Jets Earn Both Points in Sunday Afternoon Test With Vancouver
Photo by James Carey Lauder/USA Today
The Winnipeg Jets have improved to 51-19-4 thanks to a 3-1 home victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday afternoon.
The game was decided in the third period, as Mason Appleton and Cole Perfetti provided goals that pushed Vancouver further and further down the Western Conference playoff race.
Advertisement
Kyle Connor scored Winnipeg's first goal in the second period on Sunday - his 38th of the season - after Pius Suter gave the visitors a 1-0 lead in the opening frame.
But it was in the third where the Jets' depth wingers took over.
First, it was Appleton who gave Winnipeg its first lead of the game with 13 minutes to play, before Perfetti dazzled with a sensational solo effort, beating Thatcher Demko with a wrist shot after a nifty toe drag.
Winnipeg finished the game with 27 shots to Vancouver's 24. Connor Hellebuyck picked up his 43rd win of the season, making him just the third goaltender since 2001 with multiple seasons of 43+ wins.
The matinee affair was Winnipeg's final test of a four-game homestand, to which the Jets will now hit the road for three games out west next week. Contests with Los Angeles, Vegas and Utah are on tap for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Thunder on the brink of championship glory after fending off Pacers' comeback push to win Game 5 of the NBA Finals
In a pivotal Game 5, the Oklahoma City Thunder were able to fend off a late-game comeback attempt from the Indiana Pacers to take a 3-2 lead in the series and move to within a game of the NBA championship after a 120-109 win Monday night. History will tell you that when the NBA Finals are knotted at 2-2, the winner of Game 5 goes on to win the series nearly 75% of the time - a fact that was surely on the minds of both teams and definitely wasn't lost on the fans in attendance in Oklahoma City. And with the Pacers' star player hindered by an injury early, the home crowd could sense the chance to pounce on a championship chance. Paycom Center was rocking during the player introductions and the raucous frenzy continued after tip-off as the Thunder got off to a hot start from the outset. A barrage of 3-pointers keyed OKC's attack, with the Thunder knocking down four of six attempts from long range in the opening quarter - one more 3-pointer than they had in all of Game 4. The Thunder's sizzling shooting lifted the Western Conference champions to a 10-point lead at the end of the first quarter at 32-22. The Pacers' early woes were compounded when guard Tyrese Haliburton went down awkwardly while driving the ball to the rim in the first quarter and appeared to come up favoring his right calf. Haliburton was briefly taken to the locker room and emerged with his lower leg wrapped. Although he would return to the court, Indiana's postseason hero struggled to find any offensive rhythm in the first half, failing to score a single point before halftime for the first time in his playoff career. The Thunder continued to pad their advantage in the second quarter with major contributions from the team's stars as well as some of its reserves. Jalen Williams led the Thunder with 16 points at halftime, while Shai-Gilgeous Alexander added 13 first-half points. Coming off the bench, Aaron Wiggins and Cason Wallace each scored 9 points on a trio of 3-pointers in the first half, lifting the Thunder to a 59-45 lead at the intermission. But as they've done all postseason long, the Pacers showed the persistence that has carried them to the NBA Finals as they began cutting into a sizeable second half deficit. In a game where Haliburton mustered only four points, the Pacers' third quarter run was sparked by an unlikely source - reserve guard TJ McConnell. The nine-year veteran scored 13 points in the final five minutes of the quarter as Indiana trimmed the Thunder's lead down to 8 points at 87-79. With Haliburton a non-factor, Eastern Conference Finals MVP Pascal Siakam put the Pacers on his back as Indiana continued its quest for another epic playoff comeback. Siakam had a team-high 28 points and his 3-pointer with 8:30 left in the fourth quarter brought the Pacers to within two points of Oklahoma City at 95-93. But that was as close as the Pacers would get. The Thunder defense found another gear and showed the swarming intensity that has been a hallmark of the NBA's top defense throughout the season. Meanwhile, OKC's offense found a much-needed burst of energy to run its lead back to double digits. For all the much-deserved praise directed at league MVP Gilgeous-Alexander throughout the Thunder's playoff run, Game 5 belonged to his teammate Williams. Every time the team needed a big basket, the ball went to Williams, who led all scorers with a game-high 40 points. 'My teammates instill a lot of confidence in me and go out and be me,' Williams told broadcaster ABC after the game. '(Head coach) Mark (Daigneault) has done a good job telling me just be myself. I don't got to be anything more, and that's giving me a lot of confidence.' The series will now shift back to Indiana for Game 6, where the Pacers will need a win on their home court to force a winner-takes-all Game 7 back in Oklahoma City. If the Pacers are to have a realistic hope of extending their season, they will need a greater contribution from Haliburton, who has been the centerpiece of so many of Indiana's improbable wins during these playoffs. Despite shaking off his apparent calf injury and playing 34 minutes Monday night, Haliburton did not convert a single field goal in the game, scoring all four of his points from the free throw line. Haliburton and the Pacers will have less than 48 hours to shake off the sting of their Game 5 loss before Thursday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Thunder on the brink of championship glory after fending off Pacers' comeback push to win Game 5 of the NBA Finals
In a pivotal Game 5, the Oklahoma City Thunder were able to fend off a late-game comeback attempt from the Indiana Pacers to take a 3-2 lead in the series and move to within a game of the NBA championship after a 120-109 win Monday night. History will tell you that when the NBA Finals are knotted at 2-2, the winner of Game 5 goes on to win the series nearly 75% of the time - a fact that was surely on the minds of both teams and definitely wasn't lost on the fans in attendance in Oklahoma City. And with the Pacers' star player hindered by an injury early, the home crowd could sense the chance to pounce on a championship chance. Paycom Center was rocking during the player introductions and the raucous frenzy continued after tip-off as the Thunder got off to a hot start from the outset. A barrage of 3-pointers keyed OKC's attack, with the Thunder knocking down four of six attempts from long range in the opening quarter - one more 3-pointer than they had in all of Game 4. The Thunder's sizzling shooting lifted the Western Conference champions to a 10-point lead at the end of the first quarter at 32-22. The Pacers' early woes were compounded when guard Tyrese Haliburton went down awkwardly while driving the ball to the rim in the first quarter and appeared to come up favoring his right calf. Haliburton was briefly taken to the locker room and emerged with his lower leg wrapped. Although he would return to the court, Indiana's postseason hero struggled to find any offensive rhythm in the first half, failing to score a single point before halftime for the first time in his playoff career. The Thunder continued to pad their advantage in the second quarter with major contributions from the team's stars as well as some of its reserves. Jalen Williams led the Thunder with 16 points at halftime, while Shai-Gilgeous Alexander added 13 first-half points. Coming off the bench, Aaron Wiggins and Cason Wallace each scored 9 points on a trio of 3-pointers in the first half, lifting the Thunder to a 59-45 lead at the intermission. But as they've done all postseason long, the Pacers showed the persistence that has carried them to the NBA Finals as they began cutting into a sizeable second half deficit. In a game where Haliburton mustered only four points, the Pacers' third quarter run was sparked by an unlikely source - reserve guard TJ McConnell. The nine-year veteran scored 13 points in the final five minutes of the quarter as Indiana trimmed the Thunder's lead down to 8 points at 87-79. With Haliburton a non-factor, Eastern Conference Finals MVP Pascal Siakam put the Pacers on his back as Indiana continued its quest for another epic playoff comeback. Siakam had a team-high 28 points and his 3-pointer with 8:30 left in the fourth quarter brought the Pacers to within two points of Oklahoma City at 95-93. But that was as close as the Pacers would get. The Thunder defense found another gear and showed the swarming intensity that has been a hallmark of the NBA's top defense throughout the season. Meanwhile, OKC's offense found a much-needed burst of energy to run its lead back to double digits. For all the much-deserved praise directed at league MVP Gilgeous-Alexander throughout the Thunder's playoff run, Game 5 belonged to his teammate Williams. Every time the team needed a big basket, the ball went to Williams, who led all scorers with a game-high 40 points. 'My teammates instill a lot of confidence in me and go out and be me,' Williams told broadcaster ABC after the game. '(Head coach) Mark (Daigneault) has done a good job telling me just be myself. I don't got to be anything more, and that's giving me a lot of confidence.' The series will now shift back to Indiana for Game 6, where the Pacers will need a win on their home court to force a winner-takes-all Game 7 back in Oklahoma City. If the Pacers are to have a realistic hope of extending their season, they will need a greater contribution from Haliburton, who has been the centerpiece of so many of Indiana's improbable wins during these playoffs. Despite shaking off his apparent calf injury and playing 34 minutes Monday night, Haliburton did not convert a single field goal in the game, scoring all four of his points from the free throw line. Haliburton and the Pacers will have less than 48 hours to shake off the sting of their Game 5 loss before Thursday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Report: Rockets have ‘firm offer' to trade for Kevin Durant, but Suns are underwhelmed
Report: Rockets have 'firm offer' to trade for Kevin Durant, but Suns are underwhelmed Trade negotiations appear to be in something of a standoff, with Houston having a 'firm offer' for Kevin Durant while Phoenix remains 'underwhelmed.' The Rockets continue to have a 'firm offer' to trade for Suns star Kevin Durant, but Phoenix continues to be underwhelmed with Houston's current valuation of the All-Star forward, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic. There has yet to be a clear indication of what that offer specifically entails, though Rockets Wire explored the financial possibilities last week. According to The Athletic's Iko, Sam Amick, and Jon Krawczynski, the Suns are also relatively uninspired by their options involving the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat — the other two teams on Durant's list of preferred destinations. Reports have indicated that the Timberwolves could perhaps bid closer to the Suns' liking, with established players such as Rudy Gobert and Donte DiVincenzo a part of the package. But, to no surprise, The Athletic's report indicates that Minnesota 'does not want to make a seismic change to a roster that advanced to the Western Conference finals, if Durant is not on board with the move.' With Durant having only one season left on his current contract, surrendering significant value in a trade for a player who is unwilling to extend and could leave for no compensation in 2026 free agency would be very risky. So, in effect, it's a standoff. The Suns are waiting out Durant, in hopes that he eventually expands his list of desired teams. Durant and the Rockets (and perhaps the Spurs and Heat, as well) are waiting out the Suns, in hopes that Phoenix eventually accepts a lower offer. Time will tell as to which side wins out, but the first round of the 2025 NBA draft is next Wednesday, June 25 — and the Suns would undoubtedly prefer to have a deal finalized by that time so that they can make a selection, themselves, for any draft asset they might obtain. Furthermore, with Durant turning 37 years old in September, there wouldn't seem to be much value upside to waiting — unless Phoenix is potentially open to rejecting all trade offers (if deemed unsatisfactory) and bringing Durant back into its fold for the 2025-26 season. To this point, there have been no indications of that being a viable scenario. So, for the time being, it seems both Durant and the Suns are waiting out the other. Teams such as the Rockets are awaiting the outcome. More: Arizona Republic: Rockets 'ideal trade destination' for Kevin Durant
