Game Day: Winnipeg Jets vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Another potential overtime incoming?
The Winnipeg Jets host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night at Canada Life Centre to continue their season-long eight-game homestand, looking to extend their point streak to five games as the past four matchups have gone to extra time.
Winnipeg opened its homestand on Tuesday against a Central Division opponent in the Chicago Blackhawks and snuck out a 3-2 overtime win. Mark Scheifele had a three-point night (1G, 2A), including the game-winner (28). Cole Perfetti (8), who tied the game with less than a minute left, and Dylan Samberg (1), his first since March 16, 2025, had the other goals for the Jets, who played their fourth straight overtime game (2-0-2). Connor Hellebuyck, in his first game back at home from the Olympics, was brilliant, making 18 saves, many of them high-danger opportunities.
“I just tried to get it through. I knew that their centreman was going to be close to me and I was just getting support for (Mark Scheifele),” said Perfetti on his tying goal. “Obviously, I had a little bit of time to get around the puck. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to make a play, so I tried to just deliver it to the net. Sometimes they go in.”
Tampa Bay has struggled a bit since returning from the break. They’re 1-3-0 and are coming off a 5-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, but still sit at the top of the Atlantic Division (38-17-4). Nikita Kucherov scored Tampa’s lone goal while Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 17 shots.
The Jets are hoping it will be the final game without their top defenceman, Josh Morrissey, who remains sidelined but is trending toward a return Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks.
Tampa Bay took the season-series opener 4-1 in Florida on Jan. 29, and the Jets will look to close out the two-game set with an equalizer on home ice tonight as they try to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Connor – Scheifele – Iafallo
Perfetti – Lowry – Vilardi
Nyquist – Toews – Duehr
Koepke – Barron – Pearson
Morrissey – DeMelo
Samberg – Salomonsson
Fleury – Schenn
Hellebuyck
Comrie
Up Next:
Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. CT.