Neal Pionk and Alex Iafallo tallied in Winnipeg’s two-goal second period, and the red-hot Jets continued their dominance over the Eastern Conference, beating the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 on Tuesday night.
In sweeping the two-game season series from the Lightning, Winnipeg improved to 11-1-2 in its past 14 matches and stretched its season-long point streak to nine games (7-0-2).
The Jets are 10-0-3 against the Eastern Conference and are the only club that has not lost to that conference in regulation.
They won for the fourth straight time against Tampa Bay and fifth time in the past six games against the Lightning on home ice.
Nikolaj Ehlers scored and Morgan Barron potted his seventh into an empty net with 2:07 remaining. Vladislav Namestnikov registered three assists.
Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stopped 33 shots and won for the eighth time in his past 10 starts (8-0-2).
Nikita Kucherov had a goal and an assist and Steven Stamkos potted one. Victor Hedman had two helpers and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy made 24 saves.
With defensemen Erik Cernak and Haydn Fleury injured in Sunday’s win over the Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay iced just five skaters on the rear guard.
In the first period after Winnipeg’s Adam Lowry went off for high-sticking at 5:47, the Lightning’s deadly power play took over and produced the match’s first tally.
Kucherov and Hedman moved the puck over to the left side, where Stamkos ripped home his 16th goal at 6:18. It marked the captain’s seventh score on the man advantage.
After killing the remainder of a penalty to start the second, Tampa Bay could not prevent the Jets from scoring twice and taking their first lead as they turned up the pressure.
At 4:44, defensemen Brenden Dillon and Pionk worked a slick play that produced the first goal, as Pionk redirected Dillon’s shot from up top for his third tally.
Less than five minutes later, Iafallo notched his seventh marker at 9:13 when he found a puck in the slot and put the Jets ahead.
In the third period, Winnipeg went up 3-1 when Vasilevskiy had an easy clear but sent the puck a few feet ahead right to Namestnikov, who fed Ehlers for his 12th goal at 15:13.
Barron and Kucherov’s markers ended the scoring as the Lightning fell to 7-11-2 on the road and 4-7-1 against the Central Division.
–Field Level Media
