Oakbank’s Howden scores winner as Golden Knights edge Winnipeg Jets 4-3

Like many a downtrodden gambler, the Winnipeg Jets just can’t seem to solve Vegas.

The Golden Knights scored the go-ahead goal with just four minutes left in regulation for a 4-3 win over the Jets Friday to mark the seventh straight regular season defeat for Winnipeg at the hands of Vegas. If you include the first-round playoff defeat in 2023, Winnipeg is now just 1-11 in their last 12 against the Golden Knights.

Oakbank’s Brett Howden scored a pair for the Knights in the victory including the game winner in third period. Ivan Barbashev also had two markers in the Jets fifth loss in their last eight games.

While the Jets were badly outplayed for the most part in their previous three games, this time they hung tight with the Vegas right to the end.

“I thought our compete and our battle tonight was really good,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “Lots of stretches there where we hemmed them in their end of the rink, had some real good opportunities. We got down and came back.

“Just three rush goals against and this is one of the best rush teams in the league. Our reads off those rushes certainly need to be a little bit better how we handle those.”

Cole Perfetti scored two goals for the Jets in the loss, while Neal Pionk had their other tally. Perfetti’s first period goal ended an 11-game goal scoring drought.

“It felt really good to score,” Perfetti said. “I just went to the net and it just hit my stick. That’s kinda what I figured it was going to be like after the drought it was. I figured it was going to be a greasy one and it was.”

It was the first time all season the Jets lost when getting the first goal of the game.

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Eric Comrie stopped 26 of 30 shots in falling to 3-3 in his first six appearances of the season.

“It’s one you want to get at least a point in,” said Comrie. “It’s unfortunate we couldn’t get it and move on from there.”

Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers left the game in the second period with a lower-body injury after falling awkwardly near the boards.

“He’s day-to-day,” Arniel said. “Not good obviously. We’ll just wait and see, get him looked at. We’ll get to Dallas and go from there, see where we’re at. Obviously, I don’t know 100 per cent. Lower-body right now and just see how he is tomorrow.”

The Jets made a pair of lineup changes as Logan Stanley returned from injury and Dylan Coghlan made his long awaited Jets debut. Ville Heinola and Colin Miller went up the press box to make room for them.

“The biggest thing is some fresh legs,” said Arniel. “Just because it’s been such a grind here and just came off the four (games) in six (days) and the long travel from Minny and just, it was really Stan was back ready to go and we need him to be apart of our group and Cogs, he had played here before. I just wanted to gets some fresh legs in there.”

After some rough first periods of late, the Jets got on the board first in this one thanks to Perfetti. He tipped home a Josh Morrissey point shot at the 6:57 mark for his first goal since Nov. 3 and first non-empty net goal since scoring the winner in Calgary Oct. 26.

Vegas failed on a pair of first period power plays before Winnipeg had a chance late in the period, but during the power play Ehlers left the game with an injury and did not return.

Coming out of the failed power play look, Winnipeg kept possession in the offensive end but things went awry went Morgan Barron tried to make a blind pass near the blue line. It was picked off by Howden, who sped past a flat-footed Stanley and skated in on Comrie, outwaiting the Jets’ backup and tucking it home to level the score with 1:47 to go in the period.

Vegas grabbed the lead with just 16 seconds to go in the period when Barbashev banged home a rebound to make it 2-1 heading to the second.

The Golden Knights outshot the Jets 14-6 in the first but Winnipeg had a better middle frame, edging Vegas 9-7 in shots on goal and tying the game in the process.

Morrissey led the Jets up the ice on an odd-man rush and fired a hard shot that was kicked out by Adin Hill, but the rebound went right to the stick of Perfetti and he buried it for his second of the night at the 14:28 mark of the second.

The game remained tied until the 4:43 mark of the third. Vegas was cycling the puck around Winnipeg’s zone when it bounced off the skate of Alex Iafallo in the slot to the stick of Jack Eichel. Iafallo got turned around as Barbashev skated loose into the slot, where he took a pass from Eichel and buried it for his second of the night.

Winnipeg answered back at the 8:55 mark when a point shot from Pionk found its way through a screen and past Hill to make it 3-3.

But with just over four minutes left, William Karlsson skated the puck into the Winnipeg end and drew the attention of multiple Jets before sending a perfect backdoor pass to a wide-open Howden, who tapped it home to make it 4-3.

Winnipeg had a late power play look and pulled Comrie late in that opportunity but they weren’t able to find the equalizer as they fell to 1-3 in their last four games.

Winnipeg will wrap up this six-game road swing Sunday afternoon in Dallas.

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