In a sport stuffed with difference-makers named Connor, it was Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor that proved to be the hero.
The Jets’ main scorer scored his second extra time winner of the season as Winnipeg picked up a 4-3 win Thursday evening over an Edmonton squad that was lacking Leon Draisaitl for the primary time all season and likewise misplaced Connor McDavid to harm late within the second interval.
Simply over 5 minutes into the opening interval, the Oilers received on the board first. After a turnover within the impartial zone, Jeff Skinner collected the puck, skated into the Jets’ zone and beat Connor Hellebuyck excessive over his proper shoulder with a tough wrister.
Winnipeg drew degree on the 13:39 mark when Cole Perfetti buried a juicy rebound off the pad of Stuart Skinner.
Neither workforce received a lot on web within the opening 20 with Winnipeg outshooting the Oilers 5-4.
Edmonton regained the lead on the 5:30 mark of the second. McDavid zipped into the Winnipeg, taking the puck behind the web earlier than sending a go to the slot. He was aiming for Skinner however Nikolaj Ehlers received a stick on the puck, which then glided slowly to the crease and thru the legs of Hellebuyck.
The Jets challenged the aim, believing Hellebuyck was interfered with on the play however the officers disagreed, upholding the decision and assessing the Jets a minor penalty for getting the problem unsuitable.
Winnipeg killed off the penalty and simply 11 seconds after Nino Niederreiter stepped out of the field, he helped arrange the tying aim.
Mason Appleton made an amazing play on the Jets’ blueline to show the play up the ice, knocking Darnell Nurse off the puck and permitting Morgan Barron to ship it throughout the impartial zone to Niederreiter. He skated it into Edmonton’s finish earlier than hitting a hard-charging Josh Morrissey, who steered the puck previous Skinner to attract degree.
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McDavid’s final shift got here late within the second when he collided with Morrissey and favouring his groin. The Oilers held him out of the third interval with what they referred to as a lower-body harm.
Edmonton outshot Winnipeg 9-7 within the center body however late within the second, the Oilers took a penalty and early within the third they took one other one, giving the Jets practically a minute of 5-on-3 time however Winnipeg didn’t do something with it.
Nevertheless, the place the large weapons failed on the facility play, the fourth line picked up the slack, giving the Jets their first lead of the evening not lengthy after the Oilers received again to even power.
After a flurry of exercise across the Oilers’ web, a Haydn Fleury level shot was redirected on web, inflicting extra chaos in entrance of Skinner. Brandon Tanev ultimately discovered the free puck and banged it off the put up earlier than placing his personal miss into the web for his first since he was traded to Winnipeg on the deadline.
It was Tanev’s first aim as a Jet since scoring in Recreation 3 of their first spherical loss to St. Louis in 2019.
The sport stayed 3-2 for some time earlier than Edmonton, even with out their two finest gamers, managed to get issues again on even phrases with 5:34 to go.
The play started with a turnover within the Winnipeg finish as Luke Schenn misfired on a go to Dylan Samberg. The puck wound up on the stick of Nurse, whose level shot was tipped en path to Hellebuyck, resulting in a rebound that Zach Hyman deposited into an open web to tie the sport.
Not lengthy after with 4:57 remaining, the Jets misplaced Vladislav Namestnikov to harm. As he and Jeff Skinner by accident skated into one another, Skinner’s arm inadvertently made contact with Namestnikov’s chin, knocking him to the ice the place he stayed for a second earlier than heading to the locker room. He did return to the bench earlier than the evening was by however didn’t take one other shift.
It was at that whistle that Edmonton needed to make a goalie change as Stuart Skinner had been run into a couple of minutes prior and took a number of moments to get to his toes, heading to the locker room within the first media timeout after the collision with Calvin Pickard coming into the sport in his place.
With 2:30 remaining within the third, Ehlers was hooked by Corey Perry, giving the Jets a golden alternative to seize a maintain of the sport however the energy play was unsuccessful, sending the sport to extra time.
Simply over a minute into the additional body, after Edmonton gave the puck away in Winnipeg’s finish, Morrissey made a pleasant spin transfer earlier than heading up the ice. He entered the Edmonton zone and dropped the puck off to Mark Scheifele, who then left it for Connor earlier than the sniper sniped one by Pickard to finish the sport.
The aim was Connor’s team-leading thirty seventh of the season in addition to his twelfth profession regular-season extra time aim.
Hellebuyck made 20 saves to earn the victory whereas Pickard was saddled with the loss, making three saves in simply over six minutes of motion.
With the win, the Jets grew to become the second workforce to achieve 100 factors this season, simply a few hours after Washington grew to become the primary.
Winnipeg returns to motion Sunday afternoon on residence ice towards Buffalo. The motion begins at 2 p.m. with protection on 680 CJOB starting at midday.
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