Stuart Skinner held the crease through Detroit’s late push, turning aside 33 shots in the Winnipeg Jets’ 3-2 win over the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday. Kyle Connor supplied both power-play finishes, while Cole Perfetti reached 100 NHL assists during a three-point afternoon.
Winnipeg moved to 1-0-1 after opening the season with an overtime loss to the Boston Bruins. Detroit remained without a win at 0-2-0 despite pulling within a goal early in the third period.
After the horn
The Jets built their margin with two man-advantage goals only 1:32 apart in the first period.
Perfetti opened the scoring at 13:04 when a puck deflected off Red Wings defenseman Justin Faulk in the slot, caught Perfetti and floated over goaltender John Gibson. Connor followed at 14:36, taking Gabe Vilardi’s feed above the right face-off circle before driving the net and lifting a backhand over Gibson’s left shoulder.
Perfetti collected the second assist on Connor’s first goal, giving him his 100th NHL helper.
Connor struck again on the power play at 5:41 of the second. Gibson stopped Josh Morrissey’s slap shot, but the rebound came to Connor near the right circle and he buried it for a 3-0 lead.
Detroit got its power play working later in the middle frame. Viktor Arvidsson scored his first Red Wings goal at 16:52, with Andrew Copp sending the puck to the crease and Arvidsson redirecting it into the net off his left skate.
Emmitt Finnie made it a one-goal game at 4:56 of the third period. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard worked the puck from behind the net to Finnie, who tapped it past a scrambling Skinner.
The Red Wings made their final push with Gibson on the bench for an extra skater. Skinner denied Lucas Raymond twice from close range with 26 seconds left, preserving Winnipeg’s first victory.
| Team | Score | Goaltender | Key contributors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winnipeg Jets | 3 | Stuart Skinner, 33 saves | Kyle Connor: 2 goals, 1 assist; Cole Perfetti: 1 goal, 2 assists |
| Detroit Red Wings | 2 | John Gibson, 24 saves | Viktor Arvidsson: 1 goal; Emmitt Finnie: 1 goal |
Skinner earned the win in his second start for Winnipeg. The 27-year-old signed a two-year contract worth $7.5 million on July 1, carrying a $3.75 million annual cap hit.
