JETS WHIPPED BY DETROIT
If the 2025-26 NHL season wasn’t over for the Winnipeg Jets before Saturday night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings, it was pretty much over by the end.
The Red Wings flew into Winnipeg on Saturday and beat the Jets in every possible manner, beating the home side 5-1 with three unanswered third-period goals.
John Gibson was solid in the Red Wings net, J.T. Compher scored twice for Detroit and the rest of the Wings simply skated the Jets into the ice as Detroit improved to 32-16-5 and moved past Tampa into first place in the NHL’s Eastern Conference.
The Jets, meanwhile, fell to 20-24-7 and are now eight points out of the final playoff spot in the West with four teams in their way.
Saturday night’s game started out with some zip, but by the midway point in the second period, the Wings had taken control.
Detroit's John Gibson with the save (Photo by James Carey Lauder)
After a scoreless first period in which Detroit outshot Winnipeg 11-9, the Jets finally got on the board at 10:08 of the second just as Winnipeg’s Cole Koepke was hit from behind in front of the Detroit net.
As Koepke was sprawling on the ice, Logan Stanley’s shot from the point deflected right in front of the Jets’ forward and from his stomach, Koepke swept the puck past Wings netminder John Gibson. In a very unlikely manner, Winnipeg suddenly had a 1-0 lead. It was Koepke’s fourth of the year as Stanley and Morgan Barron drew the assists.
Detroit tied the game at 15:50 of the second frame on a goal by J.T.Compher as Stanley and Luke Schenn allowed Compher to have his way in front of Hellebuyck.
It was 1-1 when the teams went to their respective dressing rooms. Detroit outshot Winnipeg 12-10 in the second (23-19 after 40 minutes).
Detroit put the hammer down early in the third when Compher converted a perfect three-way passing play that thoroughly mesmerized the Jets defensive pairing of Stanley and Schenn. Schenn is obviously two steps too slow against this Detroit team and Compher’s finish was textbook. Detroit led 2-1 at 1:43 of the third and the Jets were reeling.
Compher scores for Detroit (Photo by James Carey Lauder)
The Wings made it 3-1 at 8:11 when Lucas Raymond scored a flukey goal when he dislodged the puck from the top of the net and slid it past Hellebuyck. It was Raymond’s 18thof the season and for a Jets team that just can’t score, this one was over.
The Wings emptied the building at 18:11 when Alex DeBrincat scored an empty netter to make it 4-1. Just 32 seconds later, the Wings made it 5-1 on a goal by Marco Kasper.
In all, the Jets were horrible – outshot 31-26, they won only 45 per cent of the faceoffs. The fans who stayed until the end booed heartily. It was kind of sad actually.
The Jets will now go out on the road for four games – in New Jersey on Tuesday, in Tampa on Thursday, in South Florida on Saturday and in Dallas on Monday, Feb. 2. The Jets final home game before the Olympic break will faceoff at 6 p.m. CST on Wednesday, Feb. 4, when the red-hot Montreal Canadiens invade Canada Life Centre.
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