Kyle Connor scores twice as Jets hold off Red Wings 3-2 behind perfect power-play finish

A power play that changed the night in 92 seconds

Winnipeg did not need many chances to seize control. Perfetti opened the scoring at 13:04 of the first period with a deflection, finishing a sequence set up by Connor and Josh Morrissey. Just 92 seconds later, Connor struck on a backhand at 14:36, with Gabriel Vilardi and Perfetti on the assists, and a tight first period suddenly belonged to the Jets.

That burst gave Winnipeg the kind of cushion its special teams could keep growing. Connor added his second of the game at 5:41 of the second period on a snap shot, again with Morrissey and Perfetti providing the support. Because the Jets finished 3-for-4 on the power play and scored only three times all evening, every Winnipeg goal came with the man advantage.

Detroit pushed back, but Skinner closed the door

Detroit did not let the game drift away after the 3-0 deficit. Viktor Arvidsson cut the lead to 3-1 at 16:52 of the second period on a deflected goal created by Andrew Copp and Moritz Seider. Emmitt Finnie made it a one-goal game at 4:56 of the third, finishing from Michael Brandsegg-Nygård and Alex DeBrincat to bring the Red Wings fully back into the contest.

That comeback bid forced Winnipeg to finish the job through its goaltender and its shot blocking. Stuart Skinner stopped 33 of 35 shots for a .943 save percentage, while the Jets also blocked 15 shots as Detroit chased the equalizer. The Red Wings finished with the edge in volume, 35-27, and won 61.1 per cent of the faceoffs, but they could not find the third goal over the final 15:04.

Detroit had enough individual contributions to make the result uncomfortable for Winnipeg. Brandsegg-Nygård recorded an assist and six shots, Seider logged 25:41 with an assist from the back end, and Copp won 16 of 21 faceoffs. John Gibson gave up three goals on 27 shots for Detroit, but the larger damage had already been done by Winnipeg's efficiency on special teams.

Our take: special teams erased Detroit's statistical edge

This was the kind of game that shows how quickly a special-teams gap can overrule the rest of the numbers. Detroit generated more shots, delivered more hits and owned the faceoff circle, yet Winnipeg's power play was flawless in practical terms: three goals on four opportunities, accounting for every bit of its offence. Detroit's own power play went 1-for-5, and that difference was the scoreboard.

For the Jets, the encouraging part is obvious. Connor, Perfetti and Morrissey drove the scoring, with Connor finishing with two goals and an assist, Perfetti posting a goal and two assists, and Morrissey adding two assists while recording seven shots. When that group turns four power-play chances into three goals, Winnipeg can survive a lot of secondary issues.

Those secondary issues are worth noting, though. The Jets were charged with six penalties for 15 minutes and committed 19 giveaways, both numbers that helped Detroit stay within reach. If Winnipeg is looking for the clean version of this win, it still has work to do in limiting the extra opportunities it handed back.

Detroit's path forward is clearer than the final score might suggest. The Red Wings created enough pressure to threaten the result, but falling behind 2-0 in a span of 92 seconds and then conceding another early in the second left too much to recover. A better penalty kill would have changed the shape of the night immediately, and converting more than once on five power plays would have given their late push a stronger finish.

Scoring moments

1. 1st · 13:04

   Cole Perfetti Goal (1) Deflected, assists: Kyle Connor (2), Josh Morrissey (1)

2. 1st · 14:36

   Kyle Connor Goal (2) Backhand, assists: Gabriel Vilardi (2), Cole Perfetti (2)

3. 2nd · 5:41

   Kyle Connor Goal (3) Snap Shot, assists: Josh Morrissey (2), Cole Perfetti (3)

4. 2nd · 16:52

   Viktor Arvidsson Goal (1) Deflected, assists: Andrew Copp (1), Moritz Seider (1)

5. 3rd · 4:56

   Emmitt Finnie Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Michael Brandsegg-Nygård (1), Alex DeBrincat (1)