The Winnipeg Jets squared off against the Pittsburgh Penguins Saturday afternoon at Canada Life Centre, looking to close out their two-game homestand with a third straight win before heading out west for six games in a row.

Gabe Vilardi had himself an excellent night Thursday against Chicago, racking up two goals and an assist, and he picked up right where he left off. Just 15 seconds into the contest, Vilardi opened the scoring for Winnipeg after picking up Josh Morrissey’s blocked shot at the side of the net and jamming it past Arturs Silovs.

Just over two minutes later, Brad Lambert, drawing into the lineup due to the injury to Gustav Nyquist, scored his first NHL goal. Parker Ford drove around the net and feathered a pass across the crease to Lambert, who tapped it in past Silovs to give the Jets an early 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

It only took 1:17 into the middle frame for Winnipeg to make it 3-0 when Jonathan Toews and Vlad Namestnikov broke in on a two-on-two rush. Toews stretched a pass across to Namestnikov, who redirected it home for his sixth of the season.

Later in the period, Kyle Connor was awarded a penalty shot after Silovs tripped him up on a shorthanded breakaway. Connor showed off some elite puck-handling skills and buried it past the Penguins’ netminder to extend the Jets’ lead to 4-0.

Pittsburgh spoiled Eric Comrie’s shutout late in the second on the power play when Erik Karlsson’s point shot deflected off Sidney Crosby and in.

Halfway through the third, Blake Lizotte cut the deficit in half by driving to the net and sneaking one past Comrie.

Connor sealed it with his second of the night, an empty-netter, as the Jets took down Pittsburgh 5-2 to improve to 9-3-0 on the season. Comrie finished with 28 saves in the win.

Winnipeg now heads west for a six-game road trip with stops in Los Angeles, San Jose, Anaheim, Vancouver, Seattle, and Calgary. The trip begins Tuesday night against the Kings, with puck drop set for 9:30 p.m. CST on TSN3.