WINNIPEG — Kyle Connor scored twice, including the go-ahead goal with a minute remaining, to lift the Winnipeg Jets to a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche in Manitoba. The Jets stayed unbeaten in regulation after denying Colorado an overtime point in the tight Western Conference matchup.
The game was scoreless through the first period despite traded fruitless power plays, with Colorado holding a 17-6 shot advantage at the first intermission. Cale Makar provided an early highlight with the hardest shot of the 2026-27 season so far at 101.9 mph, setting a personal best in the process. Jaden Schwartz opened the scoring in the second with his first goal in an Avalanche sweater, with Fedor Svechkov picking up his first point with the club on the assist, but Connor answered just over a minute later with a puck through traffic on Mackenzie Blackwood. Winnipeg then took its first lead of the season for Colorado's opponent when a puck deflected off Cole Perfetti and in to make it 2-1 heading to the third.
Winnipeg limited Colorado's chances in the third and killed a power play to keep the lead. The Avalanche evened it when the third line connected, as Svechkov finished alone at the net front after a pass from Schwartz and chipped the puck past Jets netminder Stuart Skinner to make it 2-2. It looked headed to overtime before Connor buried a rush chance for his second of the evening with a minute left on the clock to secure the 3-2 final.
Zach L'Heureux made his Avalanche debut with hard-nosed, energetic play in modest minutes, logging 8:22 of ice time with three shots on goal and five hits. Newcomers Schwartz and Svechkov accounted for all of Colorado's offense and showed early chemistry, while the top two lines were jumbled after failing to click. Brock Nelson had a tough night defensively, as did Gabe Landeskog and Artturi Lehkonen amid the shuffling.
The result opens Colorado's first back-to-back of the season. The Avalanche close the brief two-game road trip in Calgary with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. MT on Thursday, October 8.