Pominville, Niederreiter Lift Wild Over Jets 4-2
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Jason Pominville and Nino Niederreiter each scored twice and the Minnesota Wild hung on for a 4-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night.
Pominville also had two assists, and Charlie Coyle added three assists. Niederreiter's second goal was an empty-netter.
Devan Dubnyk made 38 saves for the Western Conference-leading Wild, and Minnesota finished its road trip 3-1-0.
Joel Armia had a goal and assist and Bryan Little scored his 15th goal of the season for Winnipeg.
Ondrej Pavelec went to the dressing room just over six minutes into the second period after stopping 11 of 14 shots. The Jets announced he wasn't returning because of a lower-body injury. Connor Hellebuyck made 10 saves in relief for the Jets, who began a four-game homestand.
Minnesota forward Mikael Granlund's franchise-record 12-game point streak ended. He had five goals and 12 assists during the span, which had been the NHL's longest current point streak.
Granlund had a penalty shot early in the third but tripped over Hellebuyck while trying to go to the backhand. He was awarded the shot after defenseman Dustin Byfuglien pushed a loose stick on the ice toward Granlund when he had the puck in Winnipeg's end.
The Wild led 2-0 after the first period and 3-2 following the second.
After teammate Jason Zucker sent the puck over an open net, Niederreiter got the Wild on the board at 11:51 of the first when Pavelec couldn't make a quick glove save to stop Niederreiter's 16th goal of the season.
With 41 seconds left in the period, Jets rookie Patrik Laine turned the puck over in the neutral zone, and Pominville shot past Pavelec for the 2-0 lead.
Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice started changing most of his lines in the second. It didn't work at first, as Pominville netted his 10th goal of the season at 2:33 and Coyle picked up his 28th assist.
Three minutes later, Little scored with a backhand shot after a scramble to find the puck in front of Dubnyk.
Shortly after Little's goal, Pavelec left the ice and went to the dressing room.
Armia's high wrist shot on Dubnyk's glove side squeezed the score 3-2 at 16:42, with the Jets finishing the middle frame with a 29-17 advantage for shots on goal.
Both netminders made some close saves in goal-mouth scrambles late in the third.
Niederreiter's 17th goal was an empty-netter with 1:19 left.
NOTES: Earlier in the day, the Jets announced veteran D Tyler Myers, who's missed 44 games this season, including the past 39 with lower-body injuries, had surgery for a different lower-body injury Monday and is out an additional six to eight weeks.
UP NEXT
Wild: Host Chicago to begin an eight-game homestand that runs through Jan. 27.
Jets: Host Chicago on Friday night.
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