Al Montoya earns shutout with 24 saves as Winnipeg beats New Jersey 3-0

WINNIPEG – Al Montoya stopped all 24 shots he faced and Evander Kane scored twice as the Winnipeg Jets beat the New Jersey Devils 3-0 on Sunday night.

Andrew Ladd added a goal in the final minute for the Jets as they snapped a three-game losing streak to get back to .500. The Devils are now winless in six games to open the season.

Montoya was making his first start of the season for the Jets, and made his case for more playing time. The veteran was rarely under siege, but controlled rebounds well and showed poise handling the puck.

Kane opened the scoring for Winnipeg (3-3-0) early in the second period when he carried the puck the length of the ice and banked it off the leg of Devils defenceman Andy Greene and past goalie Cory Schneider.

The goal came after a two-man advantage for New Jersey (0-3-3) that couldn’t beat Montoya on four shots.

Kane later added an empty-net goal with 57 seconds remaining for his third of the season.

Kane played alongside Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler on the Jets’ top line for the first time this season as coach Claude Noel decided to juggle his roster after three straight poor showings.

Schneider, who made 32 saves, wasn’t challenged often. His best stop came on a short-handed breakaway by Kane in the third period to keep his team within a goal.

Montoya’s best stop came in the second period, when he stopped Patrik Elias point blank after a turnover in the neutral zone.

The backup goalie rarely had to deal with traffic in his crease as the Jets defended their territory and frustrated the Devils.

Montoya started only five games in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season as No. 1 netminder Ondrej Pavelec was near the top of the league in games played and shots faced.

Neither team came close to scoring in a low-energy first period that had the MTS Centre quieter than usual. Each side had one power play, but failed to register a shot on goal.

The Jets resume their season-long six-game homestand Tuesday night against Montreal, while the Devils wrap up their five-game road trip in Ottawa on Thursday night.

Notes: Schneider, who spent three seasons with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, was on MTS Centre ice for the first time as an NHL goalie. The crowd gave him a warm ovation during a first-period stoppage, before launching into a taunting chant of “Co-rey”. … The Jets kept their opponent off the scoreboard in the opening period for the first time this season. … The Devils went 0 for 6 on the power play, and are now 1 for 16 to start the season with the extra attacker.