Recap:
I will preface this thing by informing you that I didn’t watch a second of today’s game between the Winnipeg Jets and Boston Bruins. But I’m here to provide you the recapitulation because you need somewhere to chat after the game.
"Surely you jest", you say.
Jest, I do not.
For this afternoon's disembowelment of the Jets' on the Bruins scoreboard did not require very much review.
Lot's of things happened. Unfortunately, the majority of those things favoured the Bruins.
'Dems the breaks.
Winnipeg would start out ably enough midway through the first period when Dustin Byfuglien wired an incredibly well placed shot past a beaten Tuukka Rask, giving the Jets the lead.
Wait, let's back track a second.
The game actually started out even better for Winnipeg as both Chris Thorburn and James Wright took five minute majors for fighting, effectively rendering the fourth line unusable for the games opening minutes. Addition by subtraction was clearly a beneficial coaching strategy employed by Claude Noel and the Jets gained an early lead because of it.
Noel's logic at its finest.
After waking from the opening doldrums of the first frame like a bear from hibernation, Boston began their onslaught on Winnipeg goaltender Ondrej Pavelec to the tune of four unanswered goals.
Dan Paille, Torrey Krug (2) and Reilly Smith led the comeback surge for Boston, and though Corsi metrics and shots on goal favoured Winnipeg, they could not capitalize on a multitude of chances to claw their way back into the contest.
After a brief three game winning streak, the Winnipeg Jets have confirmed that they are, in fact, who we thought they were. A mediocre team that can swing standings points in either direction on a moments notice. At the very least, they are true to what they are: consistently inconsistent.
It was March 31, 2007 the last time the Jets' won a game at the TD Bank Garden as the team then operated out of Atlanta and was a team on the rise set to make their first and only playoff appearance in their now thirteenth NHL season, so it should come as no surprise that they couldn't get the job done today.
Winnipeg will next take to the ice tomorrow for the tail-end of a back-to-back scenario where they will face the Pittsburgh Penguins in yet another matinee that I won’t watch because World Junior Hockey and NFL playoffs are of the utmost priority to me.
Ed. Note: There will be no ten thought's today because really, you can fill in your own here.
