Hyman’s OT winner lifts Oilers past Winnipeg Jets 4-3

The Winnipeg Jets could not complete the comeback Tuesday night, rallying from a 3-1 deficit in the third before falling to the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 in overtime and dropping their fourth straight game.

Winnipeg came out of the gates flying, generating a number of solid scoring chances but they couldn’t beat Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner. The Jets also had a power play just over four minutes into the game but couldn’t convert.

Sean Monahan had the closest call of the period when his shot from the slot hit the crossbar and the post but didn’t go in as the score remained tied at zero after 20 minutes with Winnipeg outshooting the Oilers 13-10.

Winnipeg broke the deadlock 4:43 into the second period. Kyle Connor’s shot on goal was deflected by Adam Lowry, and after Skinner kicked the puck right to the stick of Mason Appleton, the winger made no mistake for his 14th of the season.

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Edmonton pushed hard for the equalizer with Evander Kane, the former Jet who still gets booed in Winnipeg, getting a breakaway in the second but he was turned aside by Connor Hellebuyck, who also stopped an attempt on the rebound as well.

But moments after Nino Niederreiter nearly made it 2-0 Winnipeg, the Oilers got on the scoreboard.

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Connor McDavid brought the puck into the Winnipeg end and commanded lots of attention as he passed the puck to Warren Foegele. He then found Leon Draisaitl cutting through the slot and he beat Hellebuyck to even the score at the 11:46 mark.

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Less than two minutes later, Edmonton took their first lead of the night thanks to an unlikely source. With several tired Jets stuck on the ice, Mattias Ekholm brought the puck into the Winnipeg end and sent the puck to Connor Brown in the slot. He then used Dylan DeMelo as a screen as he ripped one high over Hellebuyck’s glove to make it 2-1 with just his third goal of the season.

Winnipeg was given a great chance to draw even less than a minute later when Brown was called for a high-sticking double minor, but the Jets did not get a shot on goal during the entirety of the four-minute power play, eliciting some boos from the sold-out crowd.

With one minute to go in the period, the Jets were called for having too many men on the ice, sending the potent Oilers power play to the ice. They did not score before the horn sounded to end the period but it was a period dominated by the visitors as they outshot the Jets 17-4 and completely controlled the game after Appleton’s goal.

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After the Jets killed off the remainder of that penalty to start the third, the two sides played some four-on-four hockey before Nikolaj Ehlers was assessed a double-minor for high-sticking.

Edmonton wasted little time cashing in on the opportunity. McDavid carried the puck along the wall into the Jets’ end and sent a perfect pass back-door to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who steered it in to make it 3-1.

Winnipeg killed the rest of the penalty and began to push back with an agitated Ehlers throwing his weight around, landing several big hits as the Jets pinned Edmonton in their own end. Moments later, Brenden Dillon blasted one from the point that beat a screened Skinner to make it 3-2 with 10:21 remaining.

Exactly one minute later, the game was tied when Monahan redirected an Ehlers shot through Skinner to send the building into a frenzy.

With 2:06 remaining, Nugent-Hopkins was given a minor penalty for high-sticking, with officials believing he caught Lowry up high. Replays showed it was in fact DeMelo’s stick that caught his captain, giving Edmonton good reason to be incensed at the bench. Nonetheless, the call gave Winnipeg’s power play a chance at redemption but they could not convert, sending the game to overtime.

After Connor gave the puck away in the Edmonton end, the Nugent-Hopkins rushed the puck back the other way. Fresh off the bench, Zach Hyman took a pass from Nugent-Hopkins and drove hard to the net. His initial shot was stopped but he banged in the rebound for his 51st of the season and the game winner.

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Hellebuyck was saddled with the loss despite making 38 saves while Skinner turned aside 22 shots in victory.

The Jets will look to snap their losing skid Thursday night when they host the Vegas Golden Knights. Pregame show will begin on 680 CJOB at 5 p.m., with puck drop just after 7 p.m.