Patrik Laine scores twice in Jets win

WINNIPEG -- Patrik Laine scored twice and Kyle Connor got his first NHL goal to help the Winnipeg Jets to a 4-1 win against the Dallas Stars at MTS Centre on Thursday.
Connor's goal came at 16:12 of the first period to make it 2-0 after finishing a 2-on-1 with Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers.
Connor jumped into the play from his own zone and Ehlers found the rookie, who put a wrist shot up and over Stars goalie Antti Niemi.
"It was exciting," Connor said. "It was a good play defensively to create the chance 2-on-1. [Ehlers] made a great pass over and I just tried to get it upstairs. It's definitely a special feeling. You work so hard to get to this point and to get rewarded like that feels good."

Laine has six goals in seven games this season.

"We've played only seven games, but it's nice that I've got those goals and helped my team to win with those goals," Laine said.
Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck made 38 saves to help Winnipeg split a home-and-home series with Dallas. The Stars won 3-2 on Tuesday.
Tyler Myers also scored for the Jets (3-4-0).
Tyler Seguin had the lone goal for Dallas (3-3-1). Niemi allowed four goals on 36 shots.
Myers gave Winnipeg a 1-0 lead 15 seconds into the first period on a point shot that appeared to go off Niemi's blocker and into the net.

"I think it starts with the first shift of the game with the puck and I don't do anything with it and it goes in the back of the net," Stars captain Jamie Benn said. "It starts with myself. I got to be better."
The Jets had 22 shots in the first period, one shy of their franchise record.
Laine made it 3-0 eight seconds into the Jets fourth power play of the game at 4:30 of the second period.
Seguin scored 33 seconds into the third period on the power play to make it 3-1.
Laine scored his second power-play goal of the game at 10:17 of the third to make it 4-1.
Winnipeg was 3-for-24 on the power play entering the game. They were 2-for-7 on Thursday. Dallas was 1-for-6 on the man-advantage.

Goal of the game

Ehlers made his pass out of the reach of Stars defenseman Esa Lindell, who slid to the ice in an attempt to break up the pass. Connor, who caught up to the play, took the pass and put a wrist shot up and over Niemi's outstretched glove hand.

Saves of the game

Niemi made eight consecutive saves in a frantic passage of play in front of the Stars goal on the Jets first power play of the game in the first period. Winnipeg controlled possession in the Stars zone for 1:34. Niemi stopped Blake Wheeler on four occasions during the span, keeping it 1-0 at that point.

Highlight of the game

Laine took the puck at the top of the left circle on the power play and sent his wrist shot off the near post and into the net for his second goal of the game.

Unsung moment of the game

Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien went down awkwardly after a collision with Stars forward Antione Roussel early in the third period. Byfuglien was down on the ice for a lengthy period of time before being helped off. He returned nearing the midway point of the period and went on to close out the game with a shift that lasted 1:18.

They said it

"We're missing two power-play units when you look at the personnel. I think our young kids hung in there tough. They generated some good opportunities. I thought they put Winnipeg's defense under duress. Their play through the neutral zone was pretty good. You look at our bottom line, every time they were out there, they were in Winnipeg's end. I got to give those guys a lot of credit for the way that they played." -- Stars coach Lindy Ruff on his inexperienced lineup
"I think he's just used to scoring goals. That first shot, he knew where it was going for sure. The second one, there's not a lot of room there but he does it so often, you know that's where he was putting it. He's a spectacular shooter." -- Jets coach Paul Maurice on Patrik Laine

Need to know

Stars center Jason Spezza missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury he sustained in practice Monday. … Jets forward Drew Stafford missed the game due to an upper-body injury sustained in Dallas on Tuesday. … The Jets led for 59:45 on Thursday after only leading for 17:02 in their first six games combined.

What's next

Stars: At the Minnesota Wild on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; FS-N, FS-SW, NHL.TV)
Jets: At the Colorado Avalanche on Friday (9 p.m. ET; ALT, TSN3, NHL.TV)