Recap:
With the Winnipeg Jets hosting the New Jersey Devils, it was unlikely there were going to be a lot of goals in this game. In a game that will never end up on the Classics channel, it did indeed get off to a slow start and there were just 8 shots per team after one frame.
It didn’t take long for the Jets to get on the board in the second, when Evander Kane threw a puck towards the net where Devin Setoguchi was crashing. The puck deflected off Devils defender Andy Greene and went in, giving Kane his second of the year.
The Jets had the Devils on their back foot for most of the third period, outshooting them 15-5 in the final 20, but were unable to put the Devils away until Evander Kane took a pass from Olli Jokinen and netted his second of the night into an empty net with 57 seconds left. To put a little extra icing on the cake, Andrew Ladd knocked in another 20 seconds later, making the final 3-0.
Ten Thoughts:
- It was a rather boring 1st period, and was very much in the New Jersey style of play. My highlight of the period was Mark Scheifele shockingly falling down, and Stephen Gionta getting sent to the box for tripping despite never touching him. The reffing was enough of a joke tonight that Gionta was laughing in the penalty box.
- Jim Slater had a few quality scoring chances that probably would have gone in if it wasn’t Jim Slater. He did earn an assist on the Andrew Ladd goal, and finished 12 of 19 at the face-off dot.
- Al Montoya got his first start of the year one game too late, and stopped all 24 shots in a shutout win. Thought he played a strong game positionally that allowed him to see shots well.
- Evander Kane was in beast mode all night, with 8 shots, 5 hits and a pair of goals. Playing on the newly formed top line with Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler, he might finally have line-mates with the skill to compliment the goods he brings to the table.
- Peter Harrold will be shaking off a hit from Dustin Byfuglien for a few days. The big man absolutely plastered Harrold, and despite being held off the scoresheet looked solid all night.
- The stats at the face-off dot were better again, as it should be at home. The Jets won 34 to the 29 that New Jersey won. Bryan Little and Jim Slater lead the way going 11 of 19 and 12 of 19 respectively
- The combo of Jacob Trouba and Zach Bogosian is a bit of a dream. Sure, they make some young and dumb mistakes that leave you scratching your head, but they show flashes of brilliance that you know will only get better as chemistry and development continue.
- The penalty kill was 5 for 5, and has killed off 18 of the last 20 opportunities. Michael Frolik was again not used in this role, but players such as James Wright, Slater and even Mark Stuart were doing everything asked of them tonight.
- The power play looked as disorganized as ever and went 0 for 3. The Jets need to improve with the extra man if the playoffs are a goal.
- The Jets still have 4 more home games in this stand, and if they want to make a push for the playoffs they really need to capitalize on these next games. I’ll ignore the game against the Stars, as Ondrej Pavelec should not have been in net, but this is already make or break time. These points are just as, if not more, important than those earned in April.
The Jets next play on Tuesday against the visiting Montreal Canadiens.
