NEW YORK -- The Winnipeg Jets spent most of the second period of Tuesday night's game on their heels. It seemed like it was only a matter of time before the New York Rangers secured the lead with their five power plays and 20 shots on goal.

Instead, goaltender Michael Hutchinson stopped every shot he faced, center Bryan Little scored a tie-breaking short-handed goal and the Jets pulled away in the third period for a 4-1 victory at Madison Square Garden.

Hutchinson made 40 saves in all and Little added a second goal in the third period, one day after an undisciplined performance in Brooklyn led to a Jets loss against the Islanders. The Jets took eight minor penalties during the first two periods against the Islanders and allowed two power-play goals.

Against the Rangers, the Jets' penalty kill was flawless and the power play clicked for two goals, including the first NHL goal for right winger Nikolaj Ehlers, who pulled the Jets into a 1-1 tie less than a minute after right winger Mats Zuccarello gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead 6:45 into the first period.

"Yeah, we ended up in some trouble in the second," Little said. "We were in the box quite a bit and had to make some kills. The short-handed goal got us going at the end of the second period and gave us some jump in the third. I thought everyone did a great job of killing penalties tonight."

The Jets (3-1-0) ended their season-opening four-game road trip on a high note.

The Rangers (3-1-0) have had their issues with special teams in the early going; they are 1-for-9 on the power play and have allowed four power-play goals and a short-handed goal in their past three games.

That's a small sample size but special teams made the difference Tuesday.

"Special teams are so important," Rangers center Derek Stepan said. "That's something, as a group, we'll get figured out. You can't get too frustrated. No reason to panic yet."

If not for Hutchinson, the feeling in the Rangers' locker room may have been different. Eight of Hutchinson's 20 second-period saves were while the Jets were short-handed and he turned aside the final 35 shots he faced. Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, meanwhile, faced only 28 shots.

Almost as important as Hutchinson's stalwart play was the timing of Ehlers' goal, which came seven seconds into the Jets' first power play of the game.

"One of the things we worked on last year was being resilient," Hutchinson said. "The game's not always going to be smooth for the full 60 minutes and we faced some adversity. They score on the 3-on-1 and to answer that is he for our team, especially with one of our guys getting their first goal."

The Jets stayed out of the penalty box in the third while the Rangers were whistled for three penalties. It was after center Derick Brassard was called for slashing that Little took advantage of some disorganized play to wire a slap shot past Lundqvist to give the Jets a 3-1 lead with 9:25 remaining.

Defenseman Mark Stuart added an empty-netter with 2:04 left to send the Jets back home feeling good.

"I really liked our composure," Jets coach Paul Maurice said. "We didn't lose our focus and our kill got stronger. It's a real nice payoff for doing the right things."

"The special teams, they stepped up," Lundqvist said. "They won them the game."

NOTES: Jets D Adam Pardy played in his first game of the season, taking the place of D Ben Chiarot, who took two minor penalties in the Jets' 4-2 loss to the Islanders on Monday. ... Jets D Paul Postma and RW Anthony Peluso were scratched. ... Rangers D Dylan McIlrath made his season debut, assuming the spot of D Dan Boyle. Signed to a two-year, $9 million contract last summer, the 39-year-old Boyle has one assist in three games this season. ... The Rangers also scratched RW Emerson Etem and RW Jesper Fast.