WINNIPEG - Cole Perfetti is fitting in and it’s a good feeling.
asserted
it → fit → ?
The Winnipeg Jets winger picked up his third goal of the season on Wednesday playing on the top line with Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor in a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche.
“Just trying to complement them any way I can and be the best trio we can be,” said Perfetti, who also has three assists on the season.
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who → pick → season
“Obviously, those two have played together for a while and their chemistry is off the charts, their hockey sense is off the charts.
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sense → play → charts
For me just coming in as a new guy to the line, just trying to be the most effective I can and get them the puck because they’ll make good things happen.
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things → come → puck
Last season, Winnipeg’s top line was Scheifele flanked by Connor and Gabe Vilardi, who’s taken Perfetti’s place on the second line.
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who → flank → line
Early in the 2026-27 campaign, Connor and Perfetti have been Winnipeg’s scoring duo, accounting for eight of the team’s 12 goals.
Connor’s two against the Avs included the game-winner with one minute left.
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two → account → minute
The tally extended the Jets’ (3-0-1) season-opening point streak to four games.
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tally → extend → games
Perfetti’s goal against Colorado wasn’t achieved with finesse.
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goal → achieve → finesse
He went to the front of the net and the puck hit his skate and went in past Mackenzie Blackwood after a point shot by Dylan Samberg.
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puck → go → Samberg
That’s just fine with Connor.
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That → ’ → Connor
“He does a lot of things well,” he said of Perfetti.
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he → do → Perfetti
“You see the (goal Wednesday), he just wins body position.
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he → see → position
It’s such an underrated thing for a player — to get to the net and find that lane.
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player → ’ → lane
“He makes plays and he’s smart, too.
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he → make → plays
It’s real good.
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It → ’ → ?
He’s adjusted great.”
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He → adjust → ?
Perfetti, a 24-year-old forward from Whitby, Ont., was selected by the Jets with the 10th pick overall in the 2020 NHL draft.
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Perfetti → select → draft
He became a regular on the roster in 2022-23, but was hit by injuries and has only played 82 games once in 2024-25.
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He → become → 2024
Last season, he missed 14 games with a high-ankle sprain.
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he → miss → sprain
The five-foot-11, 185-pound product of the Ontario Hockey League’s Saginaw Spirit started slow in his return, with just three goals over his first 27 games of the campaign.
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product → start → campaign
Now times have changed for the better.
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times → change → better
“It’s fantastic,” Perfetti said.
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Perfetti → ’ → ?
“Obviously, it was a long summer so I had time to heal and really get my body into the shape that I wanted it to be.
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it → have → that
I spent a lot of time in the gym and on the ice and worked on a lot of things.
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I → spend → things
It’s nice to know that it is off to a good start and paying off right now.
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it → ’ → start
“It’s nice to get that opportunity.
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It → ’ → opportunity
It’s always great to move up and get more and that’s what every player strives for.”
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player → ’ → what
Now in his sixth NHL season, Perfetti has 62 goals and 163 points across 294 regular-season games.
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Perfetti → have → games
In July, he signed a five-year, US$30-million extension that takes him through the 2030-31 season.
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that → sign → season
With points in all four of Winnipeg’s games, he’s having a career-best start to the season.
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he → have → season
Connor leads the team with five goals and seven points.
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Connor → lead → goals
Scheifele picked up his first two points of the season against the Avalanche, assisting on one of Connor’s two goals and Perfetti’s marker.
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Scheifele → pick → goals
Jets head coach Scott Arniel said he gave Perfetti the opportunity on the top line for a variety of reasons, including his skill set and hockey IQ.
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he → say → set
“(Scheifele and Connor) can really help people play well because they have the puck a lot, but they are also hard to play with,” Arniel said.
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Arniel → help → puck
“It takes some time.
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It → take → time
“In the exhibition games, I know Cole was getting frustrated because he didn’t know where to go, but K.C. and Mark spent time with him.
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K.C. → know → him
When they’re here, they’ll tell him to go there, those types of things — being on the same page.
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they → ’re → page
Now he’s got them figured out.”
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them → get → ?
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2026.
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report → publish → Press
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