Stars beat Jets 4-1 as coach Bowness sits out
DALLAS (AP) — Jani Hakanpaa and Joel Kiviranta scored during a frenzied two-minute span in the second period, and the Dallas Stars went on to a 4-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets, who were still without new coach Rick Bowness on Monday night.
Hakanpaa got his first goal of the the season on a nearly 60-foot shot from the top of the right circle with 4:22 left in the second, putting the Stars up 2-1 right after they failed to score on a power play.
Not long after that, Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck wasn’t able to corral a long shot by Nils Lundkvist but still denied Kiviranta shooting from right in front. Kiviranta wound up falling down, but got up and backed out of the crease while the Stars maintained control. He then made a one-timer from the right circle on a cross-ice pass from Esa Lindell.
A positive COVID-19 test right before the Jets’ season opener Friday has kept the 67-year-old Bowness out of their first two games, including the trip to Dallas to face the team he led to the 2020 Stanley Cup Final and took back to the playoffs last season.