The Winnipeg Jets won their fourth in a row, defeating the host Montreal Canadiens 4-1 on Tuesday. A dominant second period in which Kyle Connor scored his second of the game with just 1.5 seconds left helped seal the defeat for the Habs, who also lost defenseman Kaiden Guhle to apparent injury.
Game Recap
Connor also tied the game in the first after the Canadiens opened the scoring midway through the frame, Juraj Slafkovsky scoring from the faceoff circle off a Nick Suzuki pass. At the time the Habs held a 12-3 edge in shots, but the Jets turned it on from that point on, with Connor beating goalie Sam Montembeault in close a few minutes later.
Mark Scheifele put the Jets up for good midway through the second period, again from in close on Montembeault, with Gabe Vilardi collecting his second assist of the game on the play. While the Canadiens had dominated the first, the Jets did the same in the second, holding a decisive 11-0 lead in shots in the frame at that point. From the point at which Slafkovsky had scored for the Habs, the Jets outshot the opposition 15-3.
Related: Projected Lineups for Jets vs Canadiens – 1/28/25
Connor effectively put the game out of reach with his second. With time winding down, Connor put it deep in the offensive zone. Forward David Gustafsson won the puck battle behind the net and fed it back to Connor, for the 3-1 score.
The Canadiens put forth a good effort in the third, with seven shots on net to the Jets’ four, with Josh Anderson getting the best chance on a breakaway on which he failed to put it past starter Connor Hellebuyck. Overall, Hellebuyck turned aside 24 of 25 shots. Montembeault made 20 saves, with Rasmus Kupari scoring an insurance, empty-net goal with 1:45 left.
While the Western Conference-leading, 35-14-3 Jets continue to fly high, the Canadiens have now lost three in a row, with head coach Martin St. Louis sitting at 99 career victories behind the bench all the while. As a result of the loss, they failed to gain ground in the Eastern wild-card race. Their biggest loss was potentially Guhle, who left the game after falling the wrong way going for a loose puck five minutes into the third.
The Canadiens are now 24-21-5, set to continue their homestand on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild. The Jets next visit the Boston Bruins, also on Thursday.
