Segment 3: Rick Bowness, Defensive Hockey & Cole Perfetti The Winnipeg Jets and Toronto Maple Leafs took to the ice for the first test of a two-game set on Wednesday night. With the two clubs set to do battle in the second half of the home-and-home on Saturday, Wednesday's game was the epitome of a goaltender's battle. It took nearly a full period of overtime to find a winner, which also doubled as the first goal of the game. It was none other than Auston Matthews, who put his 39th of the season past Laurent Brossoit on the Leafs' 30th shot of the game, taking the 1-0 victory in the process. Brossoit finished with 29 stops on 30 shots faced, while Ilya Samsonov turned aside all 32 pucks he faced. His best piece of work was a sensational stop on a shorthanded two-on-none with Adam Lowry and Morgan Barron. Both players had shots, but Samsonov slammed the door shut, keeping the Jets off the board. Winnipeg pulled ahead to a heavy 15-4 shot lead through 20 minutes, before allowing the Maple Leafs back into the game in the middle stanza. It remained 0-0 after 40 minutes, with Toronto inching back into the fray, narrowing the Jets' shot lead to just six. The third period saw Winnipeg finally receive its first power play of the game after watching Toronto earn five-straight man advantages. The Jets were unable to score and once again did not produce on an overtime power play. Disaster struck for Winnipeg in the final minute of three-on-three, as Nick Robertson intercepted a Neal Pionk breakout pass, leading to an offensive zone possession for Toronto. A diving Nikolaj Ehlers lost his stick while captain Adam Lowry lost his man, leading directly to Morgan Rielly finding Matthews alone in front of Brossoit for an easy redirection on the game-winner. The most concerning part of the evening for Winnipeg, however, was the loss of alternate captain and defensive leader Josh Morrissey in the first period. While defending Matthews, Morrissey took a heavy Matthew Knies shot to the midsection. he immediately left down the tunnel and did not return. He joins Mark Scheifele and Gabe Vilardi on the team's injured list. The Jets and Leafs will renew acquaintances on Saturday night in Winnipeg, as the Jets look to get back on track with a win in their final game before their league-mandated bye week. Puck drop is set for 6:00 PM central time. The game can once again be viewed live on Sportsnet.
