Honestly, you give a team 1 job to do…
The Jets did what most of us here would have preferred they not do, and defeated the Carolina Hurricanes by a score of 4-3 in overtime, thus increasing the margin in the standings between Winnipeg and other combatants in the #greatesttankbattles.
Can’t fault them for trying though, as the Jets did find themselves trailing 3-1 at one point in the second period, only to have Spencer Machacek continue to make his case for staying up with the big club next year by dishing a sweet little pass for AC Slater to one-touch into the net on a 2 on 1 break that made the score 3-2 for the ‘Canes after 2 periods.
The Jets would eventually tie the score late via a powerplay goal from Kyle Wellwood who managed to notch his 17th of the year, giving him 2 points on the game and 46 on the year, surpassing the 45 he accumulated in his rookie season as a Maple Leaf in 2005/2006.
The drama would carry on into OT, giving both teams unwanted points if you like high draft picks. Andrew Ladd would make sure the drama was short lived, as the Jets gained possession after Justin Faulk blew a tire and a hopeful Zach Bogosian pass into the area in front of the net fell onto the stick on Andrew Ladd who rang it off the post and in for his 25th of the year to give the Jets the W.
With the win the Jets won the season series over Carolina with a record of 4-2-0 while Carolina was 2-3-1 against the boys in Polar Night Blue.
The Jets now have 80 points on the year, good for 10th worst overall and putting some unfortunate distance between the Jets and the other tankers.
Highlights, Boxscore and Thoughts From The Tarmac coming your way after THE JUMP
1st Period: 02:23 Winnipeg ES Goal, Nik Antropov (14) (Kyle Wellwood, Evander Kane); 11:22 Carolina ES Goal, Derek Joslin (2) (Jeff Skinner); 16:46 Carolina SH Goal Eric Staal (24)
2nd Period: 03:49 Carolina ES Goal, Brandon Sutter (16) (Patrick Dwyer, Drayson Bowman); 10:25 Winnipeg ES Goal, Jim Slater (11) (Spencer Machacek, Zach Bogosian)
3rd Period: 15:13 Winnipeg PP Goal, Kyle Wellwood (17) (Antti Miettinen, Zach Bogosian)
OT Period: 00:16 Winnipeg ES Goal, Andrew Ladd (25) (Zach Bogosian)
Shots: Carolina 33, Winnipeg 35
3 Stars: 1) Andrew Ladd 2) Eric Staal 3) Kyle Wellwood SUPER MEGA ULTRA STAR: Tanner Glass
Thoughts From the Tarmac
- Now you might be like “Dude, wtf is the reasoning behind Tanner Glass getting super mega ultra star status?!” Well I’ll tell you! The guy broke his foot in the first period of play when he used the same foot to block two different shots. But the guy used all the powers his mullet could give him and managed to troop it out and finish the game with 9:24 of ice time. After playing all 78 games up to this point, the man who fights bears is officially done for the year. I know he may not have the sexy stats but holy f**k does that take a lot of guts and commitment. They can offer him a contract for next year based on this game alone.
- Chris Mason did it again against the Hurricanes, picking up his 4th win this year against the club. His numbers weren’t overly sexy but he turned aside 30 of 33 and made good saves down the stretch when it mattered. I’d expect to see Iron Mason again this year, as I have a feeling the math catches up to us in the next day or two, so it won’t really matter who starts.
- If Glass is out for the year, I guess it’s only logical that Ben Maxwell slots back in tomorrow, unless Thor is ready to go. I know he’s close, but I think it’s the guy who turned 24 today getting the nod, which will mean some different looks as Noel will be forced to juggle lines a bit with the dependable LW Glass out of action.
- Zach Bogosian looked quite solid on the night, as did his defense partner Ron Hainsey. I really have no problem with Hainsey aside from the fact that he makes 4.5 million a year and has no goals in 54 games this season.
- Tim Stapleton might be a funny guy and surprisingly good in the offensive zone, but he has shown time and time again the past couple of games why he can’t be relied on defensively, as his lack of size and defensive skill has directly lead to several goals against. People forget those things when you score overtime winners though.
- Speaking of overtime winners, Andrew Ladd notched his 5th GWG of the year and actually looked pretty decent all night I thought. He is currently 4 goals shy of his career best in goals, and 3 points shy of his career high in points. He is one of many guys on the roster who I like, but don’t necessarily agree upon how they’re utilized. Ladd is a great leader and has proved he can put the puck in the net, but I think he would be better served a little bit further down the depth chart. As a grinding line LW he could provide responsible play in the d zone, while remaining a threat to score. Basically: exactly what he did in Chicago.
- Spencer Machacek has 8 points in 7 games since being called up for the second time this season, and is doing everything is his power to earn a spot on the squad next season. Considering his point production in the limited play time he has received, I would like to see him giving a bigger chance in these last 4 games, as the Jets will be playing for nothing but pride, so why not see what the kid can do? (yeah I called a guy 8 months younger than me kid…deal with it)
- Antro continued to show that the big man has soft hands. He won’t pirouette around you, and I’m pretty sure that Mason in full pads would beat him in a race, but he knows how to aim and shoot in a hurry. He has a goal in 4 straight games.
- Ok enough positive: WHY DO WE WIN WHEN WE NEED TO LOSE?! MUFFINS, THAT HURTS. So, as I am currently of the opinion that this team lacks a high calibre scoring line centre, I am looking at names like Faksa, Forsberg and Hertl to get picked at the draft. However, if the Jets keep winning those options disappear off the board and we get left with names such as Gaunce, Girgensons and Matteau, who I have less faith in. So we need to turn on the suck if we want a solid prospect for the future. Or trade up for one…
- Alright, enough of this. Time to pump out a preview.
