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Instant Recap: The Winnipeg Jets extinguish Flames with ease, beat Calgary 5-2

Recap:

The Paul Maurice era couldn’t have started much better the other night, and the Winnipeg Jets kept it rolling by winning again for their new coach as they upended the sinking Calgary Flames by a score 5-2. A tremendous first 40 minutes gave the Jets what proved to be an insurmountable 4-0 lead, but sadly they set cruise control in the third and almost let a terrible Flames team back into the game. That was the team Claude Noel remembers.

The Jets goals were scored by Bryan Little, Dustin Byfuglien, Mark Scheifele, Olli Jokinen and Jacob Trouba, while Mark Giordano and Lance Bouma replied for the Flames.

10 Thoughts:

  • Shane Doan said that “Right now we aren’t very good, and we haven’t been good in a while” about his Phoenix Coyotes prior to the Jets game the other night, and the Calgary Flames are a hideous mess. Sure, there are plenty of positives from the past two games to look at, but can we try to keep things in perspective? This was a game that the Jets should have won. Let’s see how we do next week in Anaheim and San Jose before planning any parades.
  • If that third period showed Maurice anything, it’s that there is still a lot of work to be done. The team was up 4-0 after 40, but I can’t imagine the new coach was happy watching his team give up a few goals and also forcing his goalie to make those big saves in the final stanza. They didn’t exactly lock it down.
  • The Jets did their best Harlem Globetrotters impression for the first 40 minutes, as the goals came easily against a team that is clearly #playingbadforekblad. Brian Burke has his hands full there. Then again, they did look okay in the third. Score effects most likely, but still.
  • Mark Scheifele won’t tap in an easier goal than the one he scored for his 8th of the season (all on the road!), but he and Blake Wheeler certainly appear to have found some incredible chemistry of late. They’ve been so good in fact that they carried around that deadweight Chris Thorburn with ease. Impressive.
  • Andrew Ladd, Bryan Little and Michael Frolik have it going big time, and I’m thinking we might not see the LLW reunion tour anytime soon. Taters is in for some HUGE cash this summer, especially if Alan Walsh feels the need to stick it to Chevy again.
  • Ondrej Pavelec wasn’t tested early, but he did make some big saves in the third to quash whatever comeback the Flames thought they’d put together. The dude needs some love from this site so I’ll give him some as he’s been good when needed the past two games.
  • The Jets won the special teams battle, blanking the Flames on three power-plays while depositing one during their four attempts on the man advantage. A +2 in that battle usually leads to W’s.
  • Eric O’Dell played the least amount of minutes for the Jets tonight, totaling 6:35 of ice-time. O’Dell had scored in two straight games. Sigh.
  • I realize that Chris Thorburn did add two assists, but please, they were both secondary “helpers” on plays that he didn’t really contribute to. Hopefully this will boost his trade value from “next to nothing” to “7th-round pick”.
  • With another very winnable game on Saturday against the Oilers, the Jets have a chance to pile up some points before the aforementioned foray out to the West Coast. They’d best do so if they want to keep whatever slim playoffs hopes they have alive.
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