Mark Scheifele secured a thrilling victory for the Winnipeg Jets, scoring 54 seconds into overtime to defeat the Seattle Kraken 3-2 on Sunday night.
Scheifele, who also scored in the second period, netted the game-winner after a dramatic comeback. Blake Wheeler forced overtime with just 3.9 seconds remaining, capitalizing on a 6-on-4 advantage with goalie David Rittich pulled and Seattle’s Carson Soucy in the penalty box for roughing. Wheeler’s goal marked his fourth of the season and the 300th of his career.
“It was nice to get a good bounce and reward,” Wheeler said. “The team played well, so leaving here without anything would have been a shame. That’s the key is not to lose confidence on the power play and special teams.”
Rittich contributed 16 saves to the Jets’ win.
For the Kraken, Jordan Eberle and Brandon Tanev scored, while goalie Martin Jones, making his 400th NHL start, made 28 saves.
Josh Morrissey set up the overtime winner, passing to Scheifele from the left side. Scheifele beat Jones with a low shot for his 10th goal of the season.
“I was pretty exhausted,” Scheifele admitted. “I don’t know if I had my legs for most of the night, but what a fantastic pass. It was an amazing pass, and I was lucky to be there.”
Jets coach Rick Bowness acknowledged the improvised play, saying, “That’s not quite how we drew it up, but we’ll certainly take it.”
Tanev scored midway through the third period, giving Seattle a 2-1 lead with his third goal in the last four games. Eberle’s power-play goal in the first period had put Seattle on the board first.
Scheifele’s second-period goal, also on the power play, tied the game at 1-1.
The penalty on Soucy, who punched Pierre-Luc Dubois from behind, was Seattle’s third of the third period and eighth of the night.
“We put ourselves in a position to win the game, and three minor penalties (in the third) is probably the thing that stands out,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “When you do that in the third period, down to the last 30 seconds, that’s a tough way to close out a hockey game. Eight penalties are too many.”
Game Notes
Both teams ended long penalty-killing streaks. Winnipeg had killed 14 straight before Eberle’s goal, while Seattle had killed 18 consecutive penalties before Scheifele’s goal. The Kraken debuted their “Reverse Retro” alternate jerseys, featuring ice blue as the primary color. Eberle’s goal was Seattle’s first 5-on-3 goal of the season and the first allowed by Winnipeg. Eberle also had a goal disallowed in the third period due to a high stick. Jones became one of 13 active goaltenders with 400 NHL starts. The Kraken remain winless in four all-time games against Winnipeg.
UP NEXT
Jets: Host Anaheim on Thursday night.
Kraken: Host New York Rangers on Monday night.
