DeMelo breaks tie late, Jets edge Kraken to extend point streak to 5

WINNIPEG -- Dylan DeMelo broke a tie with 27 seconds remaining in the third period, and the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Seattle Kraken 2-1 at Canada Life Centre on Thursday.

DeMelo scored top corner with a wrist shot through traffic. Seattle defenseman Adam Larsson’s clearing attempt redirected off a stanchion to Nikolaj Ehlers, who then fed it to DeMelo toward the high slot.

“It was a very unfortunate bounce for Seattle, for sure,” DeMelo said. “It went off a stanchion and then maybe [Ehlers] was the only guy to see it. He then just pulled up on a dime. I saw a hole and was able to take it. We had a great screen in front from [Alex Iafallo and Adam Lowry] and the goalie didn’t see anything. I was able to put it top shelf.”

DeMelo, who scored his second goal of the season, was playing in his 600th NHL game.

“That was awesome. Obviously, I’m a guy who doesn’t score a lot,” DeMelo said. “Six hundred games is a great accomplishment, I’m proud of it. It takes a lot of people to help you get there… That was special in its own right. And then to get the game-winner, that just kind of put the cherry on the top, and then to get the win. It was a really special night and one that I’ll remember.”

Mark Scheifele also scored for the Jets (31-12-3), who extended their point streak to five games (4-0-1) with their third straight win. Connor Hellebuyck made 18 saves.

“[DeMelo] plays the right way, every single game,” Ehlers said. “Funny guy off the ice. Super-nice guy who wants to win as bad as everyone else in here. And it's a family. It's something special. I don't know if you guys will see the reaction we had in here (the locker room) after, when he came in, but that's the fun part. Special.”

Matty Beniers scored for the Kraken (19-24-3), who have lost six of eight (2-5-1). Joey Daccord made 34 saves.

“(We) play a game like that against a good team -- in the battle, in the fight,” Seattle coach Dan Bylsma said. “We played a great first period and disappointing how it ended there in the last 30 seconds… They got a bounce, yes. You make your own luck. There’s 35 seconds left to go and we go back for a breakout and -- I don’t know what it hit, it hit something trying to get it around and up the wall -- and gave them the puck in the offensive zone.”

Beniers gave the Kraken a 1-0 lead at 8:12 of the first period, lifting Kaapo Kakko’s centering pass high over Hellebuyck’s leg.

“It starts with a good play by [Jaden Schwartz] bringing it up the wall, chips it over the two defensemen's heads,” Beniers said. “Kaapo corrals it and makes an awesome backhand saucer pass to me. So, great plays by those two. You know, they're playing awesome.”

Scheifele tied it 1-1 on the power play at 9:35 of the second period. The rebound from Kyle Connor's shot bounced to Scheifele, who one-timed it past Daccord.

“I liked how we played the last two periods. Not so much the first,” Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said. “You’ve got to [give] credit to Seattle, too. They came hard. We gave up four odd-man rushes… But we settled down, and like you mentioned, we took over the second and it carried right over into the third.”

NOTES: DeMelo scored the second-latest go-ahead goal by a defenseman in Jets/Thrashers history behind only Dustin Byfuglien (59:50 on April 7, 2016). … Connor (26 goals, 34 assists in 46 games) tied Blake Wheeler (46 games in 2018-19) as the fastest player in Jets history to reach the 60-point mark in a season. Ilya Kovalchuk (39 games in 2005-06 and 44 games in 2007-08) and Marc Savard (44 games in 2005-06) hit the mark in fewer games with the Thrashers. … Kakko, who had an assist, has five points (three goals, two assists) during a four-game point streak, tied for the most in any four-game span in his career. He has 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 13 games with Seattle since being acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers on Dec. 18. … Seattle forward Brandon Tanev was a game-time decision (illness) and did not play.