The Associated Press
Allan Kreda
NEW YORK–The well-rested and high-scoring Winnipeg Jets took advantage of a N.Y. Islanders team that looked tired last night.
Bryan Little scored twice, and Connor Hellebuyck made 27 saves, as the Jets doubled the Islanders 4-2 to snap a four-game skid.
Mathieu Perreault and Adam Lowry also scored for the Jets, who had their game Tuesday in Newark, N.J. against the Devils postponed because of a snowstorm.
Little scored twice in the first period after Islanders’ defenceman Adam Pelech had opened the scoring just 38 seconds in.
Perreault and Lowry each scored in the second.
“Sometimes the puck just comes to you,” said Little, who reached the 20-goal mark for the fifth time in his 10-year career.
“My linemates did a really good job of getting pucks to me,” he added.
“It’s nice to help the team win games.”
The Jets came into the game 0-3-1 in their last four and 2-8-2 against Metropolitan Division opponents this season.
Winnipeg also had lost four-straight to the Islanders.
But after Pelech scored his second goal of the season on a floating shot that eluded Hellebuyck, the Islanders couldn’t capitalize on momentum generated by their 3-2 comeback win in overtime at Carolina on Tuesday a night after they lost 8-4 at home to the Hurricanes.
“We didn’t execute well and they [the Jets] are a dangerous team,” said Islanders’ captain John Tavares, who assisted on Pelech’s goal.
“We dug ourselves a hole,” he noted.
“It’s hard to do that game in and game out this time of year.”
Little tied it at 9:22 after Nikolaj Ehlers’ shot hit the post to the right of goalie Thomas Greiss.
Little was there to tap in the rebound.
He scored again on the power play at 18:35. After Tavares overskated the puck, Jets’ forward Nic Petan recovered it and passed to Little, who rifled the puck past Greiss.
The home team’s play was uninspired to start the second and the Jets took advantage when Perreault made it 3-1 at 3:24.
Lowry increased the lead to 4-1 with his 12th goal of the season at 11:31.
The Jets dominated the middle period, outshooting the Islanders 13-8 as the Barclays Center crowd of 13,700 grew restless and began booing the home team, which was playing their third game in four nights following a nine-game trip.
“We looked like a team that practiced twice in the last 25 days,” said Islanders’ coach Doug Weight.
“Our structure wasn’t good.”
Early in the third, Islanders’ forward Anders Lee scored his career-high 26th goal at 1:02–sweeping the puck past Hellebuyck from the slot to narrow the deficit to 4-2.
But Hellebuyck held his ground the rest of the way for his 23rd win of the season.
The Jets are well outside of a playoff spot in the Western Conference but Hellebuyck remains confident.
“We played the right way tonight,” the netminder said.
“We’re not giving up,” he vowed. “We’re going to take this thing as far as we can.”
With 12 games remaining, the Islanders (33-26-11) are battling Toronto and Tampa Bay in a tight race for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.
The Maple Leafs blanked the Lightning 5-0 last night to retake the last post-season slot by one point over the Islanders and Tampa Bay.
Elsewhere in the NHL, Chicago edged Ottawa 2-1, Dallas doubled Vancouver 4-2, Edmonton dumped Boston 7-4, and Carolina beat Minnesota 3-1.
Nashville nipped Washington 2-1 (OT), New Jersey dumped Philadelphia 6-2, Columbus shaded Florida 2-1, Detroit topped Arizona 5-4 (SO), St. Louis beat San Jose 4-1, and L.A. blanked Buffalo 2-0.
