Winnipeg Jets 5-2 victory over Columbus Blue Jackets recap: dominant third period seals the deal

The Winnipeg Jets turned a tight-checking affair into a comfortable 5-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday night, exploding for three goals in the final 20 minutes to snap a two-game slide and climb back into the top wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Mark Scheifele scored twice, Connor Hellebuyck stopped 34 of 36 shots, and the Jets’ much-maligned power play delivered twice on five chances to give the sell-out Canada Life crowd something to roar about.

The victory was Winnipeg’s first in regulation since 2 November and lifted Rick Bowness’ group to 10-7-2, one point ahead of Minnesota with two games in hand. Columbus, meanwhile, has now dropped four straight and remains stuck at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division with just five regulation wins in 19 outings.

Winnipeg Jets 5-2 victory over Columbus Blue Jackets recap: first-period chess match sets the tone

Both teams came out cautious, combining for only 11 shots through the first 12 minutes. The Jets’ fourth line finally broke the ice when Morgan Barron parked himself at the top of the crease and redirected Dylan DeMelo’s point shot past Daniil Tarasov at 14:37. The goal was Barron’s third of the season and came seconds after a strong cycle that began with a neutral-zone steal by Adam Lowry.

Columbus answered before the intermission. Johnny Gaudreau, held without a point in his previous three games, whipped a cross-ice feed from Boone Jenner over Hellebuyck’s glove at 18:10. The tally was Gaudreau’s seventh and gave the Jackets life after they’d spent most of the frame chasing the puck.

Key first-period stats:

• Shot attempts: Jets 22, Blue Jackets 18
• Hits: Jets 14, Blue Jackets 9
• Face-off wins: Jets 58 %, Blue Jackets 42 %

Winnipeg Jets 5-2 victory over Columbus Blue Jackets recap: special teams swing momentum in the second

The middle frame belonged to the goalies—until the Jets’ power play finally connected. After killing an early too-many-men minor, Winnipeg went to work when Jenner was whistled for slashing. Kyle Connor zipped a one-timer off the post; the rebound caromed to Scheifele, who buried his 11th of the campaign at 12:44. The strike snapped an 0-for-13 drought with the man advantage and seemed to tilt the ice.

Hellebuyck kept the lead intact with a sprawling denial on Yegor Chinakhov’s one-timer and later robbed Patrik Laine from the left circle—one of four Grade-A stops the Vezina finalist made against his former teammate. The Jets carried the 2-1 edge into the room despite being outshot 14-9 in the period.

Winnipeg Jets 5-2 victory over Columbus Blue Jackets recap: third-period burst buries Columbus

Whatever Bowness said during intermission worked. Winnipeg came out flying, out-skating the Jackets in every zone and cashing in early. Scheifele roofed his second of the night just 1:02 into the third, taking a slick back-door feed from Nikolaj Ehlers to make it 3-1. The play began with Neal Pionk’s stretch pass that caught Columbus in a line change—exactly the kind of quick-strike hockey the coaching staff has been demanding.

Josh Morrissey extended the cushion four minutes later, walking into the high slot and beating Tarasov clean with a wrist shot through traffic. The goal was Morrissey’s fifth and came with both teams at even strength, essentially sealing the contest. Jenner tipped home a Zach Werenski point shot to cut the deficit to 4-2 midway through the period, but Connor’s empty-netter with 2:05 left removed any drama.

Post-game, Scheifele praised the line shuffles that put Ehlers on his left wing.
“We’ve been talking about generating more speed through the neutral zone,” he told reporters. “When Nik’s flying like that, it opens up ice for everybody. Tonight it clicked.”

Winnipeg Jets 5-2 victory over Columbus Blue Jackets recap: what the numbers say

Advanced metrics back up the eye test. Winnipeg posted a 57 % expected-goals share at 5-on-5, dominated slot shots 15-7, and limited Columbus to zero high-danger looks over the final eight minutes. Hellebuyck improved to 6-1-0 in his last eight home starts, while Tarasov dropped to 0-4-1 lifetime against the Jets.

Player grades (scale 1-10):

1. Mark Scheifele – 9.5 (2 G, 6 SOG, 67 % face-offs)
2. Connor Hellebuyck – 9.0 (34 saves, 1.85 goals saved above expected)
3. Neal Pionk – 8.5 (3 assists, 22:31 TOI, +3)
4. Josh Morrissey – 8.0 (1 G, 5 shot attempts, 0 penalties)
5. Johnny Gaudreau – 7.0 (1 G, 4 SOG, but on ice for 3 against)

Winnipeg Jets 5-2 victory over Columbus Blue Jackets recap: injury updates and lineup notes

Winnipeg welcomed back forward Alex Iafallo after a four-game absence due to a lower-body injury. He slotted in on the third line with Rasmus Kupari and Mason Appleton, recording two hits and a blocked shot in 12:17 of ice time. Defenseman Logan Stanley left midway through the third after blocking a Laine slap shot with his foot; Bowness said post-game X-rays were negative and listed him day-to-day.

Columbus played without leading scorer Kent Johnson, who remains in concussion protocol. Head coach Pascal Vincent indicated Johnson is “close,” but the team will continue to follow league protocol. Veteran Jakub Voracek (upper body) skated on his own Sunday morning but has yet to receive medical clearance.

Winnipeg Jets 5-2 victory over Columbus Blue Jackets recap: what it means for the playoff race

The two points vault Winnipeg ahead of St. Louis and into the first wild-card berth, with games in hand on every team in the Central bubble. According to MoneyPuck’s playoff odds, the Jets now own a 68 % chance of qualifying, up from 59 % before puck drop. The schedule ahead is manageable: six of the next eight are at home, and only two come against clubs currently in a playoff position.

Columbus, meanwhile, sinks further into the Metropolitan basement. Despite strong underlying numbers from the top line of Gaudreau-Laine-Jenner, the Jackets have been undone by porous team defense and a penalty kill that ranks 30th at 71.2 %. General manager Jarmo Kekäläinen faces a pivotal December with decisions looming on pending UFAs such as Jenner and Vladislav Gavrikov.

For deeper insight into how special-teams performance correlates with playoff success, check out our recent breakdown of NHL power-play efficiency trends. We also examined Connor Hellebuyck’s elite home splits earlier this month—numbers that continue to trend upward after tonight’s gem.

The Jets will look to build on this result Tuesday when Seattle visits the ‘Peg for the first time since last spring’s playoff thriller. Puck drop is 7:00 p.m. CT.