Jets regain first place in the Central with 4-2 win over Canadiens

Gabriel Vilardi and Kyle Connor each had a goal and an assist as the host Winnipeg Jets regained first place in the Central Division by doubling up on the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night 4-2.

Josh Morrissey had two assists. Adam Lowry and Vladislav Namestnikov also scored for Winnipeg, while Nino Niederreiter, Dylan DeMelo and Alex Iafallo added assists. Connor Hellebuyck made 26 stops for the Jets.

Lane Hutson and Josh Anderson scored goals for Montreal, with assists from Mike Matheson, Cole Caufield, Christian Dvorak and Brenden Gallagher. Sam Montembeault made 23 saves for the Canadiens.

Hutson sparked Montreal early, scoring his first NHL goal at 12:12 of the first period. Off a faceoff, he received a clean pass, moved in quickly and fired a shot from the dot, putting the puck past Hellebuyck.

Vilardi tied it on the game's first power play at 5:26 of the opening frame. Connor made a brilliant pass across the crease to Vilardi, who buried it while on one knee.

The Jets kept up the pressure when Niederreiter fed a backhand pass from behind the net to Lowry, who scored from in tight to make it 2-1 just 2:06 later.

Winnipeg capitalized again on the power play at 6:26 of the second period, taking a 3-1 lead when Connor fired the puck past Montembeault with two seconds left in the 5-on-3.

Montreal had a great chance to get a power-play goal of their own, but with 2:27 left in the second, Hellebuyck, sitting on the ice and without his stick, denied Patrik Laine by swatting the puck away with both hands.

The Habs came out strong in the third and cut the lead to one with 12:00 left. Anderson capitalized on a long rebound after a Winnipeg turnover in their zone.

Montreal couldn't find the equalizer, however, and Namestnikov iced the 4-2 result for Winnipeg after he picked up the puck at the blue line and rifled it into the empty net with seven seconds remaining.

--Field Level Media