Barbashev scores in OT, Golden Knights rally late to defeat Jets

WINNIPEG -- Ivan Barbashev scored 3:47 into overtime to help the Vegas Golden Knights rally for a 3-2 win against the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre on Thursday.

“It’s probably going to be, numbers-wise, one of our best (defensive games) of the year,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Analytics can be funny sometimes because the eye test isn't always right, but I have a feeling this one will be. And we have been better. We have been better for probably the better part of a month now, and we should be. We have good defensive players, we played that way before.”

Barbashev finished off a 2-on-1 with Shea Theodore to win it. The goal came after Victor Olofsson tied the game 2-2 at 18:11 of the third period with Vegas on a 5-on-3 power play, taking Mark Stone’s cross-crease pass and scoring with a one-timer from a tight angle below the right circle.

“(Stone’s pass was), I would say, unbelievable,” Olofsson said. “It was a great pass from, first Jack [Eichel] to [Stone], and then ‘Stoney’ to me. Wide-open net, and I just had to hit it. It was a good play.”

Keegan Kolesar also scored, and Theodore had two assists for the Golden Knights (19-7-3), who have won four straight. Adin Hill made 18 saves.

“(We were) able to tie it up, then go down again, we stayed with it right to the very end,” Kolesar said. “We didn't let it waver in any way in our play, played right to the whistle and we were able to come up two points.”

Josh Morrissey and Nikita Chibrikov scored for the Jets (21-9-1), who are 3-1-1 in their past five. Connor Hellebuyck made 34 saves.

“We didn’t like our first two periods,” Morrissey said. “They’re obviously a very good team, but we’re still up 1-0 going into the third. … (We) did a decent job through the third period, I thought, of trying to play our game when we didn’t really have our best stuff in the first two. Obviously, a tough ending with the penalties there at the end of the game. It was a tough situation, and we couldn’t get it done in OT.”

Chibrikov gave the Jets a 1-0 lead at 9:27 of the first period. Vladislav Namestnikov’s shot on the rush was kicked aside by Hill, finding Chibrikov at the left side of the net for a tap in. He has a goal in each of his first three NHL games.

"I think that [Chibrikov] is growing, he's learning every game, every shift,” Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said. “He's competitive, he goes to those areas, he drove to that net on that goal tonight. He does a lot of good things. Lots of times, you're concerned that maybe without the puck, he might be a liability, but that line had lots of good looks. They had some zone time and that's what you hope for when a guy like that goes in there."

Kolesar tied it 1-1 at 4:34 of the third. Theodore forced a turnover in the Jets zone before Kolesar beat a screened Hellebuyck with a low shot from the right circle.

“It's fun. It's very fun,” Kolesar said of scoring in his hometown of Winnipeg. “I’ve got a lot of special people in the building here tonight. It’ll be exciting to see them after… I didn't even know it went in until my teammates told me.”

Morrissey scored with a slap shot from the left circle to give the Jets a 2-1 lead at 10:55.

“We were down 2-1 in the third, and I thought we were playing really well, to be honest with you, especially defensively,” Cassidy said. “You know, they looked tired. They’re at the end of, I think, four in six, they've had a tough stretch. We’ve been off for a while, so I thought we might be rusty early. But I thought after the first period that we executed better and had our legs and hands more than I would have suspected. We didn't give up much for two periods, but hung in there, got some calls late. We needed them, obviously, and our power play was able to connect there.”

NOTES: Vegas has won eight straight regular-season games against Winnipeg dating back to Oct. 20, 2022, outscoring them 34-19. … The Golden Knights improved to 8-1-2 in their past 11 road games. … Chibrikov is the first player in franchise history to score a goal in each of his first three NHL games. He scored his first in Winnipeg’s final regular season game of 2023-24. He then had a goal and an assist in the Jets’ 8-1 win against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday.