Connor's power-play goal helps Jets top Kings in home opener

WINNIPEG -- Kyle Connor broke a tie with a power-play goal in the second period to help the Winnipeg Jets to a 2-1 win against the Los Angeles Kings at Bell MTS Place on Tuesday.

Connor scored at 10:21 after Blake Wheeler's pass was intercepted by Alec Martinez but trickled under Jack Campbell, which allowed Connor to push the puck over the line and give the Jets a 2-1 lead.
"It's a play we've done before," Connor said. "I think I had a good chance in St. Louis (last Thursday), popping back door. It's just another look for us, rather than just kind of stagnant down low by the post."
WATCH: [All Kings vs. Jets highlights]
Connor has four points (three goals, one assist) in a three-game point streak.
Mark Scheifele also scored for the Jets, and Connor Hellebuyck made 16 saves.
"That's kind of the game we want to play," Wheeler said. "Quick transition and try to spend as much time in the other end as we can."

Ilya Kovalchuk scored his first goal with the Kings. Campbell made 37 saves in his second straight start after Jonathan Quick sustained a lower-body injury during practice on Saturday.
"I thought the third period, we started to play on our toes a little more and we were able to generate a little more of an attack," Kings coach John Stevens said. "But prior to that [we] totally played the game on our heels, backing up retreating instead of getting after it."
Kovalchuk made it 1-0 at 6:26 of the first period when he redirected Drew Doughty's cross-ice pass.
"I prefer to win than score goals," Kovalchuk said. "It wasn't enough, so we will be better next game."

Scheifele tied the game with his first of the season at 10:59, a one-timer off a centering pass by Brandon Tanev.
"Just a good job by him in the corner and (Josh) Morrissey giving me that puck, just kind of spun off and saw him out of the corner of my eye and he made a great finish on the play," Tanev said.

They said it

"We got to play the way we played the third period the full 60 minutes. And our power play, as soon as we can click on the power play, we will be a much better team for sure." -- Kings forward Ilya Kovalchuk
"Up until parts of the third, what we were very good at was our gap in the neutral zone. It was really strong; I think they dumped 15 pucks in the first period. That's a really high number. We didn't give them many opportunities to do anything else with the puck other than dump it. I believe we got 14 of the 15 back and had a good breakout. Our gap was right, which means the puck shouldn't really able to get through you in the middle and it has to be worked to the outside." -- Jets coach Paul Maurice

Need to know

Kings forward Alex Iafallo has four points (two goals, two assists) in a three-game point streak. … Wheeler has three points (one goal, two assists) in his past three games.

What's next

Kings: At the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; TSN2, RDS, FS-W, NHL.TV)
Jets: At the Nashville Predators on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; FS-TN, TSN3, NHL.TV)