Winnipeg Jets' Bryan Little fires the puck past Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Louis Domingue during the third period in Winnipeg, on Jan. 30, 2018.Trevor Hagan/The Canadian Press
Michael Hutchinson made 23 saves in his first NHL start of the season to help the Winnipeg Jets defeat the league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1 on Tuesday.
Patrik Laine scored his team-leading 23rd goal of the season for the Jets (30-13-8). Kyle Connor and Bryan Little also scored and Blake Wheeler supplied a pair of assists.
Rookie forward Matthew Peca scored for Tampa Bay (34-13-3), which had its three-game winning streak snapped.
Both teams let their starting goaltenders – ranked first and second in the NHL for wins – have a night off after they took part in last weekend's all-star festivities and game in Tampa Bay.
Hutchinson was replacing Connor Hellebuyck after his own all-star appearance, but in the AHL marquee game Monday in Utica, N.Y. Hutchinson had been sent to the Manitoba Moose after the Jets' training camp and admitted after his recent recall that he was upset with the move.
Louis Domingue was playing his 10th game of the season in place of league-leading goalie Andrei Vasilevsky and stopped 34 shots.
The game marked the first of 10 straight home games for the Jets, who have now won seven straight at Bell MTS Place (18-3-1).
The Lightning had a welcome addition to the roster with defenceman Victor Hedman back for his first game since injuring a knee on Jan. 11. He was expected to miss three to six weeks and had sat out five games.
The Jets were starting a stretch without defenceman Jacob Trouba, who's out six to eight weeks with an ankle injury.
Playing his fourth NHL game this season, Peca took a slick pass from Brayden Point and put a shot past Hutchinson with 29 seconds left in the first period. Peca had been invited to the AHL all-star game, but decided not to go. He was called up from Syracuse on Jan. 21 for the first time this season after playing 10 games with the Lightning last year.
Winnipeg got a two-man advantage early in the second after Lightning defenceman Braydon Coburn went off for tripping at 2:43 and teammate Chris Kunitz followed with a delay of game 12 seconds later.
Wheeler sent a cross-ice pass to Laine in the middle of the face-off circle 35 seconds later and he ripped a high shot past Domingue at 3:30 to even it up 1-1. It was his 12th power-play goal of the season.
Eight seconds after another Winnipeg power play was over, Connor scored his 16th when he jammed the puck in during a scramble in front of the net at 8:35.
Little's goal off a rebound with 5:25 left in the third had the crowd roaring. Tampa Bay soon went on a power play, but Alex Killorn rang a shot off the post.
The Jets hosts Vegas on Thursday and the Lightning travel to Calgary for a game the same day.