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Jets thunderstruck 4-1 by Lightning
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Photo credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Evan Waldner
Jan 30, 2026, 00:59 EST
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The Winnipeg Jets, fighting for their season, were dominated 4-1 by the scorching-hot Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night at Benchmark International Arena, dropping them to 21-25-7. Kyle Connor scored his 24th of the season, Winnipeg’s lone goal, while Connor Hellebuyck made 33 saves. The loss marked Hellebuyck’s 200th career regular-season defeat.
Dominic James gave Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead at 14:58 of the first period, ripping a shot from the left circle after Darren Raddysh sent him in alone on a breakaway following a stretch pass from J.J. Moser. It was James’ fifth of the season.
Winnipeg entered Thursday night with a 2-16-3 record when allowing the opening goal, a recurring issue this season.
Tampa held a one-goal edge after 20 minutes, while Winnipeg led the shots 11-10.
The Lightning struck just 1:37 into the second period to open up a two-goal cushion. Raddysh fired a slap shot from the point for his third goal in as many games, his 15th of the year.
Kyle Connor, who hadn’t scored in his previous five games, got the Jets on the board at 12:25 with a short-side tip of Dylan Samberg’s shot for his 24th of the campaign, giving Winnipeg some life.
That momentum didn’t last long. Less than three minutes later, Yanni Gourde restored Tampa’s two-goal advantage on a delayed penalty, redirecting a quick centering feed from Nikita Kucherov between the circles.
The Bolts led by two after the middle frame while outshooting the Jets 21-19.
Tampa shut things down defensively in the third, holding Winnipeg to just four shots on goal while generating 16 of their own. Kucherov added an empty-netter at 18:52 to seal the 4-1 win, his 27th of the season.
“I mean, they’re a good team. They kind of stick to their system really well,” said Morgan Barron post-game. “They have a ton of skill, but they play hard, and they’re really disciplined in terms of giving up chances and sticking to their systems. Sometimes that requires us to be patient and keep putting pucks behind them, and we probably didn’t do a good enough job of that at times.”
Winnipeg will remain in Florida and head to Sunrise to face the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers at 3:00 p.m. CST on Saturday. Coverage will be available on TSN3.

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