Jets beat Canadiens 5-4 in overtime on Tuesday night at Bell Centre in Montreal, completing a comeback that had looked impossible with less than three minutes left in regulation. Winnipeg trailed 4-0, scored four times in the final 2:39 of the third period, and then won it when Dylan Samberg scored at 3:30 of overtime.
The win snapped a nine-game winless run for Winnipeg (0-7-2) and gave the Jets their first victory since October 13. It also ended Montreal’s five-game winning streak, although the Canadiens (9-3-3) still extended their point streak to eight games. Winnipeg improved to 5-8-3.
How Jets beat Canadiens 5-4 unfolded
Montreal controlled most of the night. Owen Beck opened the scoring at 3:05 of the first period for his first goal of the season, and Josh Anderson made it 2-0 at 18:18 of the first. Cole Caufield then scored twice on the power play, at 4:00 of the second period and again just 46 seconds into the third, to give the Canadiens a 4-0 lead.
Montreal goaltender Jacob Fowler stopped the first 37 shots he faced and finished with 42 saves. He came within 2:39 of a shutout. Then the game changed completely.
Tyrel Bauer started the rally with his first NHL goal, cutting the deficit to 4-1 with 2:39 remaining. Morgan Barron made it 4-2 at 18:03 of the third, finishing a 2-on-1 rush with a shot off the crossbar. Kyle Connor then scored twice in the final minute, both on one-timers from the right circle with goaltender Stuart Skinner pulled for an extra attacker. His second goal, which deflected in with 33 seconds left, tied the game 4-4.
Winnipeg’s four goals came in a span of 2:06, the fastest four goals in franchise history. In overtime, Gabriel Vilardi took the puck from Lane Hutson along the boards, Adam Lowry fed a cutting Samberg, and Samberg scored blocker side from the right circle to finish the comeback.
Skinner made 18 saves for Winnipeg. Bauer and Barron each finished with a goal and an assist, while Dylan DeMelo and Mark Scheifele each had two assists. Caufield scored twice for Montreal, Juraj Slafkovsky had two assists, and Fowler’s 42 saves kept the Canadiens in front for most of the night.
Why this comeback made NHL history
This was not just a late rally. It was the latest four-goal comeback in NHL history. The previous mark belonged to the Los Angeles Kings, who began their comeback against Dallas at 52:46 of their game on November 10, 2007 — with 7:14 remaining. Winnipeg began its comeback with only 2:39 left, and still found time for four goals and an overtime winner.
The context made it even more unlikely. Winnipeg arrived in Montreal on a nine-game winless run and two days after a 7-0 loss at Carolina. Montreal arrived on a five-game winning streak. For most of Tuesday night, the game followed that form, with Fowler turning away shot after shot.
Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel summed up the feeling afterward, saying the team needed something crazy to happen and that the win felt like a playoff win in the room. Bauer, whose first NHL goal started the rally, said the group believed in each other through a long, hard stretch. On the Montreal side, Caufield was blunt, saying there was no excuse for losing a four-goal lead.
Analysis: what this win changes, and what it does not
For Winnipeg, this is a reset more than a solution. One wild night does not erase a 5-8-3 record, but it does change the mood around a team that had gone winless for nearly three weeks. The Jets piled up 86 shot attempts, according to Arniel, and their persistence was finally rewarded. If they carry that same pressure into their next games, the comeback could be a turning point. If they return to chasing games from behind, it will be remembered as a remarkable exception.
For Montreal, the loss is painful but not damaging in the standings in the same way. The Canadiens still took a point, extending their point streak to eight games, and their 9-3-3 record remains strong. The concern is narrower: a team that led 4-0 with under three minutes left stopped playing with the same urgency, and a confident opponent punished every opening. Montreal coach Martin St. Louis acknowledged as much, noting that his team was winning but was not beating Winnipeg in the way that mattered late.
What to watch next: Winnipeg hosts the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night, while Montreal hosts the Utah Mammoth on Thursday night. For the Jets, the question is whether a historic night can start a run. For the Canadiens, it is whether they respond by closing out their next lead the way they failed to close out this one.
For more NHL coverage, see our reports on the Golden Knights’ 3-2 win over the Penguins, the Oilers’ 4-0 win over the Islanders, and the Red Wings’ 4-1 win over the Blackhawks.
Sources: NHL.com; Reuters / Field Level Media; Associated Press via NBC Sports.
