WINNIPEG — Connor Hellebuyck made 27 saves, rookie center Rasmus Kupari scored his first career playoff goal, and the Winnipeg Jets defended home ice with a 4-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils at Canada Life Centre.
After losing the first two games of the series, Jets head coach Scott Arniel delivered a blunt message to his team before puck drop.
“If we lose tonight, odds are New Jersey will be raising the Cup,” Arniel told his players.
The Jets responded with urgency from the opening shift. Kupari gave Winnipeg an early spark, scoring his first playoff goal to ignite the crowd. But the Devils answered quickly, scoring twice to seize a 2-1 lead before the end of the first period.
Winnipeg pulled even late in the frame during a power play after Yevgeny Dadonov was assessed a delay-of-game penalty. During a scramble in front of the crease, Mark Scheifele located the loose puck first and tapped it home with 1:48 remaining in the period for his ninth goal of the postseason.
The Jets grabbed the lead for good early in the second period. Josh Morrissey threaded a pass across the zone to Adam Lowry, who snapped a shot from the left circle past Jacob Markström to make it 3-2.
New Jersey pushed hard for the equalizer throughout the third period, but Hellebuyck stood firm in net. With 4:03 remaining, Cole Perfetti buried his fourth goal of the playoffs to give Winnipeg a crucial insurance marker and seal the Jets’ victory.
The win snapped New Jersey’s six-game playoff winning streak and pulled Winnipeg back into the series.
