Jets lose in OT in Hellebuyck's return

Chris Kreider scored at 4:47 of overtime to give the Anaheim Ducks a 5-4 win over the Winnipeg Jets at Honda Center. Alex Iafallo (1G, 1A), Kyle Connor (1G, 1A), Cole Perfetti (2A) and Logan Stanley (2A) all had multi-point efforts for the Jets who lost for the ninth time in ten contests that went past regulation. Elias Salomonsson scored his first NHL goal as well, the Jets will wrap up this three-game road trip Sunday afternoon against the San Jose Sharks.

JETS GET HELLE BACK

After winning the gold medal with the United States and posting a save percentage of .956 in the tournament, Connor Hellebuyck got the start in goal for the Jets on Friday night. The 32-year-old is hoping as well as his teammates that his success in Milan will help carry the Jets into the playoff race.  Hellebuyck made a season high 35 saves against one of the highest scoring teams in the league including a few big stops in overtime before Kreider ended the game.

QUICK STRIKES

The Jets gave up the first goal of the game on Wednesday on the first shot in Vancouver, tonight, it was their turn to do the same. Off the rush, Winnipeg entered the Ducks zone and Cole Perfetti sent a cross-ice pass to Alex Iafallo and his wrist shot went off a skate, the post and into the net for a 1-0 Jets lead 84 seconds into the game.

In the second frame, Pavel Mintyukov would take a penalty for holding and less than a minute into the Jets power play, Gabriel Vilardi one-timed a Kyle Connor pass into the net for his 23^rd of the season to make it 2-0.

With the score 2-1 Jets at the start of the third, Elias Salomonsson recorded his first NHL goal coming in from the point and ripping a shot past Lukas Dostal to restore Winnipeg’s two-goal lead at 1:27. Salomonsson (21 years, 181 days) became the fifth-youngest defenseman in Jets/Thrashers history at the time of his first NHL goal, behind Zach Bogosian (18 years, 186 days on Jan. 17, 2009), Ville Heinola (18 years, 220 days on Oct. 8, 2019), Jacob Trouba (19 years, 217 days on Oct. 1, 2013) and Sami Niku (21 years, 175 days on April 3, 2018).

“We had a great shift in the o-zone there, winning back the puck there. Lows the guy in the middle there, jumping in," said Salomonsson. 

"I stepped right into it. I was happy to see that one go in, it was pretty special.”

WILD THIRD PERIOD

The Ducks would not go away though as they erased the Jets two-goal third period lead with three straight goals starting with a power play goal from Leo Carlsson at 6:32, Pavel Mintyukov scored on a rebound at 9:59 and Ryan Poehling gave Anaheim their first lead at 16:50. However, less than two minutes after the Poehling goal, Perfetti sent a highlight reel pass to Kyle Connor and the Jets sniper tied the game with 1:22 left in the period to send the game to overtime, marking Winnipeg’s latest game-tying goal since Feb. 24, 2025 (Josh Morrissey at 59:34).