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John Gibson kept up his hot December with 24 saves, Dylan Larkin and Mason Appleton scored goals, and the Detroit Red Wings beat the slumping Winnipeg Jets 2-1 on Wednesday night.
Gibson won for the ninth time in 10 starts as the Red Wings finished December with a 11-3-1 record.
The Jets lost their seventh straight game (0-4-3) on a night where Connor Hellebuyck made 17 saves.
Logan Stanley scored the lone goal for Winnipeg, which sits in the NHL’s basement with just 34 points.
The Red Wings took a 1-0 lead at 8:22 of the first period when Larkin ripped a shot through traffic over Hellebuyck’s glove while on the power play. Larkin and Hellebuyck, who grew up a few miles apart in Detroit’s western suburbs, are expected to be teammates on Team USA in the upcoming Olympics in Italy.
Appleton put the Red Wings ahead 2-0 with 5:12 left in the first, finishing off a two-on-one break with J.T. Compher. Hellebuyck made the initial save, but defenseman Luke Schenn knocked the puck into the net while trying to clear the crease.
Winnipeg Jets winger Kyle Connor, left, brings the puck up the ice against Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker during the first period of Wednesday’s game. (Duane Burleson/The Associated Press)
Gustav Nyquist nearly made it 2-1 late in the second period against his former team, but hit the crossbar from a sharp angle.
Stanley made it 2-1 at 7:04 of the third with a shot along the ice that seemed to fool Gibson.
The Jets will look to start the new year on a high as they continue their road trip Thursday in Toronto.