In Winnipeg, the extra point was crucial for the Jets as they needed seven goals to take Game 1 of their Stanley Cup Playoffs opening round match with the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday.
The Jets managed a 7-6 win over the Avs.
The game was nip and tuck for most of the contest with the Jets taking a 6-3 after the game was tied, 3-3. in the middle frame.
“Listen, we’ll never complain about a win, especially this time of year,” Winnipeg coach Rick Bowness said. “It wasn’t exactly how we drew it up, but if that’s the way it goes, that’s the way it goes. Their top guys took over, our top guys took over. It was just the type of game that it evolved into, and you play it out and we found a way to get the win. So, we’ll take it.”
Kyle Connor and Adam Lowry hit for doubles in the Jets win.
“It’s not the way we drew it up, a 7-6 game, but sometimes you’ve just got to play that game that’s in front of you,” Connor said. “It turned into a bit of a track meet there and we know we’ve got to be better. Maybe a little nervous energy to start for us. Once we started to get going, we showed that our depth is really key.”
With Colorado holding a 3-2 lead in the first period, the Jets reeled off four straight goals into the second and third period periods.
Mark Scheifele tied the game up, 3-3, at 15:53 of the first for the tie headed to the middle frame.
Lowry hit for his first of the game at 8:57 of the middle frame, scoring off an odd man rush for a 4-3 lead headed to the third period.
“[Lowry] has been a great leader for the team on and off the ice,” Bowness said. “He was a great choice for captain. He loves these challenges. He’s going up against one of the best players in the world, not necessarily the League but the world in Nate [MacKinnon]. So, he loves those challenges and he takes his game to another level. The intensity is always there and it was certainly there tonight and it’s nice to see him get rewarded with a couple of goals, because he worked incredibly hard. When you’re playing against the Mackinnon line, you’re going to have to work very, very hard and you’re going to have to be very, very smart, and Adam did those things for us tonight.”
In the third, Lowry collected his double to push the lead to 5-3 at 3:31. The goal was reviewed and held up for the score.
J.T. Connor stretched the advantage to 6-3 at 5:51, scoring off a shot form the right circle on the power play.
It seemed the Avalanche were out of the game.
Colorado rallied with a goal from Artturi Lehkonen at 6:29 to close the gap to 6-4. He scored off the power play.
Connor collected his double at 8:54 for a 7-4 lead to the Jets. That was crucial as the Avs rallied back with a pair of goals to close it to 7-6.
Cale Makar hit off the power play with a wrister from the point that found its way through traffic. to make ti 7-5 at 12:24.
“That’s what playoffs is. Both teams got to push each other and both teams pushing to the brink and make teams play different ways,” Makar said. “Unfortunately, all the mistakes that we made ended up in the back of our net. That’s just the way she goes sometimes. A couple things to clean up and then turn the page.”
The Avs’ Casey Mittelstadt potted an errant puck with 30 seconds left on the game clock for the 7-6 final count on the scoreboard.
Connor Hellebuyck made 40 saves in the win.
Game 2 is set for Winnipeg on Tuesday.
The Avs jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Valeri Nichushkin scored off a wrist shot from the right circle at 6:10 of the opening stanza.
“You’re not tagging any of those goals on [Hellebuyck],” Bowness said. “Some of them had seeing eyes, some of them were bouncing all over the place, some of them were just dead giveaways on our part. You’re not hanging any of those on him. It could have been worse. Seriously. We don’t give up that many chances. We don’t give up that many shots. And Connor had to play better and he made a lot of big saves at the right time, which he always does. I’m not hanging any of those goals on him.”
Josh Morrissey knotted the game, 1-1, at 8:02, scoring when he lofted a shot through traffic.
The Jets’ Vladislav Namestnikov scored at 11:57 for a 2-1 lead to Winnipeg.
“That’s why you want to play the game, you want to play against the best and showcase at the highest stage,” Connor said. “Every one of us — we have a really deep team — to kind of contribute like that, it’s part of the fun.”
In a span of 18 seconds, the Avs appeared to take all the air out of the arena when they hit for a double to take a 3-2 lead.
“I thought our start was great tonight,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. “We haven’t played the Jets well this year. We played a good game early in the season, but that’s our first taste of us playing hard and them playing hard and seeing what’s going to happen. And it’s a seven-game series. I don’t think a whole lot changed for us from start to finish. I thought our guys played as hard as they possibly could and as clean as they possibly could.”
Miles knotted the game, 2-2, at 14:47, scoring from the slot.
Nathan MacKinnon then scored 18 seconds later for the 3-2 score on a shot from the left side. 
Alexandar Georgiev struggled, making 16 saves in the loss.
“[Georgiev’s game] probably needed to be better, right?” Bednar said. “I thought we played well, we created some chances. He made some good saves, but we’re [going to] need like a couple more saves than that probably to win, you know? But it is what it is. We’ll regroup. We made some mistakes in front of him that we’ll have to clean up and try to get the job done. It’s a team game.”
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