Yager thrilled with first NHL goal, Jets’ late win over Lightning

WINNIPEG — Brayden Yager was grinning ear to ear while surrounded by reporters following a roller-coaster Sunday night at Canada Life Centre.

The 21-year-old Winnipeg forward had just notched his first NHL goal — which was also his first NHL point — to help lift the Jets to an eventful 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

What made the milestone extra special was the small family cheering section sitting rinkside that shared in the meaningful moment.

“Mom, dad and grandpa were here, so it was pretty cool to do it in front of them,” Yager said after the game, still dripping with sweat. “Unbelievable feeling. Dream come true.”

The Saskatchewan native’s memorable moment was born out of a bloody sequence early in the third period.

Winnipeg (7-8-3) was already protecting a 2-0 lead on second-period goals from Cole Perfetti and Morgan Barron when Lightning forward Pontus Holmberg caught Yager in the mouth with a high stick. The infraction drew blood, resulting in a four-minute double-minor penalty and a quick check-in with the team’s medical staff.

Yager was back on the ice moments later. With nine seconds remaining in the first minor, he fired a one-timer past Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy after a slick deflected feed from fellow rookie Viggo Bjorck.

“Just a great play by Viggo there that touched over to me and I had a pretty wide-open net,” Yager said. “You can definitely feel it, the atmosphere. I thought the fans were unbelievable tonight.”

Bjorck, selected eighth overall by Winnipeg in June’s draft, collected his third assist in two games after enduring a 16-game scoring drought to begin his rookie campaign.

At 3-0, it looked as though the Jets put the game out of reach. But the Lightning (11-4-2) showed why they remain one of the league’s most offensively gifted clubs, mounting a quick comeback that turned the game on its head.

Brandon Hagel got the visitors on the scoreboard after taking full advantage of a Yager giveaway behind the net. Yager was pickpocketed by Anthony Cirelli, who then fed Hagel in front for his ninth of the season.

A few minutes later, Holmberg made up for his penalty in dramatic fashion, beating Winnipeg netminder Stuart Skinner twice in a span of 26 seconds to tie the game 3-3 with 5:33 remaining in the third period.

“That’s a good lesson about how good this league is and how hard you have to play every shift,” Jets head coach Scott Arniel said of Yager. “He didn’t feel that pressure coming from behind, and that’s part of the speed and quickness of the NHL. It’s a great learning curve for him. He can build on the goal that he scored, but he continues to do stuff well.”

For Yager, the sequence provided an immediate example on what can happen in the blink of an eye.

“Just look to keep building, keep getting better every game, and keep getting more and more comfortable,” Yager said. “It’s important that some of us other guys step up, and I thought we did a really good job of that tonight.”

After relying on six different goal scorers in Thursday’s win over Vancouver, the Jets produced four goals from four players against the Lightning. It’s the kind of secondary scoring Winnipeg has been looking for all season.

“We’ve got a lot of great guys on this team, guys with a lot of heart and a lot of skill,” said Mark Scheifele, who scored the game winner with 1.6 seconds remaining in regulation. “They don’t ask how. They just ask how many wins. We’ll put that one in the chamber and not look at it again.”

The victory extended Winnipeg’s win streak to three games, a run that first started with the “Miracle in Montreal,” where the Jets erased a 4-0 deficit in two minutes and six seconds en route to a 5-4 overtime win.

Arniel noted that the dramatic comeback in Montreal was the catalyst the team needed to push forward after losing nine straight games.

“You can see that the big weight is off their shoulders — you can see it in practice, you can hear them joking in the room and even just on the bench,” Arniel said. “They’re pushing each other and I think that breaking those bubbles helps everybody feel more confident. You make the next play. You’re not hoping that the next play is made, you’re actually making it.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2026.

Jeff Hamilton, The Canadian Press