Winnipeg survived a three-goal Tampa Bay rally and converted three power plays in a 4-3 victory that continued its recovery from a nine-game winless stretch
WINNIPEG — National Sports News – Mark Scheifele scored on a five-on-three power play with 1.6 seconds left Sunday, lifting the Winnipeg Jets to a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning at Canada Life Centre. The last-second finish gave Winnipeg a third straight victory after the club had gone nine games without a win.
The Jets appeared to have the game under control when rookie Brayden Yager scored his first NHL goal at 8:10 of the third period. That power-play goal made it 3-0, following a second-period man-advantage goal by Cole Perfetti and an even-strength finish by Morgan Barron.
Tampa Bay erased the lead in just over four minutes. Brandon Hagel started the comeback at 10:22, then Pontus Holmberg scored twice in 26 seconds to tie the game at 14:27. The Lightning had rallied late to beat Minnesota one night earlier, and Winnipeg was suddenly in danger of letting another winnable game slip away.
Two late Tampa Bay penalties changed the finish. With Winnipeg skating five-on-three, Perfetti recovered the puck in the corner and found Scheifele for a one-timer from the left side. The puck crossed the line before the horn, giving Scheifele the winner and his second point of the night.
Special teams were the clearest reason Winnipeg escaped. The Jets scored on three power plays and killed all four Tampa Bay opportunities. Their penalty killers did not allow a shot on goal during two first-period Lightning advantages, helping keep the game scoreless until Perfetti opened the scoring.
Winnipeg improved to 7-8-3. The record still leaves work to do, but three straight wins have changed the direction of a team that had been 0-7-2 over its previous nine games. Yager’s milestone and Viggo Björck’s first multi-point NHL game also gave the Jets progress beyond the two standings points.
The Jets host the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. That game will test whether this surge can hold against a club that has won five straight.
