The Winnipeg Jets opened a tough four-game road trip Tuesday night with a 4-3 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals in a chance game.
The Jets scored a few goals in just over two minutes to start the game, but then surrendered the next three consecutive goals to give the Caps the lead. Pierre-Luc Dubois tied the game with just a minute left and the goalkeeper pulled, only for the Jets to lose just 26 seconds in extra time.
“We do not like to lose,” Dubois said. “Tomorrow we can probably look back on it and say we got a point against a good team, in a difficult building to play in, but tonight it feels as if we have lost that point quite a bit.
“It will be a long road trip. Every team on this road trip is doing very well at the moment and are good teams. This is going to be a good test for us. At the end of the year, if you look at the points ladder, it’s usually a point or two that means you’re in or out of the playoffs. For us to get a point tonight, it’s a point in the bank. ”
Dubois and Kyle Connor each had a goal and a helper in the loss, while Mark Scheifele scored a few assists.
The Jets dominated the start of the hockey game with countless quality chances and could probably have had a three or four goal lead, but the Caps only got stronger as the game progressed.
“I liked the way we stayed with our game,” said head coach Dave Lowry. “I thought we had a good start. Did a lot of things right, but look at the team you play. They have a bunch of world-class stars in their team, and they’re not going to leave. They got their legs under them. They took over the game, but I still thought we did very good things. “
Cole Perfetti scored his first career NHL goal in the loss. Perfetti switched to a 2-on-1 after a nice setup by Dubois.
“It was crazy,” Perfetti says. “You dream of scoring your first goal in the NHL, and I do not really know where I put it in the net. Like, I kind of got blanked. And then it was all just a whirlwind. And then came back to the bench and I was actually watching Dubey (Dubois), I’m just like, I can not believe I just scored in the NHL. It was just a surreal moment, it hit me quite hard when I got to the bank. It was quite special. “
But the Jets also lost the services of forward Nikolaj Ehlers in his first game back from COVID protocols. Ehlers received a knee-to-knee blow from Dmitry Orlov in the third period. Ehlers left the game and did not return, and afterwards Lowry said he would probably miss more than just a game, but he would be re-evaluated in the morning.
“He’s not going to play next game,” Lowry said. “That’s probably all I can offer you now.”
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Orlov was not punished for the blatant shot on Ehlers’ knee.
“I’m disappointed,” Lowry said. “When you lose a player, you are disappointed, and we have the luxury of repetition. You know, it’s a fast game, and the four of them did not see it the same way we saw it.
“I am losing a world-class player.”
The Jets have not won in Washington since January 2013, a series of nine consecutive defeats.
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After playing just one game in the previous 11 days, the Jets showed no signs of rusting out of the gates. Only 22 seconds after the opening match, Ehlers was released and was hacked when he rushed to the net.
That put Winnipeg on the power play where Andrew Copp’s missed shot hit right from the end boards and onto Connor’s stick, pulling it past Vitek Vanecek to put the Jets just 62 seconds ahead.
A little over a minute later, Dubois found Perfetti on a 2-on-1, and the rookie made no mistake for his first career NHL goal.
The Jets looked dangerous in transition for much of the period, which included a breakaway for Copp, but the puck rolled on him and he could not beat Vanecek.
With just over three minutes left in the first, the one guy you really do not want to leave completely alone in front of your goalkeeper is left alone in front of Connor Hellebuyck.
Alex Ovechkin got lost in cover, the puck was lined up on a silver platter and buried in the gaping cage to cut the lead in half. It was his league-leading 27th goal of the season and 757th of his career, nine behind Jaromir Jagr for the third most in NHL history. It also moved him past Mike Modano to 24th place on the NHL’s all-time standings.
Not long after, Perfetti set up a great chance for Dubois, but he hit it off the post. A penalty was imposed on the play, but Winnipeg could not pay.
The Capitals would even have scored 4:26 in the second win. The shooter went back to Orlov on the spot and his shot found its way past a shielded Hellebuyck.
Washington was more dangerous in the second and each team had a power play chance coming and going, but the score remained 2-2 after 40 minutes with the shots also on 21 aside.
The home team would take the lead just over four minutes after the third. A turnaround by Aliaksei Protas slipped off his stick, but from Nate Schmidt’s skate, rolled off Hellebuyck’s sheet and sifted over the goal line.
Winnipeg had plenty of time to push for the equalizer, but they would lose one of their most dangerous players with just over six and a half minutes left. Ehlers received a knee-to-knee blow from Orlov that was unannounced, and sent Ehlers to the locker room.
Two minutes later, the Jets found themselves on the power play, but could not beat Vanecek.
The Jets would get one last chance to level the game with the goalie drawn, and with 65 seconds left, it was Dubois’ 16th of the season that closed matters. After some good shot moves, Scheifele turned one on target and the setback found its way to Adam Lowry, who sent a short pass through the blue paint to an uncovered Dubois.
The late goal gave the Jets a point, but that’s all they would get. Evgeny Kuznetsov set up Tom Wilson alone ahead of Hellebuyck just 26 seconds into overtime for the match-winning goal. It was the first time the Capitals had scored an overtime goal this season.
Hellebuyck ended the game with 27 defeats, while Vanecek was excellent after allowing two early goals and stopping 30 shots that night.
The Jets are now off to Nashville to tackle the Predators Thursday night. You can listen to the pre-match program at 5pm on 680 CJOB, followed by puck drop just after 7pm
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