Jets vs. Avalanche: Kyle Connor's Late Winner and Stuart Skinner's 32 Saves Keep Winnipeg Rolling

Colorado spent 59 minutes doing almost everything right on Wednesday night. Then Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor reminded everyone that in Winnipeg, the last minute belongs to them.

Connor scored his second goal of the night with exactly one minute left in regulation, finishing a cross-ice feed from Scheifele, and the Winnipeg Jets beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 at Canada Life Centre. Stuart Skinner made 32 saves, Cole Perfetti also scored, and the Jets won their third straight game despite being outshot 34-19.

Grinding Through the Middle

The first period ended 0-0, and it was not a quiet one for Winnipeg. Defenseman Josh Morrissey sustained an upper-body injury while landing a hit on Colorado forward T.J. Hughes late in the period, according to NHL.com. He came back for one long shift at the start of the second and then left for good, leaving the Jets with five defensemen for most of the night.

Colorado opened the scoring at 2:51 of the second. A puck got mishandled in the Winnipeg zone, Jaden Schwartz pounced, and the Avalanche led 1-0 with Fedor Svechkov and Brent Burns earning the assists.

It took the Jets 70 seconds to answer. Connor parked himself in front of Mackenzie Blackwood and tipped a Neal Pionk point shot at about waist height for a 1-1 tie, his fourth goal of the season.

Late in the period, Perfetti put Winnipeg in front. Dylan Samberg fired from the point, and the puck deflected off Perfetti's left skate and past Blackwood at 18:16 for a 2-1 lead. That goal stretched Perfetti's goal streak to three straight games, per NHL.com.

Colorado did not fold. At 12:35 of the third, a Brett Kulak shot took a lively carom off the end boards, Schwartz got it to Svechkov in front, and Svechkov poked it five-hole on Skinner to tie the game 2-2.

Turning Point: One Minute, One Pass

With overtime looming, the Jets' top line went to work. On the rush, Scheifele spotted Connor charging toward the net and threaded a pass across from near the boards through traffic. Connor caught it at the hashmarks and released a wrist shot in one motion. The clock read 19:00, and the building erupted.

"I'd like to say I was surprised, but (Scheifele) does it so often," Connor said. "He threaded the needle and all I needed to do was put it in."

Colorado coach Jared Bednar was most bothered by the timing.

"So, after battling back from 2-1 to make it 2-2, you've got to find a way to salvage at least a point, take it to overtime and see what happens," Bednar said.

He also pointed to Winnipeg's first two goals, both deflections off point shots: "We gave up a couple goals on soft plays in our net front, sealing guys out and allowing them to get sticks on the pucks on deflections."

The Connor and Scheifele Show

The numbers on this duo are getting silly. NHL.com noted Connor and Scheifele have now combined on a game-winning goal 62 times, the most in Jets history and the 15th most by any duo in NHL history. Connor's 328 career goals tie Ilya Kovalchuk for third in Jets franchise history, behind Dale Hawerchuk (379) and Scheifele himself (372).

Connor has five goals in four games and seven points overall, and this was already his second two-goal game of the season. Scheifele added two assists, and Samberg also had two helpers to go with five hits in 25:25 of ice time, a heavy workload on a night the blue line was short a man.

Connor gave as much credit to his goalie as to his center.

"(Stuart Skinner) kept us in it when we weren't at our best. He made some incredible saves and was such a calming presence for us," Connor said.

Skinner was the reason this game reached the final minute tied rather than lost. He stopped 32 of 34 shots while Colorado controlled long stretches of play. Even Bednar acknowledged it, saying Skinner "made a couple of key, big saves, timely saves in that game."

Skinner returned the compliment to his top line.

"They're able to stay calm within the chaos, make plays in big times," Skinner said.

For Colorado, Schwartz finished with a goal and an assist and has four points in three games. Svechkov also had a goal and an assist, and Blackwood made 16 saves on 19 shots.

Stats That Matter

• 34-19: Shots on goal, Colorado over Winnipeg. The Avalanche carried the play and left with nothing.
• 32 saves: Skinner's total, the difference in a one-goal game.
• 62: Game-winning goals Connor and Scheifele have combined on, a Jets record per NHL.com.
• 0-for-3: Combined power plays. Colorado went 0-for-1 and Winnipeg 0-for-2.
• 8-4: Takeaways, Colorado over Winnipeg.

What It Means

Winnipeg improves to 3-0-1 and has points in all four games to start the season, with three straight wins after an opening overtime loss to Boston. Coach Scott Arniel praised a group that had played four games in six days and lost Morrissey early.

"It was a real gritty win," Arniel said. "I thought we did a pretty good job of trying to deny the middle of the ice as much as possible. A lot of what they were getting was coming from the outside."

On Morrissey, Arniel kept it brief: "Just an upper body." The Jets host Anaheim on Friday night.

Colorado drops to 2-1-0 for its first loss of the season, after rolling through home wins over Los Angeles and St. Louis by a combined 14-5. Per NHL.com, Winnipeg is now 8-3-0 in its past 11 games against the Avalanche. Schwartz summed up the evening fairly.

"Their goalie made some big saves," Schwartz said. "There's pucks around the net there, but it was a tight checking game."

The Avalanche visit Calgary on Thursday night.

Closing Take

Some teams win with volume. Winnipeg wins with a goalie who refuses to blink and two forwards who have been finishing each other's sentences for years. Colorado outshot the Jets by 15, tied the game late and still left town empty-handed, because Scheifele and Connor have turned the final minute into their personal music video. Bednar said the game went as he expected. The final minute is the part that will sting.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details from the Associated Press and NHL.com; postgame quotes as reported by NHL.com.