Kyle Connor OT hero against Nashville

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This article was published 15/12/2022 (1053 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Jets had their patience tested for much of Thursday, a night where they seemed unable to buy a goal as the game wore on.

But as the clock ticked down in overtime against the Nashville Predators, the Jets finally managed to cash in, with Kyle Connor firing a shot that squeaked through the pads of Juuse Saros and across the goal line to seal a 2-1 victory in front of 13,949 at Canada Life Centre.

The goal came after two scoreless periods, despite the Jets garnering several scoring chances, including a few on the power play. None of that would matter, though, as Winnipeg collected two points, improving to 19-9-1 on the year — two points behind, with two games in hand, of the Dallas Stars for first in the Central Division.

“It’s a divisional game, we know they’re trying to get back in the playoff hunt,” Jets coach Rick Bowness said. “That was a really solid effort, 60 minutes tonight from everyone on the team. We did have all four lines working, looking good. That’s the type of effort we need. Again, give their goalie a lot of credit for keeping the score close, but I liked a lot of what we did tonight.”

The Predators dropped to 12-12-4 and have now lost five straight. The divisional foes will meet three more times this season, including at the end of the Jets’ five-game road trip next month.

Let’s dive a bit deeper into this one with some news, notes and analysis from Thursday’s win.

1) Despite a pair of goals in the first period – from Filip Forsberg, who put the visitors up 9:04 in, followed by Dylan DeMelo’s tying marker a few minutes later – it was a fairly sleepy affair through the opening 20. The first eight minutes of the game went without a whistle and the teams combined for just 16 shots.

Things finally started to heat up late in the period after Jets defenceman Nate Schmidt was on the receiving end of a high hit from Predators forward Tanner Jeannot. Schmidt was visibly hurt as the team’s trainers worked on him, but he was able to skate off on his own, hunched over, as he made his way back to the locker room. He was ruled out of the game during intermission.

On the ensuing faceoff, Jeannot was forced to answer for the hit, dropping the gloves with Winnipeg’s Adam Lowry. It was a heated tussle, lasting long enough to breathe some life into the crowd and resulting in a standing ovation.

“Lows is one who’s willing to step up and stand up for guys, defend guys. We all knew it was coming,” said DeMelo, whose goal was his first in 87 games. “It’s a tough thing to do to go in there. We feel for Schmitty. We hope it’s not too serious. For Lows to step up, it just shows the strength of our group. If you go after one of us, you go after all of us.”

Bowness wasn’t able to provide an update on Schmidt, other than to say he entered concussion protocol.

2) The Jets carried the momentum from the Lowry fight into the second period, putting the Predators on their heels almost immediately.

By the midway mark of the frame, Winnipeg had outshot Nashville, 10-2, but were unable to cash in on any of their chances. That included two power plays, which generated plenty of action, but nothing that could get behind Predators goalie Juuse Saros.

What’s worse, Blake Wheeler, standing in front of the net on the second PP, took a shot in what appeared to be in the groin region. The Jets forward immediately retreated to the locker room and missed the remaining eight minutes of the period before returning for the third.

The game would tilt in favour of Nashville near the end of the second, as Jansen Harkins was called for a double-minor for high-sticking forward Matt Duchene. Winnipeg’s penalty kill, which entered the game ranked fifth in the NHL, went to work, limiting the Predators to just three shots before Lowry drew a holding call on Forsberg to cut the man-advantage short by 21 seconds.

3) The angst between the two sides only ramped up in the third period, with the Jets clearly frustrated by their inability to score and the Predators more than happy to partake in the extra-curricular activities after the whistle.

A lack of discipline by Winnipeg put the Predators back on the power play midway through the period, but the Jets penalty killers, who went a perfect 3-for-3, were once again up to the task.

It was an important bounce-back performance from the PK after allowing two power-play goals in the third period in a 6-5 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday. It was especially notable on a night where Winnipeg’s power play went 0-for-4.

The victory also snapped a two-game losing streak and finished the three-game homestand on a high note. The Jets haven’t lost three consecutive games all season.

“This is one we can, for the most part, be proud of,” said Lowry, whose assist on Connor’s game-winner was the 100^th of his career. “I liked the penalty kill, that’s a big response for us. You give up two in the third last game. We didn’t really give them a whole lot tonight. For the most part we did a good job. To end that skid, it seems like all the teams in our division are finding ways to get points so to accumulate points and keep pushing is important.”

4) The Jets are now 7-1 in overtime this season, making them the only team in the NHL with at least six victories in extra time.

There was a feeling that Connor would be the one to score given the night he had. The 26-year-old Michigan native had a career-high 11 shots on net and 14 shot attempts overall.

“He had some great looks tonight. Give their goalie a lot of credit ‘cause he made a lot of very big and timely saves for them,” said Bowness. “But he’s got one of the best releases in the league, so just keep shooting, man.”

Saros finished the game with 39 saves, while Connor Hellebuyck answered back with 25 for the win.

Up next: The Jets hit the road for back-to-back games Saturday and Sunday, beginning with the Vancouver Canucks and then the Seattle Kraken. Winnipeg is 8-4-1 away from home this season, with victories in its last four.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton