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Sports

Jets host Islanders

By Sports Network
Published | Updated

The Winnipeg Jets will shoot for a third straight victory on Sunday when they welcome the New York Islanders for a battle at MTS Centre.

The Jets are 2-1-1 on the season after registering a pair of 4-2 victories this week against Washington and Pittsburgh.

Another victory on Sunday would give Winnipeg its first three-game winning streak since Feb. 16-19 of last season, the franchise's first since relocating from Atlanta.

The Jets fell behind Pittsburgh 2-0 in the first period on Friday, but then scored four unanswered goals to pick up the two points. Andrew Ladd's wrister capped a three-goal second period, which also featured markers from Evander Kane and Dustin Byfuglien.

Blake Wheeler added an empty-netter late in the third, while Ondrej Pavelec turned away 33 shots in the triumph.

The victory improved the Jets to 1-1-0 as the host after the club lost its home opener to Ottawa.

"When you're at home you start getting the crowd behind you and it becomes an extra player for you," Jets coach Claude Noel said of his team earning their first home win. "They were right into the game."

The Islanders, who are playing the third tilt of a five-game road trip on Sunday, won three of four meetings with the Jets in 2011-12. New York went 2-0 in Winnipeg, giving the club victories in three straight and five of the last seven games on the road versus the Jets/Thrashers franchise.

New York is 1-1-0 on its road trip so far and is coming off Friday's setback in Boston. The score was tied at 2-2 heading into the third period but the Bruins received goals from Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron in the final stanza to lift them to the 4-2 decision.

Keith Aucoin potted both goals for the Islanders, who couldn't sustain the momentum following a 7-4 win in Toronto on Thursday.

Making his first start since Dec. 3, 2011, oft-injured Isles goaltender Rick DiPietro allowed four goals on 27 shots.

"I felt good," DiPietro remarked. "I was excited. I think I hate losing more than I like winning. This is not the result I was looking for."

The Islanders are expected to go back to Evgeni Nabokov as the starting goaltender on Sunday.