Winnipeg Jets capture franchise-first Presidents’ Trophy despite 4-1 loss to Oilers

Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid (97) looks to make a pass around Winnipeg Jets' Mark Scheifele (55) and goaltender Eric Comrie (1) during third period NHL action in Winnipeg, Sunday April 13 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Greenslade

WINNIPEG — The Winnipeg Jets claimed the franchise’s first Presidents’ Trophy on Sunday even though they lost 4-1 to the Edmonton Oilers.

The Jets captured the crown for most points in the NHL regular season because the Washington Capitals lost 4-1 to the Columbus Blue Jackets earlier in the night and can’t catch them.

The Capitals (50-21-9) have 109 points and two regular-season games left to play. Winnipeg is at 114 points (55-21-4) and has one game left Wednesday at home against the Anaheim Ducks.

The last Canadian team to win the trophy was the Vancouver Canucks in 2011-12, who also won it the previous season.

When the news was announced, a sold-out crowd of 15, 225 fans at Canada Life Centre gave the team a standing ovation. It was Winnipeg’s seventh consecutive full house and 15th of the season.

Winnipeg already clinched top spot in the Western Conference and Central Division for the first time in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers’ history. The Thrashers did win the Southeast Division in 2006-07

Connor Brown, Adam Henrique, Corey Perry and Viktor Arvidsson, into an empty net, scored for the Oilers (47-28-5), who have won three in a row.

Stuart Skinner made 17 saves for Edmonton.

Alex Iafallo scored for the Jets, who had a three-game win streak snapped.

Backup goalie Eric Comrie made 35 saves in his career-high 20th start of the season for Winnipeg, which also ended a four-game home win run.

After no goals were scored in the first period, Connor McDavid got things going quickly in the second.

The captain stripped the puck off Iafallo inside Winnipeg’s blue line, passed it to Brown near the front of the net and he flipped a backhand past Comrie at 59 seconds for his 13th goal of the season. The goal extended Brown’s goal streak to four in three games.

Iafallo made up for it five minutes later on the power play when he got a rebound off a Mark Scheifele and shot it past Skinner to make it 1-1. His 15th goal of the season extended his point streak to four games with two goals and two assists.

Henrique made it 2-1 at 12:39 of the second, followed by Perry’s 18th goal of the season at 12:25 of the third after forward Derek Ryan stole the puck and passed it to Perry.

Arvidsson scored into the empty net with 1:20 remaining, with an assist from McDavid.

Takeaways

Jets: Winnipeg was without speedy forward Nikolaj Ehlers, who fell after backing into a linesman during the second period of Saturday’s 5-4 shootout win versus Chicago and had to be helped off the ice. Head coach Scott Arniel said Ehlers reaggravated a foot injury that kept him out of two games earlier this month and is day to day. Winnipeg’s healthy scratches were Connor Hellebuyck, Josh Morrissey, Adam Lowry, Neal Pionk and Luke Schenn.

Oilers: Edmonton also ran a depleted lineup because of injuries, including defenceman Mattias Ekhom and forward Zach Hyman. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was ill. McDavid’s two assists gives him nine helpers in three games since missing eight games with an injury. It was the Oilers’ first win over the Jets in three matches this season.

Key moment

Henrique scored Edmonton’s 2-1 goal seven seconds after a power play ended and with the Jets extra defenceless. Forward Morgan Barron had lost his stick and defenceman Dylan Samberg was lying on the ice grimacing in pain after a hard McDavid shot hit him on the left foot. Samberg was helped off the ice and went to the dressing room.

Key stat

Winnipeg’s 114 points is enough to claim the Presidents’ Trophy for the first time in franchise history.

Up next

Jets: End the regular season on Wednesday at home against the Anaheim Ducks.

Oilers: Finish a back-to-back set Monday at home against the Los Angeles Kings.

 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 13, 2025.

Judy Owen, The Canadian Press