Jets’ Perfetti hoping to build on strong game, first goal

CALGARY – Counted on to shoulder a bigger role with the Winnipeg Jets this season, Cole Perfetti notched his first goal of the season on Saturday.

Sidelined the first month of the season with a lower-body injury, Perfetti’s third-period power-play marker helped the Jets to a 4-3 shootout victory over the Calgary Flames.

For 17-plus minutes, it looked like his goal 1:20 into the third period would be the winner before Matt Coronato tied the game at 18:46 with the goalie pulled. But the Jets prevailed on Gabriel Vilardi’s goal in the shootout.

Mark Scheifele and Tanner Pearson also scored for Winnipeg (11-7-0).

Jake Bean, Kevin Bahl and Matt Coronato scored for Calgary (5-12-3).

Connor Hellebuyck had 31 stops to improve to 8-6-0 while Dustin Wolf, who had 20 saves, falls to 5-10-2.

“Felt good,” said Perfetti, who missed 14 games with the injury sustained in the pre-season. “Had some chances so far this year, and missing some grade As, and had a couple chances in this game.”

Coming off a season in which the 23-year-old right-winger set career highs with 18 goals and 50 points, the higher expectations comes after the summer departure of Nik Ehlers, who signed with the Carolina Hurricanes as a free agent.

“We lose Ehlers, (Perfetti’s) on that line, and he gives us offence. He’s got a good hockey IQ when it comes to playing in the offensive side of things,” said Jets coach Scott Arniel.

It’s on the man advantage where further opportunity knocks for Perfetti, elevated to the No. 1 unit where he replaces Ehlers in the bumper position.

“He’s got a good shot, he’s got a nose for the net, and as he gets more and more comfortable, that’s that secondary scoring that we need,” said Arniel.

But missing the first month was definitely a setback that will take him a while to overcome.

“He’s like a lot of our guys that are just coming back into the lineup. It’s taken them game reps, shift after shift, to get themselves back up to speed,” said Arniel.

But it’s coming.

“I’m seeing him start to do a lot more of the things that he’s good at. It’s just hard on them. They’re not used to playing into the contact and you get caught in one of those heavy shifts in the D-zone, or you’re battling on the offensive side. They wear you down and when you haven’t done it for a few months, it can be hard on the body. He’s not a big guy, and he’s gradually getting himself up to speed.”

The Jets have been rolling on the power play of late. A perfect 1-for-1 night has them at 4-for-8 over the last three games.

“It’s obviously been nice. It started to click in Vancouver. I mentioned that if we’re good on our retrievals and our attacks, good things happen,” said Arniel.

“The puck movement was real sharp and quick and then when we attacked, we had all of the numbers there in front of their net. We had three guys right down in tight. Sometimes you’re going to score on the pretty looks, other times you’re going to get those ones. (Perfetti) did a good job of finding that puck.”

Josh Morrissey, who had two assists to extend his point streak to five games (2-6-8) was happy to see Perfetti notch his first.

“He is a goal scorer, an offensive player, and it’s nice to get that first one and start to roll from there, the net seems to look a little bit bigger after you do,” said Morrissey. “He has been playing really well and he is a key player for us and so smart out there.”

This surge from the power play is timed with Perfetti’s return to the lineup.

“The power plays are trending in the right direction now, and we’re starting to make an impact in games,” said Perfetti. “Feels good to be part of that and contribute.”

The hot stretch on the man advantage comes on the heels of going 0-for-11 with the extra man while being swept in their three games in California to begin a six-game road trip that wrapped up Saturday with the Jets finishing 2-4-0.

“Go home, get some rest, and start a couple games at home, and use this as just a stepping-stone in the right direction,” said Perfetti.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 15, 2025.