Winnipeg sports news: the Winnipeg Jets lead the Vancouver Canucks 3 to 1 after the first period at Canada Life Centre, and the fast start is exactly what a team trying to build on a historic comeback needed.
By Maplestime Sports Desk | Winnipeg, Manitoba | November 5, 2026
Sources: Sportradar live scoreboard | Sportsnet | Last updated: November 5, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Winnipeg 3, Vancouver 1 after the first period at Canada Life Centre
- Dawson Mercer, Alex Iafallo and Cole Koepke scored for Winnipeg; Liam Ohgren scored for Vancouver
- Winnipeg outshot Vancouver 12 to 7 in the opening period
- Stuart Skinner stopped 6 of 7 shots; Leevi Merilainen stopped 9 of 12
- Winnipeg starts the second period on the power play after Zeev Buium took a delay of game penalty with 1:26 left in the first
How the First Period Played Out
Dawson Mercer capped the fast start with a snap shot goal with 5:56 left in the period, assisted by Cole Perfetti and Dylan DeMelo, and that made it 3 to 1 Winnipeg. Alex Iafallo and Cole Koepke scored the other two Winnipeg goals in the opening 20 minutes.
Vancouver answered once. Liam Ohgren scored for the Canucks, assisted by Marco Rossi and Jonathan Lekkerimaki, but the visitors could not find a second goal before the horn.
The period ended with Winnipeg on the attack. Zeev Buium took a delay of game penalty with 1:26 left, so the Jets carry a power play into the second period. Mercer finished the period with a goal and an assist, the best line on the ice in the opening frame.
What the Fast Start Means
This is the second game in a row where the Jets have given their fans something to cheer early. On Tuesday in Montreal, Winnipeg rallied from 4 to 0 down with under three minutes left in regulation and won 5 to 4 in overtime, ending a nine game winless run in the latest four goal comeback in NHL history.
Tonight the Jets did not wait. The recalled Brayden Yager centred the new second line with Perfetti and Mercer, and that line produced the goal that put Winnipeg up by two. The Canucks came in at 3-13-1 with three straight losses, and Winnipeg made them chase the game from the opening minutes.
The work is not done. Vancouver won 17 of 25 faceoffs in the first period, and the Canucks will get their chances if Winnipeg sits back. But a two goal lead after 20 minutes, at home, with the power play to start the second, is the start Scott Arniel wanted after the week his team has had.
Maplestime will provide updates from the Jets vs Canucks game as announcements are made November 5, 2026.
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