Jets Beat Avalanche 3-2 on Last-Minute Game-Winner

Wednesday evening marked a test between the Central Division's two top clubs. Sitting at a combined 4-0-1 through five total games played, the Winnipeg Jets and Colorado Avalanche took to the ice in downtown Winnipeg as the Jets looked for their first home win of the short season. 

Stuart Skinner shut the door early, while Kyle Connor and Cole Perfetti continued their dominant starts to the season, as the Jets picked up their third win of the season on a last-minute game-winner from Connor.

A rather uneventful first period from Winnipeg was highlighted - or should we say 'low-lighted' - by a play from Josh Morrissey as the seconds ticked down on the clock. He lined up TJ Hughes against the glass, but came up gimp. 

He lost his glove after making contact with the boards/glass and hunched himself over in pain as he made his way off the ice at the end of the period. Morrissey did return for one shift in the second period, but left shortly thereafter. The team officially ruled him out for the start of the third. 

“They did a fantastic job, especially on the back-to-back, day off and then play," Skinner said of his remaining five defencemen.

"We played a three in four and then, JMo goes down and there's five guys playing. The fact that they were able to grind that one out, being able to have that cardio, being able to make the plays that they did, block shots the way that they did. It’s impressive to say the least, and I think it's a great group we have. Like the D, with the goalies, those guys are our best friends. I'd just like to say great job by those guys.” 

Colorado opened the scoring on its 21st shot of the game - which came early on in the second period. Jayden Schwartz got the marker 2:51 into the frame after Skinner had already turned aside an astonishing 20 shots. 

The goal came moments after Skinner's second miraculous desperation stop on Martin Necas. 

“Got me in the arm on my blocker side and then it was nice that it didn't scream out as a rebound," Skinner laughed. "It kind of just died on my arm. It stung a little bit actually, but it was good that I was just able to cover it up after. Sometimes it goes the other way where it hits the arm and bounces right back out to them. It was a good play by them. They have great power play.”

Then, it was Connor who added to his team-leading statistics, tying the game at ones just 1:10 after Colorado's opening tally. Neal Pionk and Dylan Samberg collected the helpers on the Michigan product's fourth of the year. 

Despite an onslaught of shots from the Avalanche through 40 minutes, it was Winnipeg that walked into the second intermission with a one-goal lead. And it was once again thanks to Samberg.

He picked up his second assist of the night with just 1:44 to play, hammering a point shot off Perfetti's shin pads and past Mackenzie Blackwood into the net. 

Colorado led the shot chart 27-17 as the teams entered the third period one goal apart. 

With 7:25 to play in the third period, Colorado finally found the equalizer. The rebound from a missed point shot landed on the stick of Schwartz, who found Fedor Svechkov alone in front of Skinner for the easy tip-in. 

Through 15 minutes of third period hockey, the Jets had just one shot on goal to their name. 

But that all changed with exactly one minute to play. 

Mark Scheifele found Connor with a ridiculous cross-ice pass in the offensive zone, to which the red hot winger ripped home his second of the game - the game-winner. 

Skinner made 32 stops on the 34 Colorado shots he faced, while Blackwood turned aside just 16 of the 19 Jets shots sent his way. 

Next up for Winnipeg is the second test of a three-game homestand, as the Anaheim Ducks make their way to Manitoba on Friday night, before Minnesota visits on Tuesday.