Jets Fight Back From 3-0 Deficit but Lose 4-2 to Oilers

Needing a big home win over a Western Conference rival, the Winnipeg Jets stumbled early and then didn't have enough horses at the end. The red-hot Edmonton Oilers came to Canada Life Centre in the middle of a nasty blizzard on Saturday afternoon and as Connor McDavid blew the doors off the building in the first two periods with a goal and two assists, the Oilers barely hung on and left town with a 4-2 victory. Playing without the likes of Nikolaj Ehlers and Cole Perfetti, the Jets offence was AWOL for the first 50 minutes of the game as Winnipeg's two-game winning streak was stopped and the Jets finished their four-game homestead with a 2-2-0 record. The Jets gave it a furious effort over the final 10 minutes, but the damage was done and Winnipeg simply didn't have enough offence to come back from a 3-0 deficit with only a half a period to play. To their credit, the Jets came out quickly in the first period but then, after getting no shots during a two-man advantage, they collapsed. In the final 13 minutes of the period, Edmonton dominated Winnipeg, outshot them 13-1 (after the Jets led 4-2 in shots early) and scored the first goal of the game on a power play at 12:17 when Zach Hyman (with his 17th of the year) tipped home a blast from the point off the stick of Tyson Barrie. Connor McDavid also drew an assist, his 44th assist of the season and 69th point. The Oilers took a 2-0 lead at 7:46 of the second period when Kailer Yamamoto banged home a rebound after a rush by McDavid. McDavid picked up another assist. A few minutes later, with the teams playing four-on-four, McDavid scored his 26th of the season on a pass from Leon Draisaitl and the Jets appeared  dead in the water. Meanwhile, Edmonton's biggest moment in the second period came late when filthy-dirty Leon Draisaitl speared the Jets Kyle Connor and got away with a two-minute slashing penalty. Gotta love the NHL. Edmonton outshot Winnipeg 13-11 in the second (28-16 after two periods) and, at this point, were in complete control of the contest. The Jets finally got on the board when Adam Lowry went in alone on a breakaway at 10:45 of the third and beat Mikko Koskinen through the five hole. It was a shorthanded goal after Evgeny Shvechnikov was handed a double minor for interference and unsportsmanlike conduct. It was the Jets second breakaway of the four-minute shorthanded session. On the first one, Brenden Dillon went in alone, but was beaten by Koskinen. Then, the Jets gave themselves a chance. On the power play at 14:38, Kyle Connor blasted a shot past Koskinen on the short side to make 3-2. It was Connor's 29th of the season as Josh Morrissey and Blake Wheeler drew the assists. However, despite a late power play and despite buzzing the Oilers net for the final two minutes of the game, the Jets couldn't get the goal they needed and instead, Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse fired a blind, bouncing shot that went the length of the ice and hopped into the empty net to give Edmonton the 4-2 victory. The Oilers outshot the Jets 12-8 in the third period and 40-24 overall. The Jets had 82 shots in their first two games against the Oilers this season, including 17 in a single period in the second meeting, a game in which the Jets had 47 total shots on goal. However, without the Likes of Ehlers and Perfetti, this wasn't the same offence. Edmonton won 54 per cent of the face-offs while Winnipeg outhit the Oilers 23-13. Both teams had a power play goal. The Jets went one-for-six while Edmonton went one-for-five. Lowry had the best line of the game with a goal and a point, he was plus-one with a shot and two hits in 16 minutes and 49 seconds of ice time. He also won 50 per cent of his face-offs. Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was probably the best player on the ice, making 37 saves, some of them truly outstanding. He gave the Jets a chance to come back. With the loss, the Jets fell to 22-19-8 on the season and have a real uphill climb over the final 33 games if they hope to make the playoffs. The Jets play again on Monday afternoon, Louis Riel Day, in Calgary against the white-hot Flames. It's first game of a tough four-game Western road trip.