The Winnipeg Jets extended their dominance over the New Jersey Devils to seven straight wins in a fashion coach Paul Maurice couldn’t recall in his 25-year coaching career.
The Jets mounted an incredible comeback from a 4-0 deficit late in the second period, eventually securing a 5-4 victory in a shootout and spoiling the much-anticipated debut of No. 1 overall pick Jack Hughes on Friday night.
“Not a four-goal deficit,” Maurice said when asked if he had ever seen such a comeback. “I’ve had some threes but don’t remember a four. I’m sure it’s happened in the last 25 years, but I just can’t recall.”
This game will certainly be memorable for both teams.
“It was amazing,” said Jets captain Blake Wheeler, who netted the shootout winner with a backhand shot past Mackenzie Blackwood in the fourth round. “We stuck together as a group, kept pushing, and things started going our way.”
Dmitry Kulikov, Jack Roslovic, Mathieu Perreault, and Neal Pionk scored for Winnipeg, while Laurent Brossoit was stellar in net, making 35 saves. Brossoit also stopped three shots in the shootout, including one by Hughes.
“It was wild; I’ve never experienced a game like that,” Brossoit said after helping the Jets avoid starting the season 0-2. “When you’re down by that much, you just focus on your game and make sure it doesn’t become a disaster.”
Blake Coleman scored twice for New Jersey, including an eye-popping one-handed goal while falling. Nikita Gusev also scored in his NHL debut, and Sami Vatanen added a goal for the Devils. P.K. Subban contributed two assists.
“We have no excuses in here,” Subban said. “We’ll learn from this as a group. It’s not about blaming anyone; it wasn’t one person’s fault.”
Blackwood entered the game after starting goalie Cory Schneider was injured early in the Jets’ three-goal third period. Coach John Hynes had no update on Schneider’s condition postgame.
The Jets’ rally began with 11 seconds left in the second period when Kulikov scored from the point, cutting the Devils’ lead to 4-1.
What seemed like a consolation goal turned into a momentum shift as Winnipeg dominated the third period despite playing their second game in 24 hours.
Roslovic made it 4-2 with a rebound goal at 2:41 of the third. Schneider was injured on the play and had to leave the game.
Winnipeg continued to press, with Brossoit making key saves to keep the Devils at bay.
After stopping Nico Hischier in close, Perreault closed the gap to 4-3 at 7:17 with a shot from between the circles.
Pionk completed the comeback, tying the game 4-4 with 7:25 left in regulation on a shot that eluded a screened Blackwood.
For the first 39 minutes, the sellout crowd at Prudential Center had plenty to cheer about as the Devils, featuring new additions Wayne Simmonds, Subban, and Gusev, looked in control.
The highlight for the Devils was Coleman’s incredible one-handed goal, which stunned Brossoit and brought the crowd to its feet.
Gusev opened the scoring in the first period, and Coleman added two more around Vatanen’s goal to give the Devils a seemingly comfortable lead.
Game Notes
The Devils were called for too many men on the ice for the second consecutive game. … Subban delivered a big hit early, knocking down Connor at center ice. … Hughes had a strong scoring chance on his only shot, finishing with 18 shifts and 15:12 of ice time. “It was an OK start,” Hughes said. “The first period was pretty good. I trailed off in the second; the third wasn’t my best. But we have a chance to bounce back tomorrow.”
UP NEXT
- Jets: Continue their four-game road trip at the Islanders on Sunday night.
- Devils: Travel to Buffalo to face the Sabres on Saturday night.
