Jets rally to beat Coyotes in overtime for third straight win

For the second straight game, the Winnipeg Jets fell behind by two goals on this three-game road trip.
On Friday, it was in Arizona, as the Coyotes home opener at Mullett Arena provided a unique atmosphere and a quick start for the home side.
But even behind 2-0, the Jets weren't deterred, as they tied the game before the end of regulation and Blake Wheeler finished off a 2-on-0 rush with Pierre-Luc Dubois in overtime to give the Jets a 3-2 victory.
"Dubie made a great play at the blue line and they were caught," said Wheeler, referencing the turnover Dubois forced with a stick check on Shayne Gostisbehere to spring him and Wheeler.
"I just tried to catch him."
Wheeler was successful, beating Karel Vejmelka for his second goal of the season, and second point of the game.

"We stuck with it. We played last night in LA and we knew those first periods are always tough," said Wheeler. "The fact it was still a hockey game, and (David Rittich) made some big saves back there for us to keep us in it, and you leave those games on a back-to-back close or down a goal, you have a chance to win. That was mission accomplished."
Cole Perfetti and Mark Scheifele scored for the Jets in regulation, while David Rittich earned his first regular season win as a member of the Jets making 19 saves.
In Rittich's only other start this season, the Jets fell behind 4-0 after 20 minutes in Vegas. That night, the skaters lamented the fact they left their goalie out to dry that period, and made up for it by rallying to a win on this night.
It also gives the Jets a 5-3-0 record, and three straight victories.
"We're just focused on winning the next period, winning each shift and winning each battle and going from there," said Perfetti. "To be able to do that back-to-back nights on the road, it says a lot."

The Jets nearly had the first NHL goal in Mullett Arena, but Axel Jonsson-Fjallby was turned away by Karel Vejmelka on a 2-on-0 in tight with Saku Maenalanen. Less than a minute later, a point shot form Troy Stecher went off the shoulder of Christian Fischer and past David Rittich to make it 1-0 Coyotes 10:17 into the first.
Arizona had a six-game road trip to start the season, with Friday's game being their home opener in the 5,000-plus seat facility at Arizona State University.
Fischer scored the second of the game 4:11 later, pouncing on a face-off win by Jack McBain and sneaking it under the glove of Rittich.
"We didn't do a very good job of supporting him in his first start in Vegas. Even tonight, we got down two but he was rock solid, needed to be," said Arniel. "He was there when we needed him and it was so good to see him get his first win as a Winnipeg Jet."
Perfetti cut the lead in half 26 seconds later, forcing a turnover off the stick of Coyotes defenceman Josh Brown. Perfetti chased down the loose puck at the bottom of the right circle, then cut in front of the net, outwaiting Karel Vejmelka and tucking home his third of the season.
"He's the first to admit he was pretty upset after last night's game," said associate coach Scott Arniel. "But we talked to him a little bit and showed him some clips and just loved the way he responded. To come back and play the game that he did, that's a real good sign that he's growing each day."

It took until the third for the Jets to tie the game, and it was Scheifele extending his goal streak to three games that made the score 2-2. First, he won a puck battle along the left wing boards to help the Jets maintain possession off the rush. Then, after he circled the net, the puck came back to him in the right circle and he wired it past Vejmelka for his sixth of the season.
The Jets outshot Arizona 27-11 over the course of the final two periods.
"It's really tough, those starts, on a back-to-back. First periods are usually the make or break," said Wheeler. "If you can it through that first period, get the adrenaline going, and get a sweat, that's when you find your legs. I thought the back half of the game we played a pretty good game and gave ourselves a chance to win."
In overtime, even though Dubois lost a defensive zone face-off, he charged toward the blue line and poked the puck off the stick of Gostisbehere to start a rush the other way.
One quick pass over to Wheeler, and it was over.
"He's a guy you can certainly rely on," Arniel said of Wheeler. "Tonight he was just a guy who had details to his game. He's a veteran guy and it's great to see him get rewarded with that goal at the end."
The Jets finish the road trip on Sunday in Vegas against the Golden Knights.