Alex Iafallo broke a tie in the third period and the host Winnipeg Jets snapped the St. Louis Blues’ franchise-record 12-game winning streak with a 3-1 decision on Monday. Morgan Barron and Adam Lowry also scored for the Jets, who have the NHL’s best record and have won five of their past seven. Connor Hellebuyck made 14 saves.
The Blues, who had been on a tear, were unable to overcome the Jets’ strong defense. Pavel Buchnevich produced the lone goal for the Blues, and Joel Hofer stopped 23 shots. St. Louis holds the top spot in the Western Conference wild-card race by two points over the idle Minnesota Wild.
Iafallo gave the Jets a 2-1 lead 7:05 into the third period when he put in the rebound of a shot by Kyle Connor. Lowry added an empty-net goal with nine seconds left, securing the win for the Jets.
In other NHL games, the Tampa Bay Lightning cruised past the New York Rangers 5-1. The Lightning scored three goals in a 1:45 span in the first period and never looked back. Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point scored two of the goals on the power play, while Yanni Gourde tallied the middle goal of the flurry.
The Lightning, who got 38 saves from Andrei Vasilevskiy, moved within two points of the idle Toronto Maple Leafs for the Atlantic Division lead. Mika Zibanejad scored a power-play goal for the Rangers, who are six points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot.
Joey Daccord stopped 28 of 29 shots to lead visiting Seattle past Los Angeles 2-1. Matty Beniers and Brandon Montour scored goals for the Kraken, who won their third consecutive game. Daccord was aided by 30 blocked shots from his teammates.
The Calgary Flames used a three-goal, third-period comeback to keep their playoff hopes alive with a 3-2 victory at San Jose. Adam Klapka, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Matt Coronato all scored in the final frame for the Flames, who are 3-1-1 in their past five. Dustin Wolf made 29 saves for the Flames.
These games highlight the competitive nature of the NHL, with teams battling for playoff spots and division leads. The Jets’ win over the Blues was a significant upset, while the Lightning’s dominant performance over the Rangers showcased their strength as a top contender. The Kraken’s third consecutive win and the Flames’ comeback victory also demonstrate the depth of talent in the league.
