Jets complete latest four-goal comeback in NHL history to stun Canadiens 5-4 in overtime

A night that looked finished

For almost fifty-eight minutes at Bell Centre, the story seemed settled. The Montreal Canadiens led the Winnipeg Jets 4-0, the home crowd was loud, and Winnipeg was heading toward another defeat. Then, in the final 2 minutes 39 seconds of regulation, the Jets rewrote the night — and a page of National Hockey League history.

Dylan Samberg finished the comeback 3 minutes 30 seconds into overtime, beating Jacob Fowler to give Winnipeg a 5-4 victory on Tuesday, 3 November. The Jets scored four goals in 2 minutes 6 seconds late in the third period to force overtime, snapping a nine-game winless streak of 0-7-2. It was, by the league's own measure, the latest four-goal comeback in NHL history.

How the comeback unfolded

Tyrel Bauer started it. With 2 minutes 39 seconds remaining, the rookie scored his first NHL goal to make it 4-1, after Dylan DeMelo's dump-in took a fortunate bounce off the left boards. Morgan Barron made it 4-2 at 18:03 of the third period, beating Fowler glove side off the crossbar after electing to shoot on a two-on-one rush.

Kyle Connor did the rest of the regulation damage. With goaltender Stuart Skinner pulled for an extra attacker, Connor scored twice on one-timers from the right circle, cutting the deficit to 4-3 with one minute remaining and then tying the game 4-4 with 33 seconds left, after his shot deflected in off Montreal defenceman Noah Dobson. The four goals came in 2 minutes 6 seconds — the fastest four goals in Jets franchise history.

Overtime belonged to Samberg. Gabriel Vilardi took the puck away from Lane Hutson along the boards, Adam Lowry fed a cutting Samberg, and the defenceman scored blocker side from the right circle at 3:30. Before Winnipeg's rally, teams had an all-time record of 0-10,299-0 when facing a deficit of at least four goals in the final three minutes of regulation, counting the regular season and Stanley Cup playoffs combined.

What Montreal built — and lost

Montreal had earned its lead. Owen Beck opened the scoring at 3:05 of the first period for his first goal of the season, Josh Anderson made it 2-0 at 18:18, and Cole Caufield scored twice on the power play — at 4:00 of the second period and again 46 seconds into the third — to make it 4-0. Caufield's second goal was his tenth of the season.

Fowler, the Montreal rookie goaltender, stopped the first 37 shots he faced and finished with 42 saves, coming within 2 minutes 39 seconds of a shutout. Skinner made 18 saves for Winnipeg. Yet Montreal coach Martin St. Louis was blunt about the collapse, saying his team was winning but was not beating Winnipeg, while Caufield said there was no excuse for losing a four-goal lead.

For Winnipeg, the context made the night larger. The Jets had not won since 13 October and were coming off a 7-0 loss at the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. Coach Scott Arniel called the win amazing and said it felt like a playoff win in the dressing room. Bauer and Barron each finished with a goal and an assist, and DeMelo and Mark Scheifele each had two assists.

The record also puts Winnipeg ahead of the previous mark. The Los Angeles Kings held the previous record for the latest four-goal comeback, beginning their rally against the Dallas Stars at 52:46 on 10 November 2007. Winnipeg began its rally at 57:21 of the game, later than any team that had previously recovered from a four-goal deficit to win.

Around the league on Tuesday

Elsewhere on the same night, the New Jersey Devils beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 in a shootout, the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2, the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-2, and the Dallas Stars beat the Washington Capitals 6-5. The Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Colorado Avalanche 7-2, the Nashville Predators beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1, and the Anaheim Ducks beat the Vancouver Canucks 5-4.

Montreal still took a point, extending its point streak to eight games at 6-0-2 despite seeing a five-game winning streak end, while Winnipeg improved to 5-8-3. That consolation will mean little in Montreal after a lead of that size disappeared in that little time. For Winnipeg, though, a season that had drifted for more than three weeks finally has a night to point to — proof, at least for one evening, that no deficit was too large and no clock too late.