Mark Stone had two goals and an assist, while Laurent Brossoit made 31 saves as the No. 1 seed Vegas Golden Knights drew even with the Winnipeg Jets in their opening round playoff series on Thursday.
Thanks to a 20-shot second period, the Golden Knights rallied from an early deficit to take Game 2 by way of a 5-2 final.
Just two nights removed from a brilliant 5-1 victory, the Jets were unable to build upon their early road success at T-Mobile Arena.
Having scored three times in the third period while limiting the Golden Knights to just two shots in series-opener, Winnipeg did manage to pick up exactly where it left off with a strong first period on Thursday.
But that was about it.
Adam Lowry, who potted two goals in that decisive third period on Tuesday, picked up the game's opening tally midway through the frame.
With Nic Hague in the box for tripping, Winnipeg won an offensive zone face-off, to which Lowry perfectly redirected Neal Pionk's point shot through his old teammate Laurent Brossoit.
The goal stood as the only marker in the period, with the Jets heavily outshooting the hosts 17-8 through 20 minutes.
"It easily could have been a few for us in that first period," forward Mark Scheifele said. "That's the way hockey goes and that's what makes playoffs so fun. We get another go at it come Saturday."
On top of the reminiscent start was another absurdity, as another member of the Jets needed medical attention following a first period facial wound.
Just one game removed from Morgan Barron requiring 75 stitches to repair a cut to his face, Connor Hellebuyck became the second victim to skate to his bench with blood pouring down his cheek in as many games.
Moments after denying Chandler Stephenson on a penalty kill with a ridiculous cross-crease, diving glove stop, Hellebuyck took a heavy Jack Eichel one-timer straight off the cage. His helmet popped off on the play to reveal that the Jets' netminder had in fact been struck on his eyebrow through his mask. He was attended to on the bench with a bandaid and sent back out to finish the team's shorthanded situation.
The second period saw Vegas crawl back into the game, thanks to some puck luck in front of the Jets' net. With the disc bouncing around like a runaway rubber ball, it landed on the stick of William Karlsson, who put his second of the series past Hellebuyck high, glove side.
Then, at the midway mark of the frame, Jack Eichel found his first career playoff goal, in what is his eighth NHL season. Much like that of Lowry's redirection, Eichel perfectly tipped an Alex Pietrangelo point shot off the ice and into the net, giving Vegas its first lead of the series.
But not wanting to go down without a fight, Winnipeg responded rather quickly, as Kevin Stenlund got his first of the postseason on yet another deflection. Chipping home a Saku Maenalanen pass, he knotted the game up at twos with 3:55 to play, sending the teams to their respective dressing rooms to regroup for another huge third period.
The full court press from Vegas brought the Golden Knights right back into the shot game, as the teams entered the final frame tied 28-28.
It was Vegas that showed up to play in the third. Chandler Stephenson scored a rebound marker just 5:37 in, before he set Mark Stone up for an easy tap in to seal the game for the home team with 6:59 remaining.
Stone potted another insurance marker with 2:30 to go, firing home his second of the night past a bewildered Hellebuyck.
Brossoit finished the night with 31 saves on 33 Jets shots, while Hellebuyck turned aside 34 of the 39 pucks fired his way.
"They were the better team tonight. They deserved to win that game, there is no question," coach Bowness said. "Did we make it too easy on them? Yeah. We did. That's what's the most disappointing thing. The execution and giving up the goals we gave up, the way we gave them up, that's disappointing."
The series will now shift to snowy Winnipeg for Games 3 and 4, as the teams will begin a miniature best-of-five on Saturday afternoon in a matinee contest from Canada Life Centre.
"Canada Life Centre is going to be rocking," Lowry said. "It's a tough building to play in and we haven't had fans there for a few years, so we're really excited."
That game will feature a 3:00 PM central start time, but fans will be able to attend the Donald Avenue Whiteout Street Party as early as two hours before puck drop. Those with tickets to the Party at the Plaza can begin their outdoor festivities at 11:00 AM.
After the early start, fans will need to re-adjust to the late-night regularities as Game 4 will begin at 8:30 PM from Canada Life Centre on Monday night.
The full series can be viewed live on Sportsnet.