The Winnipeg Jets beat the Minnesota Wild 5-2 at Canada Life Centre on Tuesday, with Mark Scheifele piling up a goal and two assists to key the win. Cole Perfetti scored twice, including a power-play goal, as Winnipeg improved to 4-1-1 and handed Minnesota its second loss of the season.
Kirill Kaprizov scored both Wild goals in the first period, but Minnesota could not solve Jets goaltender Stuart Skinner the rest of the way. Skinner finished with 19 saves as Winnipeg outscored the Wild 3-0 over the final two periods to pull away. The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for Minnesota, which had beaten the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 on Monday.
Key Moments: How Winnipeg Pulled Away
The first period alone produced four goals. Perfetti opened the scoring at 1:50, tipping a point shot from Neal Pionk under the blocker of Wild goaltender Calvin Pickard. Kaprizov answered at 8:47, intercepting a pass from Dylan Samberg and batting a rebound past Skinner to tie it 1-1.
Scheifele put Winnipeg back in front at 17:54 on a cross-crease feed from Pionk, tapping the puck home for a 2-1 lead. Kaprizov tied it again just 44 seconds later, tipping a Quinn Hughes shot past Skinner to make it 2-2 heading into the second period.
Perfetti broke the tie for good in the second period, scoring on the power play at 16:36 with a one-timer from the left hash mark to put Winnipeg ahead 3-2. The Jets converted one of two power-play chances for a 50% success rate, while Minnesota went 0 for 2 with the man advantage.
Winnipeg added insurance in the third. Kyle Connor spun away from Tyler Pitlick and beat Pickard with a wrist shot from the high slot that caromed off the post and in at 4:06, making it 4-2. Cole Koepke finished the scoring at 14:42, converting a 2-on-1 rush with Vladislav Namestnikov for the 5-2 final.
Top Performers
Scheifele’s three-point night led all skaters, with Pionk also chipping in two assists for Winnipeg. Connor finished with a goal and an assist, while Perfetti’s two goals paced the Jets’ attack.
For Minnesota, Kaprizov’s two goals accounted for both of the Wild’s offense, and Jonas Brodin picked up the lone assist of the night for the visitors. Pickard made 20 saves in his Minnesota debut, stopping 20 of 25 shots he faced.
What It Means
Winnipeg has won four of its last five games and sits atop the Central Division with nine points, tied with Minnesota despite the head-to-head result. The season series now favors the Jets, who lead 1-0 after the win, according to NHL.com.
Minnesota’s two-game win streak, which included a victory over the Golden Knights detailed in the Wild’s recap against Vegas, came to an end. The Wild remain 4-2-1 on the season.
What’s Next
The Jets and Wild will look to their next matchups as the Central Division race continues to tighten, with eight points separating the top team from the bottom of the standings. Winnipeg fans can also track the status of defenseman Josh Morrissey, who has been dealing with an upper-body injury this season.
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