THREE THINGS: Connor OT hero in huge win over Wild

Kyle Connor scored 46 seconds into overtime to lift the Winnipeg Jets to a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Wild at Grand Casino Arena on Tuesday night. Nino Niederreiter, Vlad Namestnikov and Gabe Vilardi also scored for the Jets (7-3), and Logan Stanley (2A) and Neal Pionk (2A) had multi-point nights. Connor Hellebuyck was brilliant stopping 33 shots for his fifth win of the season. The Jets improved to 7-3-0 (14 points) – tied for their second-highest win total through 10 games of a season behind only their Presidents’ Trophy-winning campaign in 2024-25 (9-1-0). Winnipeg will return home to host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.

IDEAL START

The Jets knew that the Wild were looking for a good start after Minnesota fell behind 3-0 to Utah on Saturday and 2-0 to San Jose on Sunday in back-to-back losses on home ice. After weathering an early push from Minnesota, Winnipeg got the start they were hoping for as they scored two goals 22 seconds apart which is their fastest two goals of the season.

SECOND PERIOD ISSUES

Winnipeg has really struggled with the second period this season and Tuesday was another example of that after they were outplayed in the middle frame. The Wild owned most of the second period and closed within one goal thanks to a goal mouth scramble that saw Kirill Kaprizov slam in a loose puck at 6:03. Minnesota would tie the game thanks to Brock Faber getting a lucky bounce after his initial shot went off the glass and then off Connor Hellebuyck and into the net to tie the game at two.

CUE THE COMEBACK

After Marcus Johansson gave the Wild the lead for the first time of the night with a power play goal at 3:48 of the third, the Jets turned a corner. The new look line of Morgan Barron, Gustav Nyquist and Nino Niederreiter went to work at 11:35, the Swiss forward hammered home a loose puck behind Filip Gustavsson at 11:35.

After an evenly played third period, the Jets didn’t take long to get the extra point as they forced a turnover in overtime. Then it was Josh Morrissey to Mark Scheifele who spotted Kyle Connor in the high slot and the Jets winger ended the night with a wrist shot for his fifth of the season.

“We kind of pressured when it was loose puck in the neutral zone. Got it turned around, got some speed and great entry by J-Mo and Scheif, and I just found some quiet ice,” said Kyle Connor.

“And, you know, I was trying to get through a screen. Saw a little hole in the far side.”