Jets drop 4th in a row in overtime loss to league-leading Avalanche
Scheifele, Ehlers both score twice, add assist for Winnipeg (33-29-10)
Josh Morrissey believes the Winnipeg Jets showed their no-quit character in a 5-4 overtime loss to the league-leading Colorado Avalanche on Friday.
The Jets scored twice in the final four minutes of the third period to send the game into overtime, but Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar sealed the visitors' victory with a power-play goal 2:42 into the extra period.
"We understand the situation and where we are at in the standings," Morrissey said. "We had a conversation [after the second period] about not quitting and how we want to look at this next stretch of games here.
The Jets, who are winless in their last four games (0-3-1), are seven points behind the idle Dallas Stars for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Vegas and Vancouver are also in the mix and didn't play.
The Avalanche extended their win streak to five games. Makar, Andre Burakovsky and Nathan MacKinnon each had a goal and an assist. Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Erik Johnson and Nathan MacKinnon also scored.
WATCH l Avalanche score in overtime to hand Jets tough loss:
Pavel Francouz stopped 39 shots for Colorado (51-14-6), which is 9-1-1 in its last 11 games and finishes a three-game road trip Saturday in Edmonton against the Oilers.
Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers both scored twice and added an assist each for Winnipeg (33-29-10).
Connor Hellebuyck made 32 saves in his 60th game of the season for the Jets, who ended a three-game homestand with an 0-2-1 record.
Ehlers and Scheifele produced an exciting finish for the 13,900 fans at Canada Life Centre.
Colorado forward Mikko Rantanen then took a penalty with 44 seconds left. The Jets pulled Hellebuyck for a two-man advantage and Ehlers scored with 16 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime.
The elation didn't last long when Ehlers was called for slashing MacKinnon 45 seconds into the extra period and Makar notched his 25th goal of the season.
"Penalties hurt us at the end," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. "We had one opportunity with the empty net in order to probably put that game on ice and we didn't capitalize on it, and then we end up getting called a penalty.
"I like the fact that our team stuck with it in overtime. You certainly don't like to give up a lead, but the Jets are a dangerous team. They have some shooters over there."
Morrissey denied Colorado's empty-net attempt. He stuck out of his foot and blocked a MacKinnon shot.
Wheeler out with injury
Winnipeg was without captain Blake Wheeler (upper body), who was injured in last Wednesday's loss to Detroit.
The Jets led 2-1 after the first period and the Avalanche held a 3-2 lead after the second.
Aube-Kubel scored after his pass to the front of the net hit the skate of Jets defenceman Brenden Dillon and went in at 5:10 of the opening period.
Ehlers then made it 2-1 after a failed breakout attempt by the Avalanche. Scheifele got the puck and sent it to Ehlers in front of the net, who poked in his own rebound with 2:25 left in the period.
"Obviously, you can't be too happy when you lose a game but we're trying to grow our chemistry as a line every single day, every single time we step out on the ice," Ehlers said.
Burakovsky recorded his 20th goal of the season to tie it up at 3:55 of the second period.
A Winnipeg turnover led to Johnson putting the Avs ahead 3-2 at 9:11.
'They made it hard for us'
"They made it hard for us," Burakovsky said of the Jets. "They had a couple long shifts in our zone against us.
"They were shooting the puck and they were working hard. They were crashing the net. It was hard for us to defend against that. Really good job by us to find a way to win the game."
Avalanche forward J.T. Compher got a penalty shot after being hooked by Dillon, but his backhand attempt missed the net with 2:42 remaining.
MacKinnon's 25th goal of the season widened the gap to 4-2 at 4:04 of the third.
Winnipeg travels to Ottawa for a Sunday game against the Senators.
