Three things - Lowry line takes over in third

WINNIPEG – The Winnipeg Jets closed out their four game homestand with a 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Jets joined the Rangers as the second team with 24 goals through their first five games of the season. Winnipeg remains the only unbeaten team in the NHL at 5-0. The Jets got goals from Vladislav Namestnikov, Adam Lowry, Mason Appleton, Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Nino Niederreiter. Eric Comrie stopped 38 shots in his Jets season debut. Winnipeg will now head out on a three-game road trip that starts Tuesday in St. Louis.

BIG DAY FOR LITTLE

Before this afternoon’s game against the Penguins, the Jets had a special ceremony for Bryan Little who signed a one-day contract so that he can retire as a Jet. He ranks in the top five in franchise history in games played (2nd: 843), goals (5th: 217), assists (3rd: 304), and points (4th: 521). Little also holds the distinction as the first member of Jets 2.0 to score a hat trick. Little joined the team when they came out on the ice before the opening faceoff in a nice gesture from the organization.

“He was happy, his family was super happy. Anytime you can honour someone the way we did it I thought was top notch,” said Mason Appleton.

“Litts doesn’t know everyone in this room, but we did our best to make him feel like he was at home. We can’t say enough about who he was as a person, he was a great pro here for a long time.”

EHLERS WAKES UP JETS

The Jets got off to a slow start in the second period allowing back-to-back goals to Kevin Hayes (1:30) and Lars Eller (5:21) to fall behind 2-0. But during a delayed penalty, Nikolaj Ehlers spotted Kyle Connor in the slot and Connor’s fourth of the season woke up the Jets. Just over five and half minutes later, Mark Scheifele would score off a Colin Miller rebound to tie it at two. Ehlers would go back to work stealing the puck from Lars Eller and spotting Vladislav Namestnikov who gave the Jets the lead for the first time at 3-2 heading into the final period.

LOWRY LINE GOES TO WORK IN THIRD

With the game tied at three in the third, Adam Lowry’s line went to work. Just over four minutes into the period, Lowry would win an offensive zone faceoff and head to the net and tap in a seeing eye pass from Mason Appleton for a 4-3 Jets lead. Appleton scored the insurance goal 3:21 later, Appleton tried to hit Neal Pionk as the Jets defenceman went to the net, but his pass went off a Penguins stick and in. Niederreiter scored an empty net goal to round out the scoring.

“It’s awesome. They know how to grind and grind and grind and they know how to put the puck in the back of the net as well,” said Eric Comrie.

“But once again, it’s all four lines doing what coach tells them. It’s just line after line after line and I don’t think people understand just how special that is.”