Laine scores 2 on power play, Jets beat Stars 4-1
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) - When Patrik Laine was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets this summer, he knew the team's power play had finished at the bottom of the NHL last season.
The 18-year-old forward wanted to help - and he has in a big way.
Laine scored twice on the power play to help the Jets beat the Dallas Stars 4-1 on Thursday night.
"When I came here, they had the worst power play last year so I thought that I could bring something to the power play," Laine said. "And now I've got a couple goals on the power play. Those are important goals for these games. I'm just trying to help my team to win."
Laine has four of Winnipeg's five power-play goals through seven games. He has six goals overall - tying him for the league lead with a number of players, including fellow rookie Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"We've played only seven games, but it's nice that I've got those goals and helped my team to win with those games," Laine said.
Jets coach Paul Maurice said Laine doesn't show much emotion when he scores because the sniper is used to it.
"He's a spectacular shooter," Maurice said. "He's a really humble person. It's important to him that he portrays himself like that. ... He's probably not going to be throwing a parade for himself after he scores a couple of goals. He has that expectation."
Defenseman Tyler Myers got the Jets on the scoreboard 15 seconds into the game and rookie Kyle Connor got his first NHL goal. Connor Hellebuyck had 38 saves.
Winnipeg, which lost at Dallas in the opener of the home-and-home on Tuesday, has scored five power-play goals this season, with the 18-year-old Laine getting four.
With Dallas trailing 3-0, Tyler Seguin scored his fourth of the season 33 seconds into in the third period.
"I'm not going to sit here and say they were completely outskating us or completely out-battling us," Seguin said. "I thought we could have made some smarter choices. But we lost. We're going to move on and get ready for Saturday night (against Minnesota)."
Antti Niemi stopped 32 shots for the Stars.
Winnipeg was 2 for 7 on the power play and Dallas went 1 for 6.
Stars head coach Lindy Ruff said special teams was the difference.
"Five-on-five, we probably had the edge in the chances, but special teams, they generated a lot of energy and a couple goals," Ruff said. "We got off to a tough start with that shot going in, but I thought our work ethic inside the game was good."
Winnipeg got off to a fast start and outshot Dallas 22-13 in the opening period. In the opening minute, Myers took advantage of a loose puck bouncing off the boards in the Dallas end to fire a one-timer from the point past Niemi.
Both teams then took turns on the power play, but neither capitalized.
Dallas had a two-man advantage for 1:16, then the Jets got on the power play and fired eight shots on Niemi in just over 1 1/2 minutes.
Nikolaj Ehlers and Connor then went down the ice on a 2-on-1 at even strength, with Ehlers passing the puck across the ice for Connor's high shot to double the lead with 3:48 left in the first.
"Nicky made a great pass over and I just tried to get it upstairs," Connor said. "It's definitely a special feeling. You work so hard to get to this point and to get rewarded like that feels good."
Connor, who was a healthy scratch in Tuesday's loss, was playing his sixth game of the season.
Laine's fifth of the season at 4:30 of the second made it 3-0 just 8 seconds after Stars defenseman John Klingberg was sent off for hooking.
Seconds after Seguin's goal, Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien crashed into the boards after getting tangled up with Stars forward Antoine Roussel, but only went to the dressing room for a few minutes.
Laine scored his second of the game with 6 seconds left in a two-man advantage on a shot into the left side of the net that made it 4-1 at 10:17.
NOTES: The Jets had gone into the game only holding a lead for a total 17:02 in their first six games. ... Laine's second-period goal marked the first time this season Winnipeg held a three-goal lead, and the first time the Jets hadn't trailed going into the third.
UP NEXT
Stars: At Minnesota on Saturday night in the middle game of a three-game trip.
Jets: At Colorado on Friday night in the back end of their first of 14 back-to-backs this season.