Kyle Connor’s OT winner propels the Jets to a much-needed 4-3 win in OT over the Wild

After a closely contested 3-2 loss Sunday night to the Utah Mammoth, the Jets hit the road for a quick one-game road trip in Minnesota. The now 6-3-0 Jets took on the 3-5-2 Wild at the Grand Casino Arena, looking to find their winning ways in this battle with another Central Division opponent. The Wild haven’t gotten off to as good a start as they wanted, but they were hoping their “new” retro jerseys would bring them some luck. The Jets, wearing their historic jerseys on the road, started this game great, but ultimately it took a short extra frame to get the job done in Minnesota.

Tonight’s Jets lineup was once again a little different than the previous game. The first line remained the same, but the rest of the front line is still being experimented with. Tonight Alex Iafallo was on the 2nd line with Jonathan Toews and Vladislav Namestnikov. The third line featured Nino Niederreiter, Morgan Barron and Gustav Nyquist. Parker Ford centered the 4th line alongside Cole Koepke and Tanner Pearson. The Jets also switched defenses, as Logan Stanley moved back to the second pairing, while Haydn Fleury moved back to the third pairing with Luke Schenn. Connor Hellebuyck got the start in goal as he looked to continue his early season success. Spoiler alert, Hellebuyck was fantastic again tonight.

1st Period

The first period started off a bit slow as both teams started to get used to tonight’s game. Shots on goal after the first period were 16-9 for the Wild, which explains how great Hellebuyck was in the first 20 minutes. There was only 1 penalty in the 1st, as Haydn Fleury was called for interference with 42 seconds left in the opening period.

Despite being somewhat limited in shots on goal, the Jets struck twice midway through the first, with two goals in a span of 22 seconds.

Neal Pionk set up Logan Stanley at the point, and Stanley’s shot from deep was knocked off the ice on a Gabriel Vilardi rebound past Filip Gustavsson, giving the Jets a 1-0 lead.

Shortly after facing that goal, the Jets were back in the Wild zone. This time it was Logan Stanley who passed the puck to Neal Pionk, and Pionk’s shot was deflected forward by Vladislav Namestnikov, making the score 2-0 Jets.

The Jets felt pretty good about how they played in the 1st. Logan Stanley and Neal Pionk each had two assists after the first as it was a rare multi-point night for Stanley.

2nd Period

The Wild opened the second period with a shortened power play, but this Jets top 5 penalty kill kept the Jets lead at 2-0. A few minutes later, Jake Middleton and Luke Schenn had a tough stretch, sending them to the box for 5 minutes each. Middleton was clearly trying to set the tone, as he hoped the fight would give the Wild some energy to come back in this game.

The fight worked as the Wild scored just over 2 minutes later. Jared Spurgeon set up Matt Boldy, who fired a shot on goal. Hellebuyck got a piece of it, but the puck went into the air and a wild scramble ensued. Kirill Kaprisov found the puck and quickly slid it past Hellebuyck to make it 2-1.

Seven minutes later, Neal Pionk made a very valuable turnover on his own. Vinnie Hinostoza and Marco Rossi did a nice give and go, and the tic-tac-toe played was knocked off the boards by Faber and then inadvertently kicked into the net by Hellebuyck. The shots were 24-15 Wild at this point in the game, as the Wild fought back from a 2-0 deficit as Hellebuyck stayed busy in the 2nd.

The Wild’s momentum continued as the second period came to a close. Iafallo was called for a late slashing penalty with 23 seconds left, giving the Wild a power play to start the third after being the Wild’s better team in the second. Shots on goal after the second was now 29-15 for the Wild, and the Jets had to perform a reset heading into the final 20 minutes of play.

3rd Period

The Jets killed the carryover power play, but the Wild went back to the power play a few minutes later after Logan Stanley was called for slashing. Late in the lead, Ryan Hartman and Marco Rossi set up Brock Faber for the point, and his shot eventually found its way past Hellebuyck to give the Wild a 3-2 lead. The goal was later changed and credited to Marcus Johansson.

All three of the Wild’s goals went unconventionally into the net, but they heavily outscored the Jets and looked like the better team overall so far. The Jets still had time to get back into this game and they started to create some chances as they went down 3-2.

With just over 8 minutes to play, the Jets tied the score at 3. Morgan Barron set up Gustav Nyquist who cut toward the goal, and on Nyquist’s shot, Niederreiter got a piece of it as he aimed the puck into the net.

A minute later, Tanner Pearson was called for a trip, giving the Wild a critical power play. Hellebuyck and the Jets penalty killers stopped the Wild, and this game remained tied 3-3 until late in the third period. Teams traded chances in the final few minutes of the game, but this game needed overtime as the Wild continued to outscore the Jets 36-21.

Overtime

On the first and only overtime shot, about 45 seconds after the puck dropped, the Jets won this game 4-3. Kyle Connor scored tonight’s game winner, and I’ll let you watch the goal for yourself because it was a classic Kyle Connor goal.

Tonight’s three stars are Connor Hellebuyck (who made 33 saves), Brock Faber (1 goal and 1 assist) and Logan Stanley (2 assists), who had a rare multi-point night. While it wasn’t the prettiest win, the Jets found a way to make it happen as they picked up a much-needed 2 points along the way.

Next

With the Jets mini-road trip complete, the Jets’ regular season schedule continues Thursday in Winnipeg against the Blackhawks. Puck drop for this game will take place just after 7:00 PM CT. Stay up to date with all the latest Jets news, plus previews and recaps of every Jets game this season, right here at Jets Nation.

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