The Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues played one of the longest Game 7s on record Sunday night.
After winning all three games at home to keep their season alive, the Blues came out to a strong start on Sunday, holding a 3-1 lead with just two minutes remaining in the third period. But while St. Louis appeared all but certain to upset the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Jets, Winnipeg scored two goals in 1:53 to force overtime.
Winnipeg’s game-tying goal, scored by 23-year-old Cole Perfetti, came with just 2.2 seconds to go. Playing at six-on-five with the net empty, Perfetti tipped in a shot from Kyle Connor to send the crowd both inside and outside of Canada Life Centre to its feet.
The game stretched on even further in overtime — the Jets held an 11-4 lead in shots in the first extra frame, but neither team hit the back of their net before the game went to double overtime.
With less than four minutes to go in the second overtime period, Jets captain Adam Lowry played the hero, scoring the game-winning goal to end the series. Neal Pionk shot from the blue line and Lowry, screening Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington, deflected the puck into the net to complete the Jets’ storybook comeback.
Even before Lowry’s series-winning goal, the Jets and Blues had already etched their names into the NHL’s record books. Only 50 Game 7s have extended past regulation and just 14 have gone to double overtime, with the last coming between the Blues and Dallas Stars in the second round of the 2019 playoffs.
By the time Lowry scored, the contest had become the third-longest Game 7 in NHL history, stretching to a total of 96:10. The Jets double OT thriller was the longest Game 7 since the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals set the record with a quadruple-overtime game in 1987, playing for 128:47.
Longest Game 7s in NHL history
| Rank | Date | Game | Period | Game Length | Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4/18/1987 | *New York Islanders vs. Washington Capitals | 4OT | 128:47 | Pat LaFontaine |
| 2 | 4/2/1939 | New York Rangers vs. *Boston Bruins | 3OT | 108:00 | Mel Hill |
| 3 | 5/4/2025 | St. Louis Blues vs. *Winnipeg Jets | 2OT | 96:10 | Adam Lowry |
| 4 | 4/24/2019 | *Carolina Hurricanes vs. Washington Capitals | 2OT | 91:05 | Brock McGinn |
| 5 | 4/23/1950 | New York Rangers vs. *Detroit Red Wings | 2OT | 88:31 | Pete Babando |
| 6 | 5/7/2019 | Dallas Stars vs. *St. Louis Blues | 2OT | 85:50 | Pat Maroon |
| 7 | 5/1/1992 | Hartford Whalers vs. *Montreal Canadiens | 2OT | 85:26 | Russ Courtnall |
| 8 | 5/25/2017 | Ottawa Senators vs. *Pittsburgh Penguins | 2OT | 85:09 | Chris Kunitz |
| 9 | 5/27/1994 | New Jersey Devils vs. *New York Rangers | 2OT | 84:24 |
Stéphane Matteau
|
| 10 | 4/26/2012 | *Florida Panthers vs. New Jersey Devils | 2OT | 83:47 | Adam Henrique |
* denotes winner
The win gave Winnipeg its first series victory since the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. The Jets will face the Dallas Stars, who won their own Game 7 against the Colorado Avalanche, in the second round. They’ll kick off the series with Game 1 in Winnipeg on Wednesday night.
