NHL

Winnipeg Jets at Pittsburgh Penguins

· National Hockey League
Final
4 - 1

Connor has goal and assist as Jets beat Penguins 4-1

Winnipeg Jets vs. Pittsburgh Penguins: Game Highlights

Connor became the third player in Jets history to record at least 25 points through 20 games in a season. Gabriel Vilardi scored a power-play goal, while Nino Niederreiter and Vladislav Namestnikov also scored for the Jets, who built a 3-0 lead through two periods.

Winnipeg equaled the second-most wins (17) by any franchise through the first 20 games of a season. The Jets are 10-0 when scoring first.

Connor Hellebuyck, who stopped 17 shots, has a league-best 14 wins in 16 games. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner also ranks among the NHL leaders in goals-against average and save percentage.

Michael Bunting scored a power-play goal in the third period for Pittsburgh. Tristan Jarry made 26 saves.

Takeaways Jets: The Jets have won 17 of 20 games to start the season. They won 15 of their first 16 games before a brief two-game skid against Tampa Bay and Florida in which they were outscored 9-1. It appears Winnipeg is back on track following wins against Florida and Pittsburgh.

Penguins: Lost for the fifth time in six games. Pittsburgh has dropped 13 of its last 17 overall.

Key moment Niederreiter scored in the first 90 seconds of the game and Vilardi gave the Jets a 3-0 lead in the final minute of the second period. Niederreiter took advantage of a Pittsburgh turnover behind the net and Vilardi scored on a wide-open one-timer from between the circles.

Key stat The Jets/Atlanta Thrashers franchise won for just the third time in 23 road games against Pittsburgh dating back to March 24, 2007.

Up Next Jets visit Nashville on Saturday, and Penguins host Utah.

Regular Season Series

WPG wins series 2-0

Scoring Summary

Goal 1st Period 1:22 Nino Niederreiter Goal (8) Backhand, assists: none
Goal 2nd Period 4:53 Vladislav Namestnikov Goal (6) Backhand, assists: Nikolaj Ehlers (14)
Goal 2nd Period 19:01 Gabriel Vilardi Goal (8) Wrist Shot, assists: Kyle Connor (13), Josh Morrissey (18)
Goal 3rd Period 5:49 Michael Bunting Goal (4) Wrist Shot, assists: Bryan Rust (3), Evgeni Malkin (15)
Goal 3rd Period 18:49 Kyle Connor Goal (13) Wrist Shot, assists: Cole Perfetti (10), Mark Scheifele (13)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/wpg.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originWPG https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/pit.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originPIT
14 Blocked Shots 14
11 Hits 29
5 Takeaways 6
30 Shots 18
1 Power Play Goals 1
3 Power Play Opportunities 3
33.3 Power Play Percentage 33.3
0 Short Handed Goals 0
0 Shootout Goals 0
32 Faceoffs Won 31
50.8 Faceoff Win Percent 49.2
18 Giveaways 14
4 Total Penalties 4
11 Penalty Minutes 11
Pittsburgh Penguins Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Evgeni Malkin, C Out Mar 25
Blake Lizotte, C Out Mar 17
Filip Hallander, C Injured Reserve Feb 27
Caleb Jones, D Injured Reserve Feb 4
Peyton Kettles, D Out Nov 24
Winnipeg Jets Winnipeg Jets Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Colin Miller, D Injured Reserve Mar 10
Nino Niederreiter, RW Injured Reserve Feb 28
Vladislav Namestnikov, C Out Feb 28

Game Information

PPG Paints Arena

Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Attendance: 15,232 | Capacity:

2025-26 Central Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Colorado 47 13 104 10
Dallas 43 17 97 11
Minnesota 40 20 92 12
Utah 37 29 80 6
Nashville 34 28 77 9
Winnipeg 30 29 72 12
St. Louis 29 30 69 11
Chicago 27 31 67 13

2025-26 Metropolitan Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Carolina 45 20 96 6
Columbus 38 22 87 11
Pittsburgh 35 20 86 16
NY Islanders 40 27 85 5
Philadelphia 34 24 80 12
Washington 35 28 79 9
New Jersey 36 32 74 2
NY Rangers 28 35 65 9
Full Standings