Another day, another loss for the Winnipeg Jets.
This time it was a crushing defeat to the rival Edmonton Oilers, who swept the season series 3-0 by way of a come-from-behind 4-3 road victory on Thursday.
After jumping out to a 3-1 lead through 20 minutes of play on goals from Kyle Connor, Tanner Pearson and Josh Morrissey, the Jets took their collective foot off the gas, allowing the Oilers back into the game.
Connor McDavid got things started for Edmonton with a goal in the final 20 seconds of the second period, before Zach Hyman and Evan Bouchard put it away.
The loss was Winnipeg's 11th-straight defeat.
"It's a lot of mental mistakes by all of us," defenceman Neal Pionk said. "So look to regain our confidence tomorrow."
Connor opened the scoring 11:11 into the period, putting a Mark Scheifele offering past Winnipegger Calvin Pickard for his 21st of the season.
Edmonton responded with three minutes left in the period, with Vasily Podkolzin firing home a slick setup from Kasperi Kapanen to tie the game at ones.
But Winnipeg was not content with a tie game through 20 minutes.
The Jets added not one but two more tallies before the frame came to a close.
First, it was Pearson, who jammed home his fifth of the season with 1:44 to play on a solo effort from behind the Oilers' net. Recent AHL call-up Danny Zhilkin caused problems in front of Pickard, allowing the puck to bounce its way through.
Then, one-upping the Pearson marker was a slow-motion point shot from Morrissey that bounced and trickled its way off multiple Edmonton players before sliding past the goal line 40 seconds later. Despite some initial hesitation, the five-man group on-ice determined it was Morrissey's goal - his seventh of the season.
Winnipeg led 3-1 after 20 minutes and 11-7 on the shot chart to begin the second period.
Things got a little heated in the second period, with Logan Stanley throwing down in a spirited tilt with Trent Frederic.
Despite the low-scoring middle stanza, Connor McDavid reminded 14,373 gathered at Canada Life Centre why he's the best player in the world. Taking a Leon Draisaitl pass off the outside of his inside foot, McDavid accepted a bouncing pass in stride and fooled Connor Hellebuyck, cutting Winnipeg's lead to just one goal with 20 seconds left in the period.
“Obviously, he’s one of those guys who you pay close attention to when he plays," Pearson said of his foe. "There’s a few guys like that in the league. It’s Connor, but I think we did a good job for the most part. Obviously the one at the second hurts, but yeah, it sucks.”
The Oilers pulled ahead on the shot chart in the frame, before pulling ahead on the scoreboard in the third.
Zach Hyman got the game-tying goal 8:19 into the third period, ripping a wrist shot past Hellebuyck, top-shelf for the 3-3 marker.
It didn't take much longer for the Oilers to strike again.
This time it came via power play.
With Nino Niederreiter in the box for the second time, Edmonton's No. 1 ranked power play made him pay. Bouchard gave the visitors a 4-3 lead with 9:23 left in the period.
Earning a power play of their own, the Jets failed to capitalize, but did use some different player combinations, including that of Jonathan Toews on the first unit and Logan Stanley on the wing of the second player grouping.
At this point, you can't lose more than the game, can you?
Well, on Thursday night, the Jets certainly lost the game.
An extra attacker with Hellebuyck on the bench didn't do much to muster any additional offence, as the Jets hit a wall, unable to put the puck into the net.
"I think we are all getting mental right now in the sense that it’s in everybody’s head," head coach Scott Arniel said. "But at the end of the day, we have a job to do, we have to play and our best players have to be our best players in a game like that, our role players have to play their roles.
"I don’t care what the scenario is, when you are out on the ice you are playing a game, something you have done your whole life and we are in a situation like that, however you go about it you have to find a way to get yourself over the hump. We are so close, but at the end of the day, we shoot ourselves in the foot within those moments that kind of happen in the game."
Hellebuyck turned aside 26 of the Oilers' 30 shots on the night, while Pickard turned things around after a tough first period and made 13 saves on Winnipeg's 16 shots on goal.
Next up for the Jets is the second half of the back-to-back as the Los Angeles Kings roll into town on Friday for the third test of the five-game homestand. That game also features a 7:00 PM central start time.
