Oh man, the NHL playoffs just keep cranking up the chaos meter, and honestly, we’re so here for it. Not too long ago, the St. Louis Blues were literally inches away from sealing the deal and punching their ticket to Round 2. Like, one solid defensive stand and it was curtains. But hold up; Cole Perfetti said ‘not on my watch.’ The Winnipeg Jets were down 3-2, their net was empty, and the clock was gasping for air. Then boom, a frenzy unfolds. With just one desperate play left in the tank, Ehlers whips it to Connor, who dishes it slick to Perfetti; tip-in magic with just 1.6 seconds left on the board.

Yeah, not even two full ticks. He just casually made NHL history with the latest-ever Game 7 tying goal. Legends are born in the wildest moments, right? But wait, the party didn’t stop there because overtime came knocking. And not just regular OT… double overtime. That’s when the real show began. And just like that, the Winnipeg Jets found their playoff heartbeat again and stormed into the next round, with their Game 7 win turning into a full-blown storybook moment.

So Elliotte Friedman hopped on X and dropped the line every Winnipeg Jets fan wanted to hear: “Lowry wins it for the Jets. Incredible instant classic! Dallas/Winnipeg for the Central Crown.” And yeah, that was already sending chills, but then Frank Seravalli took things to another level when he casually dropped this gem: “Through first OT, #gojetsgo Neal Pionk has played nearly half of Game 7: 39:30 of 80 minutes.” Um, excuse us?! That’s not just grinding, that’s history. Yes. He had already made him the skater with the highest TOI in an NHL game. But then he went on to play in the second OT, taking his TOI to a whopping 46:15. Interestingly, the second and third places on the leaderboard also saw new entries in Dyland Samberg (44:00) and Colton Parayko (42:23). What’s more? Cam Fowler, who held the first position with 38:54 against the Ducks in 2023, broke his own record on Sunday with a TOI of 40:35 and now sits in the fourth position.

And honestly, when you stack this epic battle against the longest OT Game 7s in NHL history… it’s not too far off from total madness, coming in third at 96 minutes and 10 seconds. The only Game 7s that lasted longer were New Islanders 3:2 Washington Capitals in 1987 (128:47) and Boston Bruins 2:1 New York Rangers in 1939 (108:00). Yeah, those were straight-up warzones on ice, and this Jets-Blues chaos kinda slid right into that hall of mayhem. Hockey gods were definitely entertained, and fans? Oh, they got every penny’s worth and more.

The Winnipeg Jets went full heart-attack mode in Game 7, down 3-1 with the clock gasping its final breaths, and then chaos in cleats. Namestnikov got things rolling with a bounce-off special that sliced the lead, and then Cole Perfetti flipped the whole script with just 2.2 seconds left, tipping in a beauty from Kyle Connor like he was born for crunch time. Neal Pionk?

He was everywhere, dishing dimes and dropping dimes, literally, and it was his shot that Lowry nicked for that dreamy game-winner in double OT. Hellebuyck bounced back with 26 saves, Connor and Pionk dropped three assists each. Winnipeg Jets now move on to face the Dallas Stars in Round 2, and yeah… it’s gonna be fireworks. But the spotlight still remains on Neal Pionk!

Winnipeg Jets star must be glad with his decision

Right in the heart of April, the Jets went full ‘lock him down’ mode and signed their star defenceman Neal Pionk to a monster six-year, $42 million extension. And guess what? Pionk wasn’t just happy about it—he was glowing. “I want to play here,” he grinned, brushing off all those old ‘nobody wants to play in Winnipeg’ tales like dust on a shoulder. His heart’s planted deep in Manitoba soil, and according to him, the whole fam’s loving the vibes too.

Since sliding into town back in 2019 after that big swap that sent Trouba to NYC, Pionk’s been all-in. And this season? Chef’s kiss. A career-high 10 goals, 29 assists, and the kind of rock-solid defensive play that keeps coaches sleeping easy at night. Head coach Scott Arniel couldn’t hype him up enough, calling him a silent-but-deadly leader who commands respect without needing that extra letter on his sweater. “He is one of those guys that has a strong voice,” Arniel said, and judging by the room, everyone’s listening. And Hellebuyck? Oh, he straight-up said what everyone’s thinking: “worth every dollar.”

Now, toss in this recent NHL playoff magic, the double OT win, Pionk’s monster minutes, the smooth assist that led to the game-winner. And yeah, it’s crystal clear: Winnipeg Jets didn’t just sign a good player, they locked in a franchise gem.