Winnipeg Jets' Patrik Laine (29) celebrates his go ahead goal as Minnesota Wild's Matt Dumba (24) skates by during second period NHL action in Winnipeg.JOHN WOODS/The Canadian Press
Patrik Laine scored twice and added a pair of assists as the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Minnesota Wild 5-2 on Thursday.
Laine set up Kyle Connor’s third-period goal that broke a 2-2 tie, giving the Finnish shooter the lead in team points with 10 off three goals and seven assists.
Jack Roslovic scored 28 seconds after Laine and then Laine finished it off with an empty-net goal. Blake Wheeler recorded a goal and one assist and Mark Scheifele contributed a pair of assists.
Connor Hellebuyck made 38 saves for the Jets (3-2-0) in the team’s home opener after it started the season with a four-game road trip.
Ryan Hartman and Brad Hunt scored for the Wild (0-3-0), which hasn’t opened a season with three straight losses since the expansion franchise started playing in 2000-01.
Devan Dubnyk stopped 27 of the 31 shots he faced for Minnesota, ending a streak of six straight regular-season wins over the Jets, including five last season.
Minnesota led 1-0 after the first period and the Jets held a 2-1 lead after two.
The Wild had tied it 2-2 with Hunt’s high shot through traffic in front of Hellebuyck at 3:09 of the third.
Hartman opened scoring with his first goal of the season at 13:08 of the first period after he tripped up Jets rookie defenceman Ville Heinola, who lost the puck near the slot.
Winnipeg has given up the first goal in all five of its games this season.
Wheeler evened the score at 1:37 of the second period with his third goal of the season. Scheifele battled for the puck along the boards behind the net and fed a pass to Wheeler out in front.
Wheeler’s goal marked the 700th point of his NHL career (865 games). The crowd at Bell MTS Place recognized the milestone with loud cheering and applause.
Scheifele set up Laine for his second goal of the season with a cross-ice pass he one-timed past Dubnyk at 9:10 for the 2-1 lead. Wheeler had the second helper.
Minnesota led 31-22 in shots on goal after the middle period.
The goals by Connor and Roslovic were scored during four-on-four play. Connor broke the tie at 8:47 with a low shot and Roslovic used a rebound to beat Dubynk at 9:15.
Laine scored his third goal of the season into an empty net with 2:19 left.
Winnipeg’s patchwork defensive corps had Josh Morrissey back after he missed two games with an upper-body injury. Veteran blue-liner Dmitry Kulikov also played after skipping the last game for the birth of his second child.
The Jets travel to Chicago for a game Saturday. Minnesota returns home after a season-opening three road games and hosts Pittsburgh Saturday.