Kyle Connor scored with one minute left in regulation, his second goal of the game, and the Winnipeg Jets beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 on Wednesday night at Canada Life Centre.
Cole Perfetti also scored for Winnipeg (3-0-1), which has earned points in each of its first four games. Mark Scheifele and Dylan Samberg each had two assists, and Stuart Skinner made 32 saves.
Jaden Schwartz and Fedor Svechkov scored for Colorado (2-1-0), which lost for the first time this season. Mackenzie Blackwood made 16 saves.
After a scoreless first period, Schwartz gave the Avalanche the lead at 2:51 of the second when the puck bounced to him off a mishandled clearing attempt. Connor tied it 70 seconds later by tipping Neal Pionk’s point shot, and Perfetti put Winnipeg ahead at 18:16 when Samberg’s shot from the point went in off his skate.
Svechkov tied it 2-2 at 12:35 of the third. Connor then won it at 19:00, taking a pass from Scheifele and beating Blackwood with a wrist shot from the hashmarks.
“It was a real gritty win,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said.
Connor has 328 career goals, tying Ilya Kovalchuk for third in franchise history, according to the NHL. He and Scheifele have now combined on 62 game-winning goals, the most by any pair in Jets history. Perfetti has scored in three straight games.
Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey left the game with an upper-body injury after a hit. Arniel said the team would have an update the next day.
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