WINNIPEG – Kyle Connor understands big moments, and he delivered another one when he scored his second goal of the night with 1:00 on the clock in the third period to lead the Winnipeg Jets to a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche.
Connor’s heroics were possible because of the performance in the first 30 minutes of the game by Stuart Skinner who finished the night with 32 saves and his first win on home ice with the Jets.
Cole Perfetti scored the other goal for the Jets (3-0-1), Mark Scheifele had two assists as did Dylan Samberg.
The vaunted Avalanche power play went to work nine and a half minutes into the first after Dylan Samberg was called for hooking. Stuart Skinner stood tall, robbing Nazem Kadri in tight before stopping Martin Necas on a one-timer — two of his 17 saves in the opening period.
The Jets had their best chance with under a minute left when Mark Scheifele fired from the high slot, but Mackenzie Blackwood got just enough of it to keep the game scoreless after 20 minutes.
Skinner robbed Necas again just over a minute into the second, lunging to his right to get the glove on a shot from the Avs forward.
Colorado finally opened the scoring at 2:51. Fedor Svechkov’s pass went off one Jet and then Gabriel Vilardi’s stick, landing right on the stick of Schwartz, who ripped a shot high over Skinner’s blocker.
The Jets answered quickly. Just 1:08 later, Kyle Connor got a piece of Neal Pionk’s point shot and redirected it underneath Blackwood for his fourth of the season and his first at even strength. It was also Connor’s 14th career goal against the Avalanche.
With under two minutes left in the second, the Jets finally grabbed their first lead of the night. Samberg’s shot found its way through traffic, and off Perfetti’s shin pads past Blackwood for a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes.
Scheifele picked up the second assist, giving him his first point of the season and now has at least one point in his last five meetings against Colorado.
But the bigger concern for the Jets was Josh Morrissey. The Jets’ top defenceman appeared to hurt himself while trying to finish a hit on an Avalanche player late in the first period. He returned to start the second but took just one shift before heading down the tunnel. He did not return.
Colorado found a way to beat Skinner again in the third period, as the Jets had a tough time clearing the puck leading to Schwartz hitting Svechkov out front and the Russian forward shovelled in the tying goal at 12:35.
But the Jets top line had the final answer with 1:00 left on the clock, Scheifele held onto the carried the puck into the offensive zone and waited until the last second to fire a seam pass to Connor and he fired the puck through Sam Malinski’s legs and into the open net for a 3-2 lead.
REACTION COMING FROM THE JETS DRESSING ROOM AND SCOTT ARNIEL SOON.
