Kyle Connor's late goal lifts Jets past Avalanche in thriller
Stuart Skinner made 32 saves and Cole Perfetti extended his goal streak as Winnipeg improved to 3-0-1.
WINNIPEG — Kyle Connor scored his second goal of the night with one minute remaining in regulation to lift the Winnipeg Jets to a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday at Canada Life Centre.
Mark Scheifele sent a perfect pass from near the boards to Connor charging the net, and the winger fired a wrist shot past Avalanche goalie Mackenzie Blackwood for his fifth goal of the season. "Scheifele went down the side of the boards with the puck and sent a quick pass over to Connor, who beat Blackwood with a wrist shot that stood up as the game winner," according to game reports.
"Just trying to complement them any way I can and be the best trio we can be," said Cole Perfetti, who scored Winnipeg's second goal while playing on the top line with Connor and Scheifele. "Obviously, those two have played together for a while and their chemistry is off the charts."
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Stuart Skinner made 32 saves in an outstanding performance for Winnipeg (3-0-1), which extended its season-opening point streak to four games. The Jets were outshot 34-19 but improved to 5-1-0 in their last six home games against Colorado.
Jaden Schwartz opened the scoring at 2:51 of the second period when he pounced on a loose puck in front, but Connor tied it 70 seconds later by deflecting Neal Pionk's point shot for his fourth goal of the season and 14th career tally against Colorado.
A Dylan Samberg shot went in off Perfetti's skate at 18:16 of the second period to give Winnipeg a 2-1 lead. It was Perfetti's third goal of the season, extending his goal streak to three games, and the fourth of his career against Colorado.
Fedor Svechkov tied the game at 12:35 of the third period with his first goal as an Avalanche, poking in a loose puck after a shot from Brett Kulak. Schwartz picked up an assist on the play for his second point of the night.
Connor and Perfetti have now combined for eight of Winnipeg's 12 goals this season. Connor leads the team with five goals and seven points, while Perfetti has three goals and six points.
Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey left the game with an upper-body injury after grabbing his right hand following a hit into the boards late in the first period. He attempted one shift in the second period before exiting for good.
The Avalanche (2-1-0), who had scored 14 goals in their first two games, went 0-for-1 on the power play while Winnipeg failed to register a shot on two man advantages.
Up next: The Avalanche visit the Calgary Flames on Thursday, while the Jets host the Vancouver Canucks on Friday.
With files from Yahoo Sports, Sportsnet and The Globe and Mail