Kyle Connor scored the game-winning goal in overtime as the Winnipeg Jets rallied to defeat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 on Saturday night.
Connor, who has now scored seven career goals in just seven games against Vegas, helped the Jets secure their second consecutive win on back-to-back nights, following a 3-2 victory over San Jose on Friday, where they survived 53 shots from the Sharks.
The victory improved the Jets’ all-time record at T-Mobile Arena to 2-4-0, including regular season and playoff games.
For the Golden Knights, it marked the second time in three nights that they squandered a two-goal lead in the third period. Under similar circumstances, they lost 5-4 in overtime to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Winnipeg improved to 4-3-0 against Pacific Division opponents this season and is riding an impressive 29-10-4 streak in its last 43 games against the Pacific Division, including a strong 16-6-2 record last season.
Mathieu Perreault scored twice for Winnipeg, and Mark Scheifele added a goal. Laurent Brossoit made 23 saves for the Jets.
Jonathan Marchessault, Max Pacioretty, and Nate Schmidt each scored for Vegas, while Malcolm Subban stopped 35 shots in the loss.
Perreault opened the scoring for Winnipeg in the first period, notching his 200th career point with the Jets by deflecting a shot past Subban following a turnover by Vegas defenseman Deryk Engelland.
Vegas responded quickly. Marchessault tied the game with a power-play goal just two minutes later, kicking off a rapid stretch of three unanswered goals for the Golden Knights. Pacioretty put Vegas ahead 2-1 shortly after, finishing a cross-ice pass from Mark Stone, who extended his point streak to 13 out of 15 games. Schmidt added a goal to make it 3-1 with his first of the season, set up by William Karlsson.
However, Winnipeg mounted a late comeback in the third period. Perreault scored his second goal of the game on a power play, cutting the lead to 3-2, and Scheifele tied the game with a one-timer after a disputed icing call was waved off, setting the stage for Connor’s overtime heroics.
Game Notes
- Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was unavailable due to illness, prompting the recall of Garret Sparks from the AHL.
- Four Vegas players—Mark Stone, Cody Glass, Cody Eakin, and Ryan Reaves—hail from Winnipeg.
- Jets center Adam Lowry delivered a hard hit on Alex Tuch, sending him to the locker room. This led to a fight between Lowry and Reaves, who took exception to the hit.
- Connor passed Todd White for 21st on the Jets’ franchise scoring list with 138 career points.
Up Next:
- Jets: Return home to face New Jersey on Tuesday.
- Golden Knights: Begin a four-game road trip in Columbus on Tuesday.