cole Koepke stole the puck from Owen Power at the Jet blueline and sent Tanner Pearson in on a breakaway, Pearson beat Luukkonen for his fourth of the season at 2:22.

Koepke would get his first as a Jet at 18:42, taking a pass from Morgan Barron and sliding the puck under Luukkonen to give Winnipeg their first two goal lead of the night.

“When your fourth line can do that and score you two goals that’s a big game changer. Especially in the second period of a tight game. We did a good job of not trying to open it up, and when those guys get an opportunity like that, a breakaway, 2-on-1 or 2-on-0, whatever it was, that’s big for our group,” said Scott Arniel.

“I don’t know if you saw our bench? Our bench was pretty excited about it as well. It just takes a little bit of heat off everyone.”

LINE BLENDER

Scott Arniel chose to keep the same lines from the game in Montreal on Wednesday to start the game against the Sabres. The Jets were outshot 15-8 in the opening period and Arniel chose to go to the line blender to open the second for his second and third lines.

Toews-Lowry-Perfetti

Niederreiter-Namestnikov-Iafallo

Arniel used Lowry for defensive zone faceoffs and Toews took the offensive zone draws and he put that trio together to counter something that the Sabres were doing. The Jets coach also was happy with Niederreiter, Namestnikov and Iafallo.

“It was just something that there was a little bit of history with Nino, Vladdy and Al. It was just trying to get one, a matchup I was trying to get against the opposition,” said Arniel.

“But trying to get some people going. I thought there was some chemistry built, some offensive zone time that helped out a little bit.”