Blake Wheeler finally scored his first goal of the season Thursday night and figured his wife might have been even happier about it than he was.
''She's heard all about it, but she's been good,'' Wheeler said after helping the Winnipeg Jets to a 4-1 win over the Washington Capitals. ''I'm sure she's excited just to have something else to talk about.''
Evander Kane scored twice and Kyle Wellwood had the other goal for Winnipeg, which recorded back-to-back wins in regulation for the first time this season.
Alexander Semin scored for the Capitals, who have dropped two straight. They lost 3-1 to Nashville on Tuesday.
Semin got the game's first goal when he scored his fourth of the season after pausing in stride before firing a shot past goalie Ondrej Pavelec at 3:53 of the first period.
Pavelec, making his 11th straight start for Winnipeg, turned away 31 shots.
Capitals goalie Michal Neuvirth allowed four goals on 31 shots. He was replaced by Tomas Vokoun for 41 seconds in the second period, but Vokoun didn't face a shot.
Washington coach Bruce Boudreau said he changed goalies briefly to try to slow the Jets' momentum and quiet the fans.
''The best way to stop a crowd from cheering is not making stupid mistakes in your own zone and giving them opportunities to score,'' Boudreau said.
Winnipeg went 2 for 5 on the power play. Washington was 0 for 5, including a two-man advantage for 1:01 late in the second period.
''That can make or break a game,'' Kane said. ''It was great to get some power-play goals and start to execute.''
Kane, who has a team-high eight goals, said the back-to-back wins against Southeast Division rivals should boost Winnipeg's confidence. The Jets beat Tampa Bay 5-2 on Monday.
''I think guys are starting to get a little more involved, starting to get their bounces,'' Kane said. ''It's good to see.''
Kane scored his first goal at 7:51 of the first period on a close wrist shot that beat Neuvirth.
Three goals in the second period by the Jets vaulted them to a 4-1 lead.
Kane made it 2-1 at 6:38 with his team-high eighth of the season before back-to-back goals on the power play less than 3 minutes apart stretched Winnipeg's lead.
Wheeler started it off with his first goal of the season at 8:31 and Wellwood followed with his sixth at 10:54.
''I thought the first 5 minutes was OK ... but then every chance they got we gave them,'' Boudreau said. ''It started to unravel from there.''
Washington had a two-man advantage for 1:01 late in the second period, but the Jets killed it off.
Notes: Jets captain Andrew Ladd and defenseman Dustin Byfuglien both played their 100th game for the Winnipeg/Atlanta franchise. ... Spotted in the crowd was ''Wheel of Fortune'' host Pat Sajak.
