Dylan Samberg had a goal and an assist, scoring the winner at 1:47 of overtime, as the Winnipeg Jets rallied to defeat the host Seattle Kraken 3-2 Sunday night to regain first place in the NHL’s overall standings.
Cole Perfetti also had a goal and an assist, Kyle Connor tallied and Vladislav Namestnikov had two assists for the Jets, who won their third in a row and broke a tie with Washington in the Presidents’ Trophy race that goes to the team with the best regular-season record.
Jets backup goaltender Eric Comrie got the start to give Connor Hellebuyck a night off. But Hellebuyck was forced into action just 3:15 into the game after Comrie was involved in a collision and left to be checked for a concussion. Comrie returned with a clean bill of health 10:10 later, after Hellebuyck allowed the game’s opening goal. Comrie went on to stop 14 of the 15 shots he faced and Hellebuyck was credited with five saves on six shots.
Jani Nyman and Mikey Eyssimont scored for the Kraken, who went 2-0-1 on their three-game homestand. Netminder Joey Daccord made 23 saves in the loss.
Samberg’s winner came after Perfetti drove the puck toward the net from the right-wing corner. He sent a pass across the top of the crease and Samberg stuffed the puck inside the left post before Daccord could make it all the way across the net.
Nyman, playing in just his third NHL game, scored for the second time on the power play at 9:58 of the first period, taking a pass behind the net from Jordan Eberle and beating Hellebuyck high to the glove side on a wrist shot from the slot.
The Kraken made it 2-0 as Eyssimont took a stretch pass from Ryker Evans along the left-wing boards at the blue line, skated past defenseman Colin Miller and slipped a shot from the bottom of the faceoff circle between Comrie’s pads at 15:23.
The Jets pulled within 2-1 at 19:43 of the first. They won a loose puck in the left-wing corner and got it back to the point for a shot from Dylan Samberg. Daccord made a kick save but the rebound went right to Perfetti and he lifted the puck over the fallen goalie.
Winnipeg tied the game up at 11:42 of the second. Morgan Barron corralled the puck after a scramble in the Jets’ end and hit Connor in stride with a backhanded pass to start a breakaway. Connor skated down the right wing and put a forehand over Daccord’s glove.
Jets forward Brandon Tanev, acquired from Seattle at the March 7 trade deadline for a second-round pick, received a video tribute at Climate Pledge Arena during a break in the first period. Tanev joined the Kraken in the 2021 NHL expansion draft and became a fan favorite with his intense style of play and wide-eyed mug shots.
–Field Level Media
