Pickard Stands Tall as Oilers Hand Jets Sixth Straight Loss in Winnipeg
If you’re looking for the story of this Oilers vs Jets game, it really starts and ends with Calvin Pickard. On a busy Monday night in Winnipeg, Pickard was asked to do a lot, and it was delivered almost flawlessly. He stopped 41 shots, many of them coming during heavy pressure early and late, as the Edmonton Oilers held on for a 3–1 win over the Winnipeg Jets at a sold-out Canada Life Centre.
From the opening puck drop, it was clear Winnipeg was going to push the pace. The Jets threw pucks from everywhere, tipped shots, and tried to create chaos in front, but Pickard stayed calm. Big saves were made on the penalty kill, rebounds were controlled, and when traffic built up, he found a way to see through it. By the time the night was over, it was hard to argue that he wasn’t the difference.
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The scoring opened midway through the second period when Max Jones capitalized on a turnover behind the Jets’ net and jammed home a loose puck for his first goal of the season. That goal seemed to take a bit of wind out of Winnipeg, and things got tougher a few minutes later. On the power play, Jack Roslovic picked up a rebound and snapped a wrist shot under Connor Hellebuyck’s glove to make it 2–0 Edmonton.
Winnipeg didn’t quit. In fact, the Jets continued to dominate the shot clock and finally broke through early in the third period. Captain Adam Lowry crashed the net, collected a rebound, and buried a backhand to cut the lead to 2–1. For a moment, it felt like momentum might finally swing their way.
But once again, Pickard shut the door. Wave after wave came at him, especially in the final minutes, and every save seemed to frustrate the home crowd a little more. Edmonton helped out by blocking shots and keeping attempts mostly to the outside. With the Jets pressing and the net empty, Zach Hyman sealed it with an empty-net goal to make it 3–1.
Connor McDavid quietly extended his point streak to 13 games with an assist, continuing one of the longest runs in the league this season. On the other side, the loss marked Winnipeg’s sixth straight, dropping them to 0-3-3 during the skid, despite another effort that their coach admitted was hard to criticize.
In the end, the Jets had chances, effort, and numbers on their side. What they didn’t have was an answer for Calvin Pickard, who turned a night of relentless pressure into a statement performance and walked out of his hometown with two big points for the Oilers.
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