Jo Mo the hero with OT winner as Jets overpower Oilers 5-4

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This article was published 12/12/2018 (1975 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Josh Morrissey watched the world’s best player rattle a shot off the post in overtime — then made the most of his own chance to be the hero Thursday night.

The Winnipeg Jets defenceman got the puck moving the other way following Connor McDavid’s close call, then joined the rush and ripped the winner just 41 seconds into the three-on-three session as his team beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 at Bell MTS Place.

“To find a way to get that win was big,” Morrissey said of closing out the four-game homestand in style. “(Blake Wheeler) made a good play under pressure, got it to (Mark Scheifele), and then I kind of just saw the open space and took off. When you’re playing with those guys they’re going to find you. That’s kind of how I saw it. Was nice to get one.”

It appears these teams aren’t capable of playing a dull game against each other. 

Winnipeg raced out to a 3-1 advantage early in the second period, then watched it slip away as Edmonton took advantage of some sloppy play and scored three straight goals before the intermission. But the Jets came up with perhaps their most dominant period of the season, getting a tying goal from Scheifele and outshooting Edmonton 17-2 (and an incredible 41-5 on shot attempts included blocks and misses).

“We came in here after the second, regrouped and came out really hard. Our top players were great and found a way to tie it up. It was great to get that overtime win, for sure,” said Morrissey.

Winnipeg improves to 20-9-2 with the win, their seventh victory in the past eight games, including three in a row at home. Edmonton falls to 17-12-3 as their four-game win streak came to an end.

The wide-open affair was a bit of a surprising look for both teams, who had been putting a premium on defensive play lately. But with several scoring stars on their respective rosters, perhaps it was inevitable offence would become the main focus, at least on this night.

“When we get the lead on them, they have some good offensive players, they open their game up a little bit. Then they got the lead on us and almost the exact same thing happened in the third,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice said of how things quickly changed.

The first several minutes of the game probably looked like both coaches had hoped. Lots of getting pucks deep, safe passes, strong forechecking and good backchecking. And no goals.

Edmonton struck first thanks to a Winnipeg turnover. Jack Roslovic’s pass attempt was intercepted by Leon Draisaitl, who fed Ryan Spooner for the opening tally 10:12 into the period.

Winnipeg came back a few minutes later, scoring twice in a 68-second span. Mathieu Perreault’s backhander on the power play tied it up, and then Nikolaj Ehlers’ pass attempt went off Oilers defenceman Kevin Gravel’s skate and past Cam Talbot.

Patrik Laine made it 3-1 just 1:42 into the second period, as his wrister from the shot trickled through Talbot. Laine’s team-leading 22nd goal of the season was his first in seven games and broke a Winnipeg streak of 26 consecutive goals that hadn’t been scored by No. 29.

It’s safe to say the Jets didn’t exactly handle the two-goal lead well, which has been a problem at various points this season — including an Oct. 16 meeting with Edmonton in which a 4-1 third-period lead ended up in a 5-4 overtime loss.

The Oilers didn’t wait that long to rally this time, storming back with three goals before the middle frame ended. Defenceman Darnell Nurse knocked one in off his skate at 6:04, Jujhar Khaira redirected a pass at 17:18, and then Alex Chiasson tipped a McDavid pass just seven seconds into a power play at 18:55 to give the visitors the lead.

All the goals had a common theme, with Edmonton going hard to the net, getting plenty of traffic in front of Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and getting rewarded.

“We talk an awful lot about adjustments, right? Ninety per cent of your adjustments are back to form. There are areas of the game you look at, that you try to exploit. Almost everything you talk about in the room is, ‘This is what we do well and we’re off that. Now we’ve got to back to it,’” Maurice said of the mindset heading into the final frame.

The Jets came on strong in the third period and were rewarded when Scheifele scored his 18th of the season with just over 10 minutes remaining. Wheeler fed him a perfect pass from behind the net. 

“We obviously love playing with each other. It’s almost like we know where each other is at all points on the ice. He’s an unbelievable passer. It’s fun to be on a line with him. That was another great pass by him,” said Scheifele.

“You know, when I have the puck, I’m looking for him. That’s the guy I want to pass to. We’ve had some success doing it, just continue to build off that,” Wheeler explained of the play.

Scheifele ended his night with three points, as he helped set up Ehlers’ goal and the overtime winner. Morrissey had the game-winning goal and assist. Defenceman Dustin Byfuglien had a pair of helpers for Winnipeg, giving him five points in his past two games. Wheeler and Bryan Little had two assists. 

McDavid finished the night with two assists in 22:52 of ice time, which led all forwards.

Hellebuyck had only allowed three goals in his past three starts, stopping 89 shots in the process. He was beaten four times in 26 shots Thursday night, as he appeared to struggle with rebound control at times.

Wheeler said the Jets’ third period proved an old adage — the best defence is a good offence.

“Not trying to make plays at the blue line, getting pucks in deep, cycling it, making them play defence. You know, if they’re 200 feet from the net, it’s tough to score,” he said.

The Jets won’t have much time to savour the victory — they return to action tonight in Chicago against the Blackhawks. 

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg