The Winnipeg Jets needed a miraculous comeback to snap a nine-game winless skid on Tuesday.
Now the Jets return home hoping that win will serve as a springboard as they face a Vancouver Canucks squad that also has struggled mightily of late.
Winnipeg trailed the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 before scoring four goals over the final 2:39 of the third period to force overtime. Defenseman Dylan Samberg scored 3:30 into overtime to win the game.
The Jets recorded the latest four-goal comeback in NHL history, eclipsing the previous mark set by the Los Angeles Kings on Nov. 10, 2007.
It was quite a way for the Jets to earn their first victory since Oct. 13 and end a 0-7-2 stretch.
“This isn’t February or March,” Winnipeg head coach Scott Arniel said. “To me, we’re still in the hunt going into this game. … You just got to stay in the pack. I know it’s been a grind for us, but we just got to stay in it. And hopefully, this is the jump start that we need.”
Kyle Connor scored the final two goals in regulation just 27 seconds apart in the epic comeback. He has 13 goals this season, tying Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl for second in the NHL and two behind Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov for the league lead.
Mark Scheifele assisted on both of Connor’s goals Tuesday. He has a team-high 12 assists, with six in the last four games.
The Canucks were not as fortunate Tuesday as they fell 5-4 to the visiting Anaheim Ducks. Vancouver trailed by three with 15 minutes left in the third before Jake DeBrusk scored twice in a 4:04 span. It was the third straight loss for coach Manny Malhotra’s team, which is 1-12-1 in its last 14 games.
Elias Pettersson recorded assists on both of DeBrusk’s goals, giving him at least a point in seven of his last eight games. Pettersson, 27, leads the team with 14 assists and 18 points.
The Canucks have allowed 77 goals, by far the most any team has surrendered.
Vancouver has allowed opponents to score a league-high 21 power-play goals, and the team’s 63.2% penalty kill rate ranks 31st in the NHL. Anaheim scored on all three of its chances with the man advantage.
Malhotra said the team’s problems are both structural and in execution.
“There’s a lot that goes into it,” he said. “The frustrating part is when the things we’re seeing are the things that are discussed and things that we’re made to be aware of.”
Leevi Merilainen did not play in Tuesday’s loss, as Kevin Lankinen stopped 17 of the 22 shots he faced.
Merilainen, who has started nine games this season, has faced Winnipeg just once. On Jan. 3 last season with the Ottawa Senators, he allowed two goals on 23 shots in a 4-2 win.
Stuart Skinner has started in goal for 11 of Winnipeg’s 16 games. He is 3-5-0 in nine games (eight starts) against the Canucks with a 3.57 GAA and an .870 save percentage.
–Field Level Media
