SEATTLE — Blake Wheeler was the Winnipeg Jets’ brawler-turned-savior, knocking a loose puck behind Seattle Kraken goalie Martin Jones with less than four seconds left in regulation to force overtime.
Fifty-four seconds into the extra period, the Jets scored for a 3-2 victory.
Brandon Tanev sank what would have been his third game-winner of the season on Sunday at Climate Pledge Arena. With the Winnipeg net empty for the extra attacker, the Kraken had to kill off a penalty to Carson Soucy with 25.2 left on the board.
Earlier, the Jets were six seconds away from killing off nearly a minute of 5-on-3. Jordan Eberle dived on a loose puck in the crease and came up with it, beating Jets goaltender David Rittich to make it 1-0. It was Seattle’s first 5-on-3 goal of the season.
Eberle then tried to share the love and set up Matty Beniers at the other end. Beniers shook himself loose from the pack and got a quick shot off, but it was turned aside.
The Kraken hadn’t allowed a power-play goal since Oct. 19 and had killed off 18 straight. The Jets ended the streak when Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele one-timed a perfectly angled bounce off the boards behind Jones midway through the second period to tie the game at one.
Scheifele also scored the overtime winner for Winnipeg.
Tanev got loose on a short-handed breakaway, appeared to have Rittich beaten and hit the cross bar, one of multiple iron strikes for Seattle in the second period.
The Jets didn’t like the look of an unpenalized Andre Burakovsky hit on Nate Schmidt. Adam Lowry and Brenden Dillon each addressed it with Burakovsky as he headed for the bench. Will Borgen dived in and the gloves flew. Every skater on the ice was involved by the end. Wheeler and Borgen kept the mess churning before landing on the ice in a tangled tackle, together.
As the players sorted through their dropped gear, the officials debated and decided on a double minor for roughing to Wheeler and a regular minor for Dillon. Borgen was the only Seattle player sent to the box and his team got a four-minute power play. Seattle couldn’t capitalize.
There was something of a make-up call about five minutes later when Mason Appleton appeared to catch himself with his own stick and Soucy got the blame.
Jones’ save of the night came when he was drifting out of the crease. The action moved back toward the front. With his legs at a 90-degree angle around the post, he stretched one foot out to deny Pierre-Luc Dubois.
Oliver Bjorkstrand joined Tanev and Yanni Gourde on the third line, moving down from the first, and the three connected for the go-ahead goal. Tanev took the puck up the ice with Bjorkstrand and beat Rittich low glove side for a 2-1 lead.
