Hellebuyck makes 43 saves, Jets defeat Wild

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Connor Hellebuyck made 43 saves for the Winnipeg Jets in a 4-1 win against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center on Monday.

"I thought they did everything they could,” Hellebuyck said of the Wild. “I thought the guys in front of me ... we were feeling out our game a little bit and making a few mistakes. Not getting the puck deep enough. We righted our wrong in that third period and were just phenomenal. We got right back to our game. You've got to give credit to [the Wild]. They played a hard game, and they threw everything on net and created a bunch of rebounds, and that's why the shot total got so high."

Alex Iafallo scored twice, and Neal Pionk had two assists for the Jets (18-4-0), who have won three of their past four.

“In the first period, it felt more like a feeling-out (process),” Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said. “They probably had the upper hand. In the second, I thought we started to get going. … They were going to get some looks, but I thought we did a good job of every time we got the puck below the goal line, our offense got going and we got some zone time. That game was a heavy-lifting game for everybody. It was hard off of rushes to get clear chances or real opportunities that way. I like the way the guys kind of felt that if they get the puck down low, we went to work from there.”

Jake Middleton scored for the Wild (13-4-4), who have lost two in a row. Filip Gustavsson made 28 saves.

“I think there’s more good than bad out of the game, but you’ve got to take lessons out of everything,” Minnesota coach John Hynes said. “Each game is an opportunity to test yourself in different situations. I thought we did lots of good things. There’s some things we can grow from the game. We’ve got a lot of hockey this week, too, so we’ve got to put this one behind us.”

Middleton gave Minnesota a 1-0 lead at 8:37 of the first period when he one-timed a rebound from the left side.

Iafallo responded to tie it 1-1 at 10:03 with a low backhand from the left face-off circle after Rasmus Kupari won the puck in the corner and fed him.

Minnesota outshot Winnipeg 22-7 in the period.

“Yeah, disappointing. But we threw a lot at him,” Middleton said of Hellebuyck. “That was probably the best first period we played all year, as far as not giving up shot opportunities and funneling pucks to the net. Tip your cap to Connor. He played really well, but we didn't play the same game in the third (outshot 12-5).”

Nino Niederreiter put the Jets ahead 2-1 at 12:05 of the second period. Wild forward Joel Eriksson Ek passed ahead to Middleton for an odd-man rush, but Middleton fanned on the close-range shot, resulting in a Winnipeg rush. Niederreiter then took a pass from Pionk before going forehand to backhand and scoring with a high backhand.

Iafallo extended the lead to 3-1 on the power play at 13:20 of the third period with his second of the game, tipping a Pionk point shot. It was Iafallo’s 100th NHL goal.

“I barely touched it,” Iafallo said. “That's a great shot from up top, because we're just talking about getting pucks to the net on power play right there, especially at the end. We need a goal to keep the momentum going. So, Neal had a great, good break in from the start there. And Neal just had a great shot. So like I said, barely tipped it there.”

Adam Lowry scored into an empty net at 18:57 for the 4-1 final.

“Yeah, it's a big, big step, but obviously we’ve got to work on some things,” Iafallo said. “But going forward, I think it's a big win for us, and especially on the road. Finishing off that third period is huge for us. And building that momentum of hard plays and doing it right to the end.”

NOTES: Hellebuyck (15-2-0) tied the NHL record for fewest games to reach 15 wins. Three other goalies have had that many wins in their first 17 games: Evgeni Nabokov (San Jose Sharks, 2008-09), Brent Johnson (St. Louis Blues, 2001-02) and Tiny Thompson (Boston Bruins, 1929-30). … The Jets have won seven straight games against the Wild dating to April 11, 2023, their second-longest active streak against an opponent (8-0-0 against Anaheim Ducks). … Winnipeg defenseman Ville Heinola had two shots on goal and one hit in 12:14 of ice time in his first NHL game since Jan. 19, 2023. In September, he had ankle surgery for the second time in less than a year. … Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov had five shots and was minus-1 in 23:08 after missing one game with a lower-body injury. … Minnesota forward Jakub Lauko (lower body) left the game in the third period. There was no update.