Winnipeg sports news: The Winnipeg Jets host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday at 5 p.m. at Canada Life Centre, and the visitors arrive on tired legs. Tampa Bay needed overtime to beat the Minnesota Wild 4 to 3 on Saturday night, so the Lightning land in Winnipeg on the second night of a back to back while the Jets chase a third straight win.
By Maplestime Sports Desk | Winnipeg, Manitoba | November 7, 2026
Sources: NHL.com | Sportradar | Pro Hockey Rumors | Last updated: November 7, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Tampa Bay beat Minnesota 4 to 3 in overtime on Saturday night, with Nikita Kucherov scoring the winner, to improve to 10-3-2.
- Puck drop on Sunday is 5 p.m. Winnipeg time at Canada Life Centre, with the game on TSN3 and The Spot.
- Josh Morrissey skated in a regular jersey at Saturday practice and is nearing a return from a wrist injury, though coach Scott Arniel would not say whether he plays Sunday.
- Elias Salomonsson is away from the team for personal reasons with no timetable for a return, and the Jets recalled defenceman Henry Thrun from the Manitoba Moose under emergency conditions.
- Kyle Connor leads Winnipeg with 13 goals and 19 points in 17 games, and the Jets are 6-8-3 after a 6 to 2 win over Vancouver on Thursday.
Lightning Arrive on a Back to Back
Tampa Bay earned its Saturday win the hard way. The Lightning trailed Minnesota before Jake Guentzel scored twice and Charle-Edouard D’Astous added a goal and two assists, and Kucherov settled it in overtime. The win was only Tampa Bay’s third on the road this season after the club came into the night 2-3-2 away from home.
The quick turnaround is the story for Sunday. Tampa Bay played a full overtime game in St. Paul on Saturday night, then travels to Winnipeg for a 5 p.m. start. The Lightning are 10-3-2 and third in the Atlantic Division, and Kucherov has 20 points in 15 games on 4 goals and 16 assists, so the talent is real even on tired legs.
Morrissey Nears a Return
The biggest Jets question is on the blue line. Morrissey took part in full contact practice on Saturday in a regular jersey, the first time he has been ramped up that way since a wrist injury in the fourth game of the season, a 3 to 2 win over Colorado on October 7. He has played only four games this season, with three assists.
“He’s getting closer,” Arniel said on Saturday. “That was the first time we really got him ramped up. Not hiding anything, we still got to see how this went after today’s practice.” Arniel would not say whether Morrissey plays on Sunday.
Salomonsson is away from the team for personal reasons, and Arniel gave no timetable for his return while asking fans to respect the young defenceman’s privacy. Salomonsson, 22, has played six games this season with no points. In his absence the Jets recalled Thrun under emergency conditions. Thrun has seven points in 13 games with the Moose this season. Tyrel Bauer continues on the Winnipeg blue line.
Jets Chase a Third Straight Win
Winnipeg is 6-8-3 with 15 points, and the last two games have been the best stretch of the season so far. The Jets beat Vancouver 6 to 2 on Thursday night, with Dawson Mercer scoring his first goal as a Jet, and that win followed the overtime victory in Montreal that snapped the long winless run.
Connor is carrying the offence, with 13 of Winnipeg’s 45 goals and 19 points in 17 games. Mark Scheifele is next with 16 points, though only three of them are goals. Gabriel Vilardi has one goal in 17 games, which is the depth scoring problem Winnipeg still has to solve.
Tampa Bay is a step up from Vancouver. The Lightning sit at 10-3-2, and they have won two straight. Winnipeg has won two straight as well, and a tired opponent on the second night of a back to back is the kind of opening a team chasing consistency has to take.
What to Watch on Sunday
- Whether Morrissey draws back into the lineup, and who sits if he does.
- Whether the Jets can punish a Tampa Bay team playing its second game in two nights after overtime in Minnesota.
- Whether anyone beyond Connor and Scheifele scores, with Vilardi and Mercer the names to watch.
- The goaltending call for Winnipeg, with Stuart Skinner carrying the starter’s load.
Maplestime will provide updates from the Jets vs Lightning game as announcements are made on November 8, 2026.
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Do you think the Jets make it three straight wins against a tired Tampa Bay team, or does the Lightning’s firepower spoil the Sunday night at Canada Life Centre? Tell us in the comments. And share this with every Winnipeg hockey fan counting down to puck drop.
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