Winnipeg Jets' Kyle Connor (81) scores on Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) during second period NHL pre-season game action in Winnipeg on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods
WINNIPEG – Neal Pionk produced a goal and three assists to lead the Jets to a 6-1 whipping of the Edmonton Oilers in an NHL pre-season game at the Canada Life Centre on Wednesday night.
Adam Lowry, Brad Lambert, Colin Miller, Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers also scored for Winnipeg (1-1-1).
Connor Brown replied for Edmonton (1-3-0).
Kaapo Kahkonen made 26 saves on 27 shot shots for Winnipeg, which recorded its first win of the pre-season.
Stuart Skinner, in his first start of the pre-season, stopped 23 of 27 shots for Edmonton before being replaced by Collin Delia to start the third. Delia stopped eight of 10 shots.
Brown deflected a point shot by Noel Hoefenmayer with 3:28 left in the game. Noah Philp also assisted.
Lowry scored a short-handed goal midway through the third period to give the Jets a commanding 5-0 lead. Lowry blocked an attempted Delia pass, then skated around the net and potted the puck past a diving Delia for an unassisted marker.
Lambert greeted Delia by beating him with a wrist shot on the power play just 1:13 into the third. Pionk and Miller assisted.
Winnipeg extended its lead to 4-0 when Rasmus Kupari sent Pionk towards the net. Pionk then beat Skinner on a screened backhand shot late in the second.
The Jets upped the score to 3-0 on the power play midway through the middle frame. With Brett Kulak off for slashing, Miller whipped a wrist shot past Skinner from the point. Pionk and Brad Lambert had the helpers.
Winnipeg took a 2-0 lead early in the second period. Mark Scheifele sent Connor in alone on a breakaway from the blue line. The speedster deked Skinner, then beat him with a backhand shot. Pionk also assisted.
Kahkonen made a couple of solid saves to open the middle frame, stopping a sharp shot from Sam O’Reilly and a snap shot by Seth Griffith.
Winnipeg outshot Edmonton 27-13 through the first two periods.
The Jets opened the scoring midway through the first period. Ehlers finished off a pretty, tick-tack-toe passing play with Vladislav Namestnikov.
Earlier, Skinner had to be sharp when Gabriel Vilardi stickhandled his way to the front of the net and attempted to slide the puck past him.
Kahkonen stopped Brown when he deked his way to the front of the net and tried to slip the puck past him.
Winnipeg outshot the Oilers 12-8 in the opening period.
Vilardi took a blatant high stick to the chin from Ty Emberson, which the officials ignored.
NOTES: Defenceman Simon Lundmark was a last-minute replacement for Logan Stanley “¦ The Oilers left superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl at home as the Jets dressed a star-laden lineup.
NEXT UP
Jets: Visit Minneapolis to face the Wild on Friday.
Oilers: Return home to host the Seattle Kraken on Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 25, 2024.
