Neal Pionk scored 17 seconds into overtime and Connor Hellebuyck made 25 saves as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 in Denver on Wednesday night.
Morgan Barron and Gabriel Vilardi also scored and Josh Morrissey and Vladislav Namestnikov had two assists each for Winnipeg, which won the season series 3-1.
Pionk got the puck from Namestnikov as he skated down the right side and, right after entering the Colorado zone, beat Mackenzie Blackwood with a blast to end it.
Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar scored goals, Jonathan Drouin had two assists and Blackwood turned away 22 shots for the Avalanche.
Linesman Jonny Murray was helped off the ice at 7:26 of the second period after he was clipped on the right leg by Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews. Murray was on his hands and knees on the ice for a few minutes before Colorado’s trainers took him back to the locker room.
Play continued with one linesman, and Murray returned at the start of the third period but left again part way through.
The game was scoreless until MacKinnon broke through against Hellebuyck at 6:09 of the second period. MacKinnon got a pass at the top of the zone, skated down the right slot and wristed a shot off the right post. He got his own rebound and snapped it by the diving Hellebuyck to open the scoring.
Winnipeg tied it midway through the second when David Gustafsson sent a pass to the front of the net and Barron deflected it over Blackwood at 10:56. The Jets then took the lead late in the frame when Morrissey’s wide shot hit off Vilardi and went in at 18:44.
Makar got the Avalanche even again at 7:05 of the third period. He got a backhand pass from Mikko Rantanen, carried the puck into the left circle and stickhandled it to his forehand and beat Hellebuyck with a shot high to the far side as he was falling to the ice.
Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele nearly broke the tie late in the third when he had a point-blank chance on Blackwood, but the goalie stopped the initial shot and the rebound attempt.
–Field Level Media
