Perfetti’s late goal helps Jets roll over Avalanche 4-2

DENVER (AP) — Cole Perfetti scored a tiebreaking goal late in the third period, and the Winnipeg Jets kept their post-season hopes alive with a 4-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night.

Connor Hellebuyck made 21 saves, Gabriel Vilardi had a goal and an assist, and Cole Koepke and Kyle O’Connor scored for Winnipeg. The Jets, with 74 points, are three behind the Nashville Predators for the second and final wild-card berth in the Western Conference.

Winnipeg earned a split of the season series and won the second game of the home-and-home between the teams. Colorado won in Winnipeg, 3-2, on Thursday.

Brock Nelson and Parker Kelly scored for Colorado, which had its four-game win streak snapped. The Avalanche loss, combined with Dallas’ win at Pittsburgh, cut their Central Division lead over the Stars to seven points.

Colorado, which leads the NHL with 106 points, has played one less game than Dallas.

The Avalanche carried the play for much of the third but the Jets got the go-ahead goal at 14:49 when Perfetti redirected Jacob Bryon’s shot from the point past a screened Mackenzie Blackwood.

Colorado unsuccessfully challenged that Jonathan Toews interfered with Blackwood. O’Connor sealed it with an empty-net goal at 17:51, his 33rd of the season.

Blackwood made 17 saves.

Vilardi scored his 28th goal 3:51 into the game and Nelson tied it on a redirect for his 33rd of the season midway through the first.

Cale Makar had the primary assist on Nelson’s goal, his 52nd of the season. It was the 500th point of his career since debuting with the Avalanche in 2019. He reached the total in his 467th career game, fourth fastest among defencemen in NHL history.

Koepke put the Jets back in front 2:14 into the second period but Kelly tied it at 18:05 with his career-best 17th of the season.

UP NEXT

Jets: Visit the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.

Avalanche: Host the Calgary Flames on Monday.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Michael Kelly, The Associated Press