Ehlers scores OT goal to lift unbeaten Winnipeg to 4-3 win over Kraken

SEATTLE — Nikolaj Ehlers scored the winning goal 1:26 into overtime, and the Winnipeg Jets remained unbeaten this season with a 4-3 win over the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night.

Nino Niederreiter, a Portland Winterhawks alum, had two goals for Winnipeg, Gabriel Vilardi scored one and Connor Hellebuyck had 29 saves as the Jets improved to 7-0.

Matty Beniers had two goals and an assist for Seattle.

Beniers scored first at 11:27 of the first period to put the Kraken ahead 1-0. Seattle’s lead disappeared in the second period, when Niederreiter tied it with a goal at 3:56.

Vilardi snuck one past Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord at 15:05 of the second to give the Jets a 2-1 lead.

Niederreiter scored again just over four minutes into the third period to put the Jets ahead by two.

Jordan Eberle made it a one-score game with 9:58 left with his sixth goal in Seattle’s first eight games, and Beniers tapped in his second with 3:22 remaining to tie it at 3-3.

Daccord finished with 32 saves.

Takeaways

Kraken: Beniers’ goals were his first two of the season. He didn’t score his second goal last season until Seattle’s 18th game.

Jets: Winnipeg, which ranks second in the league in scoring, has now scored three or more goals in four consecutive games, and has reached the mark in five of its seven contests this season.

Key moment

The Kraken appeared to take a 2-1 lead on Oliver Bjorkstrand’s goal midway through the second period, but the goal was disallowed after review due to goaltender interference. Vilardi put Winnipeg ahead just a few minutes later, making that overturned call sting even more.

Key stat

Winnipeg outshot the Kraken after the first period, 29-20, with four of those shots finding the back of the net.

Up next

The Jets will play at Calgary on Saturday night, while the Kraken will play host to Carolina.

————

JETS 4, KRAKEN 3 (OT)

Winnipeg          0             2             1             1—4

Seattle 1             0             2             0—3

First Period—1, Seattle, Beniers 1, 11:27. Penalties—DeMelo, WPG (Interference), 12:14.

Second Period—2, Winnipeg, Niederreiter 3 (Appleton, Lowry), 3:56. 3, Winnipeg, Vilardi 1 (Scheifele, Connor), 15:05. Penalties—Lowry, WPG (Slashing), 15:19.

Third Period—4, Winnipeg, Niederreiter 4 (Perfetti, Pionk), 4:21. 5, Seattle, Eberle 6 (Beniers, McCann), 11:01. 6, Seattle, Beniers 2 (McCann, Montour), 16:38. Penalties—Kartye, SEA (High Sticking), 2:18.

Overtime—7, Winnipeg, Ehlers 3 (Scheifele, Connor), 1:26. Penalties—None.

Shots on Goal—Winnipeg 7-15-13-1—36. Seattle 12-10-9-1—32.

Power-play opportunities—Winnipeg 0 of 1; Seattle 0 of 2.

Goalies—Winnipeg, Hellebuyck 6-0-0 (32 shots-29 saves). Seattle, Daccord 3-0-1 (36-32).

A—17,151 (17,100). T—2:38.

Referees—Tom Chmielewski, Jon Mclsaac. Linesmen—Kyle Flemington, Ryan Gibbons.