The Jets didn’t just finish a back-to-back sweep in Pittsburgh - they flipped the game in a blink and walked out with first place in the Central.
Winnipeg was staring at a 1-0 hole after 40 minutes, but the third period turned into a track meet. The two teams piled up four goals in 4:19, and three of them came from the Jets as they seized control and beat the Penguins.
Pittsburgh had the early edge in the opening frame, jumping out to an 8-2 shot advantage, but Winnipeg closed that period with a 10-3 run and kept the game scoreless after 20. From there, it settled into what looked like it might become a goalie duel. Through two periods, Stevenson and Murashov were both sharp.
Then Scott Arniel started shuffling the deck after his team fell behind in the third. He moved three of his four lines, with Rosén joining Lowry and Iafallo, Barron skating with Björck and Vilardi, and Lambert lining up with Namestnikov and Koepke. The top line stayed put.
The change paid off quickly.
Alex Iafallo buried a 5-on-5 goal to tie it, and his line was right back in the middle of things soon after. Iafallo drove the net, Adam Lowry crashed in behind him, and the captain finished off the rebound into the empty net to put Winnipeg ahead 2-1.
The Penguins answered to knot it up again, but the Jets wasted almost no time responding. Just nine seconds later, Josh Morrissey jumped into the play and set up Cole Perfetti, who ripped home the go-ahead goal for a 3-2 Winnipeg lead.
That was the burst that settled everything. Four goals.
4:19. Game turned.
It was also a strong first outing in net for new Jets goalie Clay ‘Mud’ Stevenson, who stopped 30 of 32 shots for a .938 save percentage.
And after all that, Winnipeg finished the night where it wanted to be: in first place in the Central.
The Jets now head back to Winnipeg for three straight games, starting Wednesday against the Avs. They have tomorrow off.
In Other News...
Kyle Connor Is Forcing Jets Fans To Rethink His Ceiling
Kyle Connor has opened the new season looking every bit like the kind of scorer who can tilt a game before the other side realizes it is in trouble. In Winnipegs 3-2 win over Detroit, he was a force on the power play and kept stacking meaningful touches in a game the Jets needed to have, which only sharpened the conversation around how high his offensive ceiling might really be.
After finishing last season with 92 points, his second straight year above the 90-point mark, Connor is already reminding everyone why he belongs in the top tier of NHL finishers. The early returns are small in sample size, but they are loud enough to make Jets fans wonder whether this is simply another strong start or the beginning of something even bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Kyle Connor Is Giving The Jets Life During A Brutal Standoff
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What has stood out is not just the production, but the way Connors start has felt like a stabilizer for a club dealing with a brutal standoff elsewhere on the roster. The Daily Faceoff Live conversation around the situation made the same point: teams can survive a lot when the room holds together, and right now the Jets need their best players to set that tone while the rest of the story continues to unfold. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Face Early Test As New Look Meets Surging Penguins
The Jets picked up their first road win of the season with a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings, and now the schedule throws another early-season challenge at them in Pittsburgh. The Penguins arrive at 2-0, giving Winnipeg a quick chance to measure how far its new-look group has come since the opener, especially with projected lineups already starting to come into focus.
One notable wrinkle for Winnipeg is the goaltending picture, with Clay Stevenson slated to make his first appearance for the club. Up front, the Jets are also weighing some lineup tweaks after the Detroit game, including Cole Koepke in line to replace Nino Niederreiter, while Vlad Namestnikov appears set to hold onto his spot despite taking two penalties last time out. [Read more 🡒]