WINNIPEG, MB — Kyle Connor scored his second goal of the game on a 3-on-1 break in overtime to give the Winnipeg Jets a 4-3 victory over Arizona on Sunday night, extending the Coyotes’ losing streak to 12 games.
Connor scored from the right side after two Arizona's Nick Schmaltz and Sean Durzi collided and fell in the other end of the ice after a failed breakaway attempt.
“We’re trying to work our way out of this and it sucks,” Schmaltz said. “We get a grade-A look in overtime there, (Durzi) makes a heck of a move and (we) just collide and it’s tough, 3-on-1, so it’s frustrating for sure.”
Scheifele had a goal and three assists, Gabriel Vilardi also scored and Josh Morrissey had three assists. Connor Hellebuyck made 29 saves to help Winnipeg improve to 36-15-5 with its third straight victory and sixth in seven games.
Schmaltz scored twice, Matias Maccelli added a goal and Connor Ingram stopped 28 shots for Arizona in the opener of a five-game trip. The Coyotes dropped to 23-29-5, going 0-10-2 during the skid.
“You can see even in our situation where we have a terrible streak, the guys never stop fighting,” Arizona coach Andre Tourigny said. “They never stop working for each other and having the back of each other, so there’s a lot of positive in that process.”
Arizona, the franchise that began play in Winnipeg in the World Hockey Association, hasn’t beaten Winnipeg since Nov. 29, 2021. Winnipeg has won all four games against the Coyotes this season, and 10 consecutive matches.
Coyotes forward Clayton Keller left the game in the second period and the team announced the scoring leader wouldn’t return because of an upper-body injury.
“Obviously (Keller) is an important player, but the way the guys reacted, they didn’t lose a beat,” Tourigny said. “When (Keller) went down, we had the momentum and we kept the momentum.”
The Jets led 3-1 after the first period, with Maccelli scoring early in the second and Schmaltz 1:04 into the third to tied it.
The teams combined for three power-play goals in the first period.
Scheifele opened the scoring at even strength at 2:06, and Schmaltz tied it on the power play with 6:15 left. Connor scored a minute later with the man advantage, and Vilardi made it 3-1 on a power play with goal with 3:26 to go.
Connor leads the Jets with 23 goals. He has scored in three straight games and extended his points streak to a season-high five games.
“He’s hitting it well and he’s going to the right areas,” Scheifele said about Connor. “He’s making a lot of little plays that not a lot of people see. He’s been fun to play with.”
UP NEXT
Coyotes: At Montreal on Tuesday night in second of a five-game trip.
Jets: Host St. Louis on Tuesday night to finish a two-game homestand.
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AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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