Winnipeg Jets rally from 4-0 down to beat Montreal 5-4 in overtime, latest four-goal comeback

A nine-game slide and a 4-0 deficit

The Winnipeg Jets went into Tuesday, 3 November, on a nine-game losing streak and their fifth game in eight nights, with head coach Scott Arniel under pressure. The season had been unsettled from the start, when goalie Connor Hellebuyck, a former MVP, asked for a trade. At the Bell Centre, Montreal led 4-0 in the third period, and Winnipeg was less than three minutes away from a 10th straight defeat. Canadiens goaltender Jacob Fowler, a 21-year-old American named the NHL's rookie of the month for October, had made 19 saves in the second period alone. He finished with 42 saves on the night, while Winnipeg had controlled most of the play but had no goal until late in regulation.

Four goals in 2:06

Tyrel Bauer, a sixth-round pick in his 10th NHL game, had already dropped the gloves with Canadiens heavyweight Arber Xhekaj earlier in the third period. With 2:39 left in regulation, he scored his first NHL goal, a one-timer off a bouncing puck, to cut the deficit to 4-1. Morgan Barron added a wrist shot 42 seconds later, and Bauer's first NHL assist on that goal completed a Gordie Howe hat trick, a goal, an assist and a fight. Kyle Connor then scored twice in 27 seconds to tie the game at 4-4, and Winnipeg's four goals took two minutes and six seconds, with the tying goal coming 33 seconds before the end of regulation. Bauer, his fists still bleeding after the fight, said of the rally:

“That's a long, hard stretch, but this group believed in each other.”

Overtime winner and the record

Dylan Samberg won the game at 3:30 of overtime, with captain Adam Lowry setting up the pass. The NHL said this was the latest four-goal comeback in league history, and the previous mark belonged to the Los Angeles Kings, who began their rally against the Dallas Stars with 7:14 left on 10 November 2007. Teams have come back from five goals down 10 times, but none as late in a game as Winnipeg on Tuesday. Connor reflected on the end of the losing streak:

“What a way to end the streak we were on”

Arniel praised the Canadiens goalie after the game, saying of Fowler:

“Wow, he's something. The stops he was making, especially in that second period.”

Arniel said his message between periods had been simply to keep going.

Heritage Classic, 25 October33

Tuesday, 3 November42

Heritage Classic, 25 October

33 saves

Tuesday, 3 November

42 saves

Data from the article text

Other Swiss players on the night

Roman Josi scored and assisted in Nashville's 4-1 win over Carolina, and Juuse Saros stopped 29 of 30 shots for the Predators. Pius Suter scored with 59 seconds left, but St. Louis lost 3-1 to the New York Rangers. In New Jersey's 4-3 shootout win over Edmonton, Nico Hischier was credited with an assist on the Devils' 3-1 goal, and Blick counted that as his 10th point of the season and his 498th career point. Janis Moser had an assist on Tampa Bay's 3-0 goal in a 4-2 win over Detroit, while Lian Bichsel had no point in Dallas's 6-5 win over Washington. Blick also noted a race between Nino Niederreiter and Hischier toward 500 career points, and Niederreiter did not record a point in the Jets' comeback.