The Winnipeg Jets are now two games into their 2026-27 NHL regular season following a Sunday afternoon matchup against the Detroit Red Wings. The Jets are also exactly 21 days away from hosting the Montreal Canadiens at Princess Auto Stadium for the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic. Following an overtime loss to the Bruins on Friday, the Jets held onto a late lead on Sunday to secure their first win of the season.

Before looking at the Jets win on Sunday, we need to go back and quickly recap what took place during the Jets home opener at Canada Life Centre on Friday. Dylan DeMelo scored the first Jets goal of the year just five minutes into the game. The Bruins responded with two goals later in the 1st period from Hampus Lindholm and rookie James Hagens. Kyle Connor tied the game at two early into the 2nd period with a powerplay goal, extending his NHL record to nine (9!) straight seasons with an opening game goal.

Mario Ferraro scored his first goal as a Jet with only 8 seconds left in the 2nd period, and Jets took a 3-2 lead into the final frame. The Jets looked mostly in control in the 3rd, although both teams were getting chances to get that next important goal. Unfortunately it wasn’t the Jets who got that next goal, as Elias Lindholm tied the game with a deflection in front with 1:38 left with the Bruins net empty. In overtime, JJ Peterka sent the Jets fans home without seeing a win, as he scored his 2nd goal of the season in style on a rush. Final score – Bruins: 4, Jets: 3, with the shots on goal 33-30 for the Jets.

Sunday afternoon the Jets were in Detroit for their first road game of the season. The first 20 minutes were great for the Jets, with Cole Perfetti and Kyle Connor scoring on the powerplay. The 2nd period saw the Jets 3rd powerplay goal of the game, as Kyle Connor picked up his 2nd of the game and 3rd of the season. The 4th goal of the game was also a powerplay goal, but this time it came from the Red Wings as Viktor Arvidsson kept the Red Wings hopes alive late in the 2nd period.

The 3rd period saw the Red Wings continue to gain some momentum, but Stuart Skinner stood tall in net to keep it a 3-1 game early in the 3rd. Emmitt Finnie scored his 1st goal of the season with 15 minutes left, as the Jets once again found themselves with a one goal lead in the 3rd period. This time the Jets were successful in defending a late game push, and the Jets were able to hold on for a 3-2 win in Detroit. Final shots on goal were 35-27 for the Red Wings, and Kyle Connor and Cole Perfetti led the way for the Jets with 3 points each.

The Jets don’t have much time to celebrate their first win of the season though, as they’ll now travel to Pittsburgh for a game against the Penguins tomorrow night. After tomorrow the Jets will have a few days to rest up before three straight home games, but overall Jets fans should be happy with these first two games of the season. There’s plenty of positives from the newest additions to the Jets roster, but of course with it being early in the season there’s still some work to be done in all areas of the Jets overall game.

The 2026-27 NHL regular season is now fully underway, with all 32 teams having at least one game complete. Stay tuned here on Daily Faceoff Winnipeg for the latest news on the Jets regular season, as well as articles to preview and recap the Jets next game, which comes tomorrow night in Pittsburgh against the Penguins.

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