Winnipeg Jets Allow 4 First Period Goals in Loss to Golden Knights

After beating the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday night, the Jets were looking to end their three-game road trip with two straight wins as they faced off against the Vegas Golden Knights at the T-Mobile Arena, last night.

The Jets made a couple of lineup changes for this game. Logan Stanley replaced Dylan Samberg, who was injured, and David Rittich got his first start of the season in net. Also, Nikolaj Ehlers missed his second straight game due to an undisclosed injury.

The Winnipeg Jets allowed four first period goals in their 5-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights

For those of you who stayed up late last night, it was a tough first period to watch from the Winnipeg Jets’ perspective.

Jack Eichel got Vegas on the board, less than five minutes after the opening puck drop. The puck was in the Golden Knights’ end and Dylan DeMelo was low in the offensive zone. The Jets did not have anyone covering for DeMelo and the puck was worked toward the neutral zone.

This led to Vegas having a three-on-one rush against Logan Stanley. Reilly Smith made a great pass to beat a sliding Stanley and Eichel redirected the puck past Rittich to put Vegas up 1-0.

Less than two minutes later Vegas’ extended their lead to two goals, courtesy of William Karlsson. This goal was another defensive mishap from the Jets as both Nate Schmidt and Brendan Dillon were beat by Michael Amadio behind the Jets’ net.

Amadio then made a terrific backhand pass to Karlsson, who beat three Jets’ players to the slot, and Karlsson delivered a one-touch shot that found its way into the Jets’ net.

Things went from bad to worse for the Jets with just under ten minutes left in the first frame when the Golden Knights attacked the Jets’ zone with speed.

Chandler Stephenson had the puck on the outside and tried to make a back door pass to another Vegas attacker. The puck deflected off Brendan Dillon’s skate and through Rittch’s legs to give Vegas their third goal in the first eleven minutes of the game.

In the final five minutes of the first frame, Eichel added his second of the night and Vegas’ fourth goal of the first, as he took advantage of a Rittich turnover and released a wicked wrist shot that beat the Jets’ debutant goaltender.

The Jets then were faced with the task of trying to come back from four goals down in a tough arena to win.

Winnipeg did not quit on this game and Pierre-Luc Dubois scored a second period goal to make the scoreline 4-1 after two periods.

In the third period, Neal Pionk continued his goal scoring form as he scored to make it 4-2 with just under ten minutes to play in regulation. Unfortunately for the Jets, their comeback stopped there.

Jonathan Marchessault scored an empty net goal with 22 seconds left to seal the 5-2 victory for the Golden Knights.

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With that loss, the Jets finished their first road trip of the 2022-2023 season with a 1-2-0 record. The Jets now have a 2-2-0 record in the new season.

The Jets will have the day off today before they return to the Canada Life Centre on Saturday night to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. Stay tuned to our site Saturday morning for a game preview of this intriguing matchup.