It took a long time for a hero to emerge on Thursday night at Canada Life Centre. But when one did, it was a face familiar to all.
Kyle Connor had been lurking all game, firing off 10 shots in regulation. His 11th, a career-high, would come 3:31 into overtime, and finally, the 26-year-old cracked the code.
Taking a drop pass down the right side of the Nashville Predators zone, the Winnipeg Jets forward shifted into the slot and let it rip. Juuse Saros got a piece of it, and most of it in a 39-save performance. But the little he couldn’t corral allowed the puck to trickle over the goal line, giving the Jets a 2-1 win to improve to 19-9-1 on the season.
The win halted a two-game skid for the Jets, who have yet to lose three straight this season.
“Coming into it losing two games in a row, there was a sense of urgency for us,” Connor said. “It showed right from the hop. We let one in early, we didn’t waver, and we got better as the game went on. It’s a big one.”
For the Jets, who are no strangers to overtime this season, it was their seventh win in the extra frame, pushing their record to 7-1. Winnipeg has yet to see a shootout in 2022-23.
Winnipeg is now 11-2-0 in the Central Division, 11-5-0 at home and in firmly planted in second place, two points behind the Dallas Stars, who won on Thursday.
Early in the overtime period, the Jets nearly had a winner through Josh Morrissey, who finished with two assists in the game to move his point total to 34 points, and his league lead in assists by a defenceman to 29.
After a 90-second shift, much of it spent chasing the puck, Morrissey found another gear as a loose puck slipped out into his path. Morrissey charged down the ice, narrowly missing after his shot clanged off the crossbar.
Adam Lowry, meanwhile, picked up his 100th career assist, the lone helper on Connor’s winner.
Nashville took an early lead in the game, with the scoring in regulation coming in the first 20 minutes of the game.
Filip Forsberg potted his ninth of the season, set up on a one-timer from the circle by Matt Duchene at 9:04.
The lead last for just over six minutes before Dylan DeMelo would find a rare equalizer, scoring on a backhand as he battled in front of the net with both teams playing four-on-four.
The goal for Winnipeg’s top-pairing defenceman was just his second in 163 games with the Jets, and first in 87 games dating back to Nov. 13, 2021, a shorthanded marker against the Los Angeles Kings.
“Happy to contribute where I can,” DeMelo said. “Happy to get that opportunity four-on-four. Got to get to that net-front, I guess. That’s where all the goals are scored. Happy to get one for us.”
Morrissey notched the second assist on DeMelo’s goal, pushing his point streak to seven games. He is four points shy of his career point total of 37, set three seasons ago, and is on pace for a jaw-dropping 79 assists and 94 points.
Connor added the primary assist, finishing with a goal and an assist on the night.
The Jets outshot Nashville 29-19 over the final two periods, and 41-26 overall.
“We let in two goals late last game that we weren’t happy with and we responded as a group,” Connor said. “That was a whole team effort. There wasn’t a lot of ice out there, both teams were checking really hard, and it was a good game.”
Added DeMelo: “After our last few games, that was a pretty strong effort. I think in regards to the process, we did a good job, did a lot of good things that when you roll the video back, I don’t think we’d be losing too much sleep over it if we didn’t get the point. Luckily we got (Connor) on our team and we finished the job.”
Winnipeg’s other Connor, Connor Hellenuyck, picked up his 15th win after stopping 25 shots.
Meanwhile, an ugly hit marred the final couple of minutes of the opening frame.
Nate Schmidt was knocked out of the game late in the first period after absorbing a nasty hit from Tanner Jeannot, one that left Schmidt face-down on the ice for some time before being helped off the ice and down the tunnel.
Jeannot, who was not penalized on the play, seemed to be tracking Schmidt coming around the net with another Predators player draped on the Jets defenceman. Slowed down, the replay showed Schmidt attempting to slam on the brakes and get his hands up, but it wasn’t in time to stop Jeannot’s shoulder.
Schmidt was ruled out of the rest of the game not long after, with an upper-body injury listed as the reason.
The refs may have missed the hit, but Lowry certainly didn’t. On the ensuing face-off, he and Jeannot squared off in a spiriting fight close to centre ice, with both getting their shots in before departing for five minutes apiece.
“I don’t necessarily think it’s a dirty hit, or anything like that, but anytime you see a teammate go down on a hard check… to be honest, I’m probably trying to make that same check if the roles are reversed,” Lowry said. “But you want to defend your teammate, settle things down, get the focus back on playing. A lot of respect for Jeannot for answering the bell. He certainly doesn’t have to. You just want to show up for your teammates.”
The extent of Schmidt’s injury isn’t clear, but he was placed into concussion protocol, Bowness said.
“That’s hockey,” Bowness said. “He didn’t see him coming. He’s a big guy and Nate didn’t see him coming, clearly. He’s fending off one guy and another guy comes out of nowhere.
“It’s incredible leadership by Adam. What he did, you have to do that, especially in our rink. He’s a great teammate. Like we always say, (if) they take a run at one of us, they take a run at all of us and we’re all gonna respond. Adam was the guy who responded.”
In the second, Blake Wheeler missed the final eight minutes and change after taking a deflected point shot off just south of his waistline. He returned to the third.
“He said he’s lucky he had three kids already,” DeMelo said. “He’s an absolute warrior for us. He plays through so much that nobody knows about. To see him come back… I would like to say he was himself, I don’t know if he felt the same. He’s such a warrior for us and such a great leader for our group.”
sbilleck@postmedia.com
Twitter: @scottbilleck
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