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Recap: Winnipeg Jets vs Arizona Coyotes

As the trivia was being tossed around during the game, this one really stood out for me…Shane Doan and Jaromir Jagr are the only players left in the league who played in the old Winnipeg Arena and the MTS Centre. Let’s get to it, shall we?

My Thoughts:

1. Tyler Myers stood out as not having a good first period. First he took a closed hand on the puck penalty, leading to the Coyotes scoring on the power play. Then, he fired the puck at the Coyotes net when the whistle blew, creating a scrum along the boards. Sheesh! Myers kinda redeemed himself late in the first period by playing the physical game on Max Domi in front of the net, leading to a breakout into the neutral zone with the puck by Bryan Little.

2. Speaking of penalties, the Jets have run into trouble again with 2 bad penalties (closing the hand on the puck by Myers, and holding by Byfuglien) in the first period, leading to 2 first period goals by the Coyotes (Doan, Murphy). I agree with color analyst Greg Millen who suggested the Jets need to move their feet and not coast. Yep! The second period starts with Blake Wheeler taking a delay of game penalty, the third penalty of the game. Ugh! 3 power plays for the Coyotes in the first 23 minutes of the game. However, that seemed to be it for penalties for the first two frames as the Jets slowly but surely came back.

3. The Scheifele, Stafford and Perreault line is offensive gold, with Sniper Scheifele scoring the Jets first goal of the game with a clever wrist shot from the slot. Super Shot Scheifele almost had his second goal of the game during the Jets second power play, as he received the puck in the slot but shot it high.

4. Ondrej Pavelec didn’t really have a chance on the 2 Coyotes power play goals in the first, but after a decent second period helped to bring the Jets back into the game, including turning away a 2 on 1 late in the second period. Pavelec then suffered a cringe worthy hit when Mark Stuart pushed Shane Doan into the Jets netminder, knocking him for a loop. Doan recieved a goalie interference penalty leading to the Jets third power play. Pavelec stayed in the game.

5. Is it me or does the Ehlers, Burmistrov and Thorburn seem a little disjointed? Speaking of Ehlers, I hope he isn’t making a habit of skirting the perimeter when he gains the puck. It’s one thing to seize the puck in the offensive zone, but it’s another to shooting it from 30 feet by the perimeter (and skating away from the slot to get there). See Scheifele’s goal in the first period as a good example of what Ehlers should be striving for. In redeeming fashion, Ehlers’ did have a great opportunity on the Jets first power play with a wrist shot from 10 feet out on net from a nifty pass from Toby Enstrom.

6. Speaking of Burmistrov, he seems to like being returned to centre and had a good game, as his strong skating lead to the Coyotes taking their second penalty (hooking) of the game which lead to the Jets second goal.

7. Byfuglien, Copp, Byfuglien scores. The momentum of the game shifted after the second Jets power play during the second period with some good work by Blake Wheeler. The Jets were down 2-1 and just after the power play expired, Buff and Copp had a good give, go and return pass play that found it’s way past Coyotes goalie Anders Lindback.

8. Despite the Scheifele goal in the first period, the Jets still started slower than necessary. All the lines got into the game early, but boy, the nap time prior to the game needs to be scaled back a notch, as the Jets were groggy. The game really didn't get going for them until the middle of the second frame with a timely save by Pavelec, a skating Burmistrov drawing a Coyote penalty and a Byfuglien goal.

9. Micheal Hutchinson replaced Ondrej Pavelec at the beginning of the third period, as Pavs was feeling the effects of the Doan hit from the 2nd. Here's hoping Pavs won't be out for long and it;s jsut a precautionary measure to pull him.

10. Wheeler came out in the third with a nifty doopsey dangle setting up Andrew Ladd for a shot in close. Wheeler again had a chance as he recovered the puck after the Ladd shot. Then Drew Stafford had a great back hand opportunity during a play where Scheifele managed to make Martin Hanzal draw an interference penalty.

11. C'mon people! The fourth Jets penalty of the game came in the third when Burmistrov went to the bench on a change, and as Peluso entered the play before Burmi got off the ice. Argh! PoMo's expression filled eye rolling as the penalty was being announced is GIF gold. Ehlers served the penalty, and the Jets killed it off.

12. Ehlers took a high stick, and the Jets went back on the power play. However, no luck as they were 0- 4 on the power play through out the game. Hopefully that part of their game picks up as the season progresses.

13. Andrew Ladd takes the Jets 5th penalty of the game as he cross checks a Coyotes player with roughly 10 minutes left, and it looked like it killed any momentum the Jets had. But, and this is a big but, Chris Thorburn forces a turn over and scores a short handed goal on a textbook deke. Great hussle by Thorburn! Ladd owes Thorburn a beer! Jets 3-2 with 8 minutes left.

14. The offense wasn't over as Perreault and Stafford had a great 2 on 1 opportunity late in the third, but it wasn't to be as the puck was shot over the net. Great creativity and chemistry.

15. Hold that beer! Adam Lowry takes the 6th Jets penalty with 3 minutes left. Are you kidding me? With 30 seconds left in the power play, the Coyotes pull the goalie for 6 on 4. The Jets were lucky as the penalty was killed, and time ran out. Jets win 3 to 2.

Overall, a very peaks and valleys, up and down type of game from the Winnipeg Jets. What are your thoughts? Cheers!

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