Vilardi scores lone shootout goal to lift the Jets past the Flames, 4-3

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Gabriel Vilardi scored the lone goal in a shootout to give the Winnipeg Jets a 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday night.

Connor Hellebuyck made 31 saves in regulation and overtime, then faced three shooters in the tiebreaker without allowing a goal before Vilardi ended it. Hellebuyck tied Harry Lumley for 30th on the NHL victory list with 330.

Mark Scheifele, Tanner Pearson and Cole Perfetti scored in regulation to help Winnipeg improve to 11-7-0. Kyle Connor and Josh Morrissey each had two assists.

The Jets finished 2-4-0 on a six-game trip and swept the three-game season series with the Flames.

Jake Bean, Kevin Bahl and Matt Coronato scored for Calgary, and Dustin Wolf made 20 saves. At 5-12-3, the Flames are last overall in the NHL.

Coranto tied it with 1:14 left on a power play with Wolf off for an extra attacker.

Jets: Host Columbus on Tuesday night.

Flames: At Chicago on Tuesday night.

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Winnipeg Jets' Tanner Pearson (70) celebrates his goal with teammates Logan Stanley (64) and Luke Schenn during second period NHL hockey action against the Calgary Flames, in Calgary, Alta., Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

Winnipeg Jets' Dylan Samberg (54) checks Calgary Flames' Adam Klapka during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Calgary, Alberta, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

Winnipeg Jets' Adam Lowry (17) is checked by Calgary Flames' Kevin Bahl during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Calgary, Alberta, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

Winnipeg Jets' Gabriel Vilardi celebrates his game-winning goal against the Calgary Flames during a shootout in overtime in an NHL hockey game in Calgary, Alberta, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

Winnipeg Jets' Gabriel Vilardi (13) scores the winning goal on Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf during a shootout in overtime in an NHL hockey game in Calgary, Alberta, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

The NFL set a record for fewest punts per game in 2025, and wild-card weekend was filled with fourth-down fun and folly as punters were mostly spectators, especially Chicago's Tory Taylor, who never stepped off the sideline in the Bears' come-from-behind win over the Green Bay Packers.

In all, teams converted 15 of 29 fourth down attempts on wild-card weekend, when there were only 41 punts, nine of them Monday night in the Houston Texans' 30-6 rout of Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Bears first-year coach Ben Johnson was particularly aggressive, going for it a half dozen times in fourth down Saturday night, including two backfires in the first half that led to a pair of Green Bay touchdowns and put the Bears in a 21-3 halftime hole.

Caleb Williams was intercepted on fourth-and-6 from the Packers 40-yard line, leading to Jordan Love's 18-yard touchdown throw, and Williams threw incomplete on fourth-and-5 from his own 32. That one led to Love's TD throw on fourth-and-goal from the Bears 2 that gave Green Bay an 18-point halftime cushion.

The Packers couldn't capitalize on another turnover on downs by Chicago just before halftime because Brandon McManus missed a 55-yard field goal on the final play after Williams threw incomplete deep on fourth-and-4 from the Green Bay 37.

When Prime Video's sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung asked the Bears' coach about his aggressive approach and going for it on fourth down multiple times on his own side of the field, Johnson replied, “Yeah, we want to maximize our possessions and we want to go for fourth-down plays.”

Her follow-up was about how to slow down Green Bay's efficient offense.

“That's a big reason why we're being aggressive on offense, so that we can extend our drives and score points ourselves,” Johnson insisted. “It's a really good offense we're going against.”

Although the Bears would convert just twice on their six fourth downs — Green Bay was 3 for 3 on fourth down — that strategy paid off in the end. Williams threw a 27-yard pass to Rome Odunze to the Packers' 30-yard line, which led to the TD that pulled Chicago to 27-24 with 4:21 remaining.

Johnson said the game plan featured an aggressive fourth-down mentality, and "I think where it gets misconstrued is, there’s a lack of confidence in your defense when you do that. I think the opposite, I think it’s because I have confidence in our defense and their ability to stop teams in the red zone."

“I’m never going to apologize for being aggressive or doing things that might be a little unorthodox,” Johnson added, "if it’s what we deem is best for us to win a ballgame.”

Johnson was the Lions' offensive coordinator when Detroit blew a 17-point halftime lead and lost the NFC championship to San Francisco 34-31 after the 2023 season. In that game, Lions coach Dan Campbell went for it on fourth down twice in field-goal range but came up short, later saying he'd do it again if he could.

Those failures didn't curtail the Lions' aggressive fourth-down philosophy, one that Johnson took to Chicago when he was hired by the Bears a year ago.

He had plenty of company over the weekend as a trend from the regular season continued. There were just 3.55 punts per game per team this season and that figure fell in the first round of the playoffs with teams averaging just 3.41 punts per game.

The Panthers and Rams got the fun going Saturday when early fourth-down failures led to touchdowns by each team.

Trevor Lawrence thought he had the first down when the Jaguars went for it on fourth-and-2 from the Buffalo 9 only to see the review reveal his shin had hit the ground shy of the first-down marker, a fourth-down faux pas that proved pivotal in Jacksonville's 27-24 loss to the Bills.

The Bills twice went for it on fourth-and-1 deep in Jaguars territory. Josh Allen had a 4-yard keeper on the first one and was carried 9 yards on an astonishing tush push to the 1 that also led to a Buffalo touchdown.

The 49ers didn't attempt a single fourth-down conversion in their 23-19 win at Philadelphia, where the Eagles were 3-for-5 on fourth down.

The Patriots converted their only fourth-down try, on fourth-and-4 from the Chargers' 30, which led to a field goal. When the Chargers took a delay after failing to induce an offsides call and then punted from midfield, NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth said, “I think Jim Harbaugh's been watching the games this weekend.”

And when Steelers coach Mike Tomlin chose to take the three points with a 32-yard field goal try rather that chancing it fourth-and-3 from the Houston 14 Monday night, ESPN analyst Troy Aikman commented: “We're in a time as we all know when a lot of offenses would be going for it ... But points are going to be (at) a premium. You've got two defenses that are capable of dominating their opponent. Get 'em when you can.”

Well, points certainly were at a premium for Pittsburgh, which hung in there most of the night before the Texans' 23-0 fourth-quarter blitz in what might have been Rodgers' farewell game.

If so, Rodgers' final pass was a pick-6 by safety Calen Bullock, whose 50-yard interception return for a touchdown came on ... you guessed it, fourth down.

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Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson reacts during the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Green Bay Packers Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Huh)