Mark Scheifele scored with 1.6 seconds remaining to lift the Winnipeg Jets to a 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday.
The win came after Winnipeg squandered a three-goal lead, only to recover with a dramatic late-game power play goal.
The Jets took an early lead with a power-play goal from Cole Perfetti at 1:53 of the second period, extending it to 2-0 when Morgan Barron scored at 12:38.
Brayden Yager, in his sixth NHL game, scored his first career goal on the power play just 8:10 into the third period, pushing the lead to 3-0. Mom, dad and grandpa were here, so it was pretty cool to do it in front of them. Unbelievable feeling. Dream come true,
Yager said.
Mark Scheifele 🤝 Brayden Yager Game-winning goal 🤝 First NHL goal pic.twitter.com/ShzpxEueGa
The Lightning mounted a furious comeback in the final minutes of the third period. After Brandon Hagel scored with 9:38 remaining, Pontus Holmberg tied the game with two goals just 26 seconds apart, with 5:59 and 5:33 left in regulation. Hopefully it’s not too serious,
coach Jon Cooper said. But unfortunately he might miss some time.
With the game on the line, Winnipeg was awarded a 5-on-3 power play. Scheifele capitalized, scoring on a one-timer from the high slot off a pass from Perfetti to secure the win.
We’ve got a lot of great guys on this team, guys with a lot of heart and a lot of skill. They don’t ask how. They just ask how many wins,
Scheifele said. We’ll put that one in the chamber and not look at it again,
Scheifele added. The Jets extended their win streak to three games after dropping nine straight.
Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper addressed his team’s late collapse after playing two games in less than 24 hours. We went down 3-0 as a team, we came back from three down in the last few minutes of the game as a team, and we ended up coughing it up as a team. There’s no pointing fingers at one player, it’s a team sport,
Cooper stated. He also noted the team was fatigued, saying the first thing to go is the mind, not the legs.
Cooper elaborated, We played two games in less than 24 hours with travel, and I think the boys went to bed at 3 a.m. last night. We were a gassed group… It just (stinks) the way it ended.
Winnipeg coach Arniel noted the dramatic comeback in Montreal was the catalyst the team needed after losing nine straight games.
You can see that the big weight is off their shoulders — you can see it in practice, you can hear them joking in the room and even just on the bench,
Arniel said. They’re pushing each other and I think that breaking those bubbles helps everybody feel more confident.
The Lightning will visit the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday, while the Jets will host the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.
Scheifele recorded two points including the game winner with less than two seconds remaining in a 4-3 win over Tampa!@JamieThomasTV GAME RECAP 🔽
