Pionk scores in OT to lift Jets to 3-2 win over Avalanche

Winnipeg Jets center Vladislav Namestnikov, left, congratulates defenseman Neal Pionk after he scored the winning goal in overtime of an NHL hockey game against the Colorado Avalanche Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) (David Zalubowski/AP)

DENVER -- Neal Pionk scored 17 seconds into overtime, and the Winnipeg Jets beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 on Wednesday night.

Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck started the winning play when he sent the puck to Vladislav Namestnikov, who fed Pionk skating down the right side. Pionk’s slap shot beat Mackenzie Blackwood to end Winnipeg’s two-game skid.

Morgan Barron and Gabriel Vilardi also scored for Winnipeg, and Hellebuyck stopped 25 shots.

Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar scored for Colorado, and Blackwood had 22 saves.

Colorado took a 1-0 lead in the second on MacKinnon’s 19th goal of the season, but Barron and Vilardi scored before the second intermission to give the Jets the lead.

Makar tied it at 7:05 of the third when he got behind the Winnipeg defense and sent a shot over Hellebuycky’s left shoulder as he was falling to the ice.

Linesman Jonny Murray left the game in the second period after a collision with Colorado defenseman Devon Toews. He returned to start the third but left again and didn’t return.

Takeaways

Jets: Winnipeg rebounded from a loss at Utah that coach Scott Arniel called “embarrassing.” The Jets limited Colorado’s chances and killed off both power plays, including one late in the third period.

Avalanche: Colorado finished a five-game homestand 2-2-1 and dropped two division games. The Avalanche lost three of four games against Winnipeg and are 7-8-1 against Central Division opponents.

Key moment

With the score tied late in the third period, Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele got behind Colorado defenders and had a close-in chance that Blackwood saved. Scheifele tried to tap in the rebound but Blackwood stopped it with his left pad as he was sprawled in his crease.

Key stat

Hellebuyck had a shutout streak of 140 minutes against Colorado broken by MacKinnon’s goal. Two of his six shutouts this season have come against the Avalanche.

Up next

Jets host Utah on Friday to begin a two-game homestand, and Avalanche visit Boston on Saturday to open a three-game trip.