The Winnipeg Jets are officially slumping.
After a stretch in which they won eight of ten games, they’ve now lost three in a row for the first time this season thanks to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers Thursday night.
The Jets held a one-goal lead for most of the game, but the Oilers scored three times in the final seven minutes, including an empty-netter for their fourth straight victory.
The Jets held the Oilers two big guns in check for the first two periods. But Connor McDavid set up Leon Draisaitl for the game-winning goal on the power play with just over two minutes left after Connor Hellebuyck had just allowed a weak goal only minutes before.
The Jets only won 29 per cent of the faceoffs, going just 18-for-62 at the dot.
“Our biggest problem tonight was faceoffs,” said Jets head coach Rick Bowness. “They killed us in the faceoff circle. So, you’re chasing them all the time. We’re not trying to sit back, but they’re winning so many faceoffs, we end up chasing them. Like, what we had 29 per cent and 71 per cent. I mean, that’s pretty much the whole game.”
Cole Perfetti scored the only goal for the Jets in the loss and now has at least a point in 12 of his last 14 games.
Gabriel Vilardi returned to the Jets lineup after missing the last 18 contests. He played much of the game on the Jets fourth line to ease him back in after missing more than six weeks with a sprained knee. He had one shot on goal in a little over 13 minutes of ice time.
Vladislav Namestnikov left the game in the third period after an awkward fall. Josh Morrissey also left the game, but only temporarily. He was placed in concussion protocol briefly in the second period after a collision with Mattias Janmark that could have quite easily been interference, but no penalty was called and Morrissey returned to the game shortly after.
“It’s a blatant interference penalty to me,” said Morrissey. “Maybe they didn’t see it. It happens. I was told that we just ran into each other. So, I completely disagree with that and I don’t think he was targeting me or trying make a dirty play. I just think he was trying to run a pick and to me that’s interference all day.”
David Gustafsson came out of the lineup to make room for Vilardi. Dylan Samberg appeared in his 100th career NHL game.
The Oilers were the stronger team for much of the first, but Hellebuyck turned aside flurries of chances to keep the slate clean.
Edmonton also failed on a power play chance before Winnipeg earned an opportunity with the man advantage and cashed in late in the period.
Perfetti redirected a pass from Mark Scheifele past Stuart Skinner for his eighth of the season with 93 seconds to go in the first.
Edmonton outshot the Jets 12-8 in the opening 20 minutes but the Jets had the 1-0 lead. On the season, the Jets came in with a 5-0 record when leading after the first and a 9-1-1 mark when scoring first.
Both teams had a number of chances to score in the second period but neither could break through as it remained 1-0 after 40 minutes. Winnipeg had two power plays in the middle frame but the Oilers killed them both as each team managed to get ten shots on goal in the period.
The tight checking continued into the third as the Jets nursed their one-goal lead in front of 13,611 fans, the largest crowd at Canada Life Centre this season.
Hellebuyck had been perfect as the clock wound down, stopping the first 31 shots he faced but with just under seven minutes left, a seemingly innocuous wrister from Darnell Nurse from just inside the blue line squeezed through the Jets’ goalie to tie the game.
Edmonton got a great chance to take the lead with 3:24 to go when Vilardi was called for holding-the-stick, and the Oilers took full advantage.
McDavid found Draisaitl for a one-timer below the faceoff dot and he blasted it home to put the Oilers in front for the first time all night with only 2:14 remaining.
The Jets pulled the goalie but couldn’t get anything going before Ryan McLeod iced it with 20 seconds left.
Edmonton outshot the Jets 39-26 to extend their win streak to four games and hand Winnipeg a third straight defeat.
The Jets will look to turn things around Saturday afternoon when they host Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks.
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