The Winnipeg Jets were defeated by the Vegas Golden Knights in overtime, extending their losing streak to eight consecutive games against the Golden Knights. The game, which took place on Thursday, ended 3-2 in favor of Vegas, with Ivan Barbashev scoring the winning goal just 3:47 into overtime. Barbashev capitalized on a turnover by the Jets, netting his 14th goal of the season past Connor Hellebuyck on the blocker side. Keegan Kolesar and Victor Olofsson also scored for Vegas, while Shea Theodore assisted on two of the goals. Goaltender Adin Hill made 18 saves to secure the victory.
For the Jets, Nikita Chibrikov and Josh Morrissey were the goal-scorers, and Hellebuyck recorded 33 saves. Despite being outshot 12-4 in the first period, the Jets led 1-0 after Chibrikov’s goal. He was in the right place at the right time to score off a rebound from Vladislav Namestnikov’s shot. The second period saw a lack of offensive activity, as Winnipeg didn’t register a shot on goal until 13:01. By that point, Vegas had only taken three shots. The Jets improved in the latter half of the period but finished with six shots compared to Vegas’s 10.
In the third period, Kolesar tied the game for Vegas, scoring on a low shot that may have deflected on the way in. Morrissey responded with a goal at 10:55 to give the Jets a 2-1 lead. However, late penalties by Gabriel Vilardi and Dylan DeMelo, who took tripping penalties just 13 seconds apart, allowed Vegas to capitalize. Olofsson tied the game with a power-play goal at 1:49, sending the game into overtime.
Key moments in the game included the costly penalties by the Jets in the final minutes, which allowed Vegas to pull even and eventually win in overtime. Despite an extended dry spell where they didn’t register a shot for over 18 minutes, the Jets showed improvement but couldn’t capitalize on their opportunities. The Golden Knights, on the other hand, came into the game fresh after a five-day break and dominated in shots, outshooting the Jets 36-20.
The loss extended Winnipeg’s winless streak against Vegas to eight regular-season games (0-6-2). The Jets will look to end their four-game homestand on a positive note when they face the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. Vegas will continue their road trip against the Edmonton Oilers on the same day.