Connor Hellebuyck's 35 saves help Jets knock off Islanders
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Kyle Connor scored an empty-net goal after a 16-game absence and Mason Appleton snapped a 25-game scoring drought to help the Winnipeg Jets get back to their winning ways with a 4-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Tuesday.
Gabriel Vilardi and Neal Pionk also scored for the Jets, who had an eight-game win streak and 14-game point run halted Saturday by a 2-0 loss to Philadelphia. Connor Hellebuyck made 35 saves for Winnipeg.
Anders Lee scored twice for the Islanders, who were coming off a 5-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Monday.
Ilya Sorokin stopped 40 shots for New York, which is 1-5-0 in its last six matches and 2-5-1 during the month of January.
Winnipeg is still riding a franchise record for consecutive games of allowing three or fewer goals, which is now up to 33. The NHL record in the modern era (since 1967) is 35 by the Minnesota Wild in 2014-15.
The Jets have also allowed two or fewer goals in a franchise-record 13 straight games.
Winnipeg, which wrapped up a four-game homestand with a 3-1-0 record, received good news the morning of the game when Connor returned to action following a knee-on-knee hit by Ducks forward Ryan Strome in Anaheim on Dec. 10. The winger returned a week earlier than the initial six- to eight-week estimate. He had 19:03 of ice time.
UP NEXT
Islanders: Finish a four-game road trip Friday in Chicago.
Jets: Start a three-game road trip Saturday against the Ottawa Senators.
