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Winnipeg Jets fall to the Edmonton Oilers 3-1

The Jets came into Edmonton looking to bounce back from a 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild. The Jets had lost their previous match-up against the Oilers last week and were looking to get some revenge on the road.

Unfortunately the Jets failed to get off to a good start to surrendering a shorthanded goal in the opening minutes to Mark Fayne. The shot was nothing spectacular and was probably one that Michael Hutchinson should have had, but these things happen. Overall the first period was a sloppy affair and one that had the Jets looking over-matched at times. While the Jets had a few good chances to get one by Viktor Fasth they failed to capitalize.

Early setbacks started to become a theme throughout the night as the Jets surrendered a second goal in the opening minutes of the second period when Taylor Hall wired one by Hutchinson. The one positive from the first period that carried over to the second was the strong play of the Lowry, Perreault and Frolik line. After generating several good chances throughout the game they were finally rewarded when Mathieu Perreault sniped one high glove side that Viktor was not Fasth enough to get to. The Jets weren’t able to tie the game up in the following moments and eventually found themselves facing a two goal deficit for the second time of the night when Taylor Hall turned Josh Morrissey into a pylon and sent Hutchinson to the bench. The Jets managed 17 shots in the second period, unfortunately they only had one goal to show for it.

Danny Taylor actually looked decent in the relief on Hutchinson. He wasn’t asked to do anything spectacular, but he looked sound positionally and didn’t ever appear to be scrambling. Overall the third period was a bit of a snoozer, and not just because of the 8 p.m. start. Anthony Peluso won a fight if you care about that sort of thing. SHOCKINGLY, his win fight did not generate enough momentum for the Jets to narrow the gap and the Jets fell 3-1 to the Oilers.

Ten Thoughts:

  • Lowry, Perreault and Frolik looked really good together. With the Jets insistence that Dustin Byfuglien play as a forward, and a top 6 one at that, this could potentially windup being the third line that they enter the season with.
  • While Adam Lowry still has a long way to go as a player, he just seems to fit. He plays like someone much stronger than he is and has shown that he can be versatile playing both at centre and left wing.
  • Adam Pardy had a strong performance tonight. He looked confident with the puck and was able to generate some scoring chances for himself. For someone that hasn’t had the most consistent preseason it was an encouraging sign.
  • Eric Tangradi had a rough game. He didn’t look like himself when he was on the ice and then left the game with a lower body injury. Hopefully he feels better soon. While he likely won’t be a top 9 forward like he has been in the past, he presents with the Jets with some depth in the event of an injury.
  • While Hutchinson didn’t have the best night, Garret weighed in with some important information surrounding evaluating Hutch’s performance from being called up last season to this preseason:

  • Josh Morrissey looked rough throughout the night. Other than getting embarrassed by Hall (the list of players Hall has done this too is long, but still…) he looked weak on the puck and overwhelmed. He took a hooking penalty in the third period and had an unproductive night overall.
  • Mark Stuart looked like he was playing in his first game of the preseason. I don’t know what else there is to say about his night.
  • Nic Petan continues to be one of the sneaky good players for the Jets so far this year. He’s just such a smart, two-way player that doesn’t appear to let his diminutive stature limit his effectiveness on the ice. With the top 9 looking like it has been penciled in, there probably isn’t room for him on the Jets roster. In a perfect world Byfuglien would be playing on defense and Petan would be able to snag one of the top 9 forward spots. But for the moment, it appears as though Lowry will be receiving the nod over Petan.
  • Speaking of awesome talents, Ehlers is a hell of a skater. He isn’t ready to make the team, but he’s a lot of fun and hopefully will be able to grow both physically and mentally in order to be able to contribute at the NHL level in the relatively near future.
  • Jacob Trouba has had a fairly slow start to this season. He looks to be in a bit of a funk. Hopefully he can turn it around before the season starts and avoid a sophomore slump.
  • (BONUS THOUGHT) Losing to the Oilers sucks, even in preseason.
The Jets play again tomorrow against the Ottawa Senators in Winnipeg. They will look to end this three game losing streak and send the fans home happy.

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