Jets Fall to Visiting Canadiens 3-2 in Overtime

On Monday evening, the Montreal Canadiens made their way to Canada Life Centre for their lone visit to Manitoba this season.

With a conglomeration of Habs fans in attendance - as expected for a game featuring a Canadian Original Six club - the visitors pulled out to an early lead and ultimately fended off a late-game Jets comeback, sealing the deal on the one-goal victory off a Justin Barron overtime winner.

A scoreless opening frame was highlighted by shots that found the post at both ends of the ice. But that was about as close as either team would come to finding the twine, as the period ended at 0-0, with the Jets holding as slight 6-5 lead in shots.

The second period began with the visitors taking an early lead, as Josh Anderson scored his third goal in his last four periods of play on a deflection off his foot. Driving to the net, Anderson watched as a Mike Matheson centering pass deflected off his skate and into the net past Connor Hellebuyck.

The Habs would strike again on a power play. Despite a coach’s challenge from Rick Bowness for a hand-pass, the goal stood, to a chorus of boos from the home crowd. Replays clearly showed Anderson throwing the puck across the crease to Christian Dvorak, who put home the 2-0 marker with 4:56 to go in the frame.

Adding insult to injury, the Jets were penalized (by rule) for delay of game following the unsuccessful coach’s challenge. Luckily for the officials, Montreal was unable to get a third.

“It’s a fine line," Hellebuyck said of the goal. 

"Him grabbing it and moving it changed what I was going to do. If he would have just dropped it right when he had it, I would have poked it right off his stick - that’s what I was getting prepared for. Then he threw it forward and it kind of threw me for a loop and made me kind of freeze and change what I wanted to do. Then he gets a lucky bounce as it bounces off the ice and just nicks the top of his stick. For me, I hate to see that go in. There’s not really much I can do about it.”

Turning the penalty kill into a momentum shift offensively, the Jets got onto the board with 55 seconds to go. Once again it was Gabe Vilardi, who stayed hot with his fifth goal in as many games, using his quick hands in-tight, to cut the Canadiens’ lead in half. Nikolaj Ehlers and Josh Morrissey picked up the helpers on Vilardi’s fifth goal of the season.

Montreal managed to outshoot Winnipeg in the middle stanza to take a 19-17 lead into the third. 

After coming close on a couple different occasions early in the frame, Winnipeg finally struck paydirt with 7:36 to go. 

Brenden Dillon got the puck to Vlad Namestnikov, whose long-range point shot generated a juicy rebound off of Jake Allen. The puck landed perfectly on the stick of Perfetti, who hammered home his 10th of the season, knotting the game at twos. 

"I saw Vladdy pop and was just trying to get as many guys to the net," Perfetti said. "You know, it seems the last little bit the puck was bouncing the other way with the net. So I was just trying to stay with it and luckily great shot there by Vladdy, net presence hits off his pad and comes right to me."

The game needed overtime as the Jets stormed back, outshooting the visitors 15-5 in the third period.

But a Nikolaj Ehlers tripping call with 27 seconds left in the third caused the Jets to be shorthanded to start the overtime period.

Adam Lowry and Mike Matheson were called for coincidental minors midway through the 4-on-3 situation, which kept the face-off in the Jets' end. 

The Habs won it with 24 seconds remaining on the power play, as Justin Barron's point shot made its way through a crowd and past Hellebuyck, giving the visitors the 3-2 overtime win with 3:51 left in the extra frame.

Hellebuyck turned aside 23 of the 26 shots he faced, while Allen made 30 stops on the 32 pucks fired his way by the Jets.

“It’s moments like that that are key in a season; sticking to our game, trusting it and really solidifying our details and believing in the guys around you," said Hellebuyck. 

Next up for Winnipeg is the continuation of Original Six week, with Andrew Copp and the Detroit Red Wings rolling into town on Wednesday, before the Boston Bruins show up for a tilt on Friday to lead Winnipeg into its Christmas break. 

Wednesday's game can be found on Sportsnet at 6:30 PM central time, while Friday's game will be broadcast live on TSN at 7:00 PM.