WINNIPEG — Cole Perfetti supplied two goals, Mark Scheifele put up three points and the Winnipeg Jets rode a decisive second half to a 5-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild at Canada Life Centre on Tuesday.
Jets find their finishing touch
Winnipeg improved to 4-1-1 and has now taken four of its past five games. Stuart Skinner turned aside 19 shots, while Scheifele scored once and set up two more in a busy night for the Jets’ top contributors.
- Perfetti opened the scoring and added the eventual winner on the power play.
- Scheifele finished with a goal and two assists.
- Kyle Connor recorded a goal and an assist.
- Neal Pionk contributed two assists, including helpers on both of Winnipeg’s first-period goals.
- Cole Koepke closed the scoring with a third-period rush goal.
Perfetti got Winnipeg moving 1:50 into the first period. He drove into the slot and redirected Pionk’s shot from the blue line beneath Calvin Pickard’s blocker for a 1-0 lead.
Minnesota answered through Kirill Kaprizov at 8:47. Kaprizov picked off a Dylan Samberg pass in the Jets zone, was denied on his first chance by Skinner, then knocked the loose puck out of mid-air for the equalizer.
Kaprizov answers, Scheifele responds
The opening period turned into a quick exchange of finishes. Pionk worked below the goal line before finding Scheifele at the far side of the crease, where the Jets center converted at 17:54 to restore Winnipeg’s lead.
That advantage lasted only 44 seconds. Kaprizov tipped a Quinn Hughes shot past Skinner, sending the clubs into the first intermission level at 2-2. The Wild winger had both Minnesota goals in the opening 20 minutes.
Minnesota entered the night at 4-2-1 after winning consecutive games, most recently a 4-2 result against the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday. Pickard, making his Wild debut, finished with 20 saves.
Power play swings the game
Perfetti broke the tie late in the second period, drilling a one-timer from the left faceoff circle at 16:36 with Winnipeg on the power play. The goal gave the Jets a 3-2 edge heading into the final frame.
- At 4:06 of the third, Connor shook free from Tyler Pitlick in the high slot and snapped a shot off the post and into the net to make it 4-2.
- Koepke added the final goal at 14:42, finishing low on Pickard’s stick side during a 2-on-1 with Vladislav Namestnikov.
The Jets kept the Wild off the board after Kaprizov’s second goal and used their depth scoring to turn a one-goal contest into a three-goal finish.
