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Instant Recap: Not So Special Teams End Jets Road Win Streak in Philly

Game Review:

A game that is bound to leave a sour taste in the mouths of Jets fans saw the Jets give up a 3-2 2nd intermission lead, as they allowed 3 goals in the third period to fall to the Philadelphia Flyers by a score of 5-3.

Unlike in previous high scoring games in which the play of Ondrej Pavelec was the issue, that was not the case tonight. While the stat column will state that his save percentage was less than 90% today, it was the special teams that really let him down. 3 goals on 6 chances for the Flyers power play unit is nowhere near good enough, especially when the power play unit went 0 for 4 at the other end of the ice.

Evander Kane opened the scoring in the game after a nice back door pass from Nik Antropov allowed him to deposit the puck into a yawning cage. The Jets were unable to escape the period with the lead, as the Jets were caught puck watching and the Brayden Schenn of the Flyers was able to jam a loose puck in.

Olli Jokinen got the monkey off his back early in the second frame, spinning and shooting through Ilya Bryzgalov. The Jets extended the lead to two after a neat deflection by Alexander Burmistrov on a Grant Clitsome point shot. The Flyers cut the lead to 1 on a 5-on-3 power play as Claude Giroux clanged one in off the pipe on a slapper from the point.

More puck watching on the penalty kill saw Brayden Schenn unmarked in the slot to deposit the puck into the net. Wayne Simmonds was left wide open on yet another Jets penalty that gave him the Gordie Howe Hat Trick. That piece of human garbage Zac Rinaldo scored a empty net goal just as time expired to make it 5-3.

Ten Thoughts:

  • When you take a lead into the third period on the road, you have to get a point out of the game. It’s as simple as that. A 2 goal lead evaporated thanks to 3 power play goals and an empty netter. Gross.
  • FIRE PERRY PEARN! Ok maybe that’s harsh, but the Jets have failed to score on 21 straight power play attempts, and are just 68% in effectiveness on the penalty kill. Something has to be done, and soon.
  • Dustin Byfuglien notched a couple of assists to end a 5 game pointless slump. Good to see the big man on the board, but his power play effectiveness is severely hampered without his partner in crime, Tobias Enstrom.
  • The Flyers set a trap, and the Jets sprung it gloriously. They played a dirty, mouthy game and lured the Jets into penalty trouble, which is their achilles heel. This team cannot afford to take undisciplined penalties if they know they can’t kill them off.
  • Speaking of penalties, Dan O’Rourke and Francois St. Laurent were terrific….at making suspect calls and then ignoring others. How Nicklas Grossman escaped getting anything tonight is unfathomable.
  • 5 on 5 the Jets were the better team. Good energy and play, but unfortunately not enough of the game came at even strength.
  • James Wright played a terrific defensive game, with a couple of back checks that denied scoring chances.
  • Not sure if the Burmistrov goal was as good as people made it out to be, as it might very well have hit him in the foot. If it DID get deflected off his stick, then it’s nasty on many levels.
  • Evander Kane needs to be more disciplined. The “best player” of a team cannot be in the penalty box for 9 minutes, as that is exactly what Philly wanted and got tonight. Not that I agreed with the double minor call, but there are other people on this team that can fight for him.
  • Quick turn around for the Jets sees them in New Jersey against the Devils tomorrow after noon. Opening face-off comes around 4 CT. Both teams lost today, and should be looking for better efforts.
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