By Canadian Press

Connor nets game winner in OT as Jets squeeze past Canadiens 3-2

Nov 3, 2022 | 9:08 PM

WINNIPEG — Kyle Connor scored 1:45 into overtime to give the Winnipeg Jets a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

Connor’s low shot past Sam Montembeault was his first goal on a netminder this season. He had an empty-net goal in Winnipeg’s season opener.

Connor also picked up an assist and Pierre-Luc Dubois scored a goal and added an assist for the Jets (6-3-1), who are on a five-game point streak (4-0-1).

Connor Hellebuyck made 20 saves for Winnipeg in its first match of a three-game homestand at Canada Life Centre.

Nick Suzuki had a goal and assist for the Canadiens (5-5-1), extending his goal streak to three games. Kirby Dach also scored and Cole Caufield picked up a pair of assists.

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Montembeault stopped 33 shots for Montreal, which ended a four-game road trip (2-1-1).

The game in front of 13,729 fans was tied 1-1 after the first period and 2-2 following the second.

Suzuki scored at 6:43 of the opening period after racing around Jets defenceman Dylan DeMelo and putting a close, high shot past Hellebuyck.

Winnipeg had a pair of power plays in the first and Dubois capitalized on the second one.

Dubois fired a shot from the middle of the circle that beat Montembeault on the glove side to tie it up at 17:28.

Dach restored Montreal’s lead when he put a rebound of a Suzuki shot into the net at 4:54 of the second period.

Wheeler notched the 299th goal of his career 41 seconds later, which was unsuccessfully challenged for goaltender interference by Montreal head coach Martin St. Louis

Dubois had shot the puck at Montembeault and it went under him and along the goal line. Wheeler was in front of the net and banged it in with his stretched-out stick.

The Jets had three power plays in the period — including a short one because of their own penalty — but couldn’t grab the lead.

Montembeault faced a three-on-one early in the third period, but turned aside Alex Jonsson-Fjallby’s shot.

The Canadiens got their second power play of the game midway through the third. They swarmed around the net, but only put two shots at Hellebuyck.

Hellebuyck denied Josh Anderson on a breakaway with under five minutes remaining.

Winnipeg finished 1-for-5 on the power play and Montreal was 0-for-2.

SEASON DEBUTS: Canadiens defenceman Joel Edmundson finally saw game action after missing the first 10 with a lower back injury. Jets forward Dominic Toninato also made his season debut, filling a roster spot for injured forward Morgan Barron (wrist surgery).

UP NEXT:

Jets: Host the Chicago Blackhawks Saturday afternoon.

Canadiens: Host Vegas Golden Knights Saturday night. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 3, 2022.

Judy Owen, The Canadian Press