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Winnipeg Jets abolish the Senators

The Winnipeg Jets are on the board! After a long run of bad hockey, everything went right for the Jets in their third period as they erased the Ottawa Senators‘ third period lead.

It started with Blake Wheeler tipping one past Hammond, then Nikolaj Ehlers banked one in off Drew Stafford. Andrew Ladd forced overtime with a late goal while Ondrej Pavelec was pulled. Mark Scheifele ultimately sealed it in OT with the Jets first 3-on-3 goal of the season.

Jets win! Jets win!

Then Thoughts:

1. The Winnipeg Jets' power play has been a sore point for years, but it did produce today. Blake Wheeler scored as a third period-opening PP was winding down and Drew Stafford added another.

2. Andrew Ladd and Bryan Little saw their first taste of preseason action. They struggled early, but appeared to get more comfortable with time. Ladd even scored a goal late in 6-5 action with the goalie pulled.

3. Tyler Myers was also fresh to pre-season action. He was a bit of an early mess too. Hopefully the rust is worn off in time for the regular season. The late assist (Ladd goal) might help him find some mojo.

4. As rusty as the top line looked, the Mark Scheifele line did even less to impress. They did generate a few chances, but they struggled defensively. Again. It was nice the see Scheif pick up the game winner in OT.

5. Incredibly, the one line that didn’t struggle defensively was the 4th. They were clearly the Jets’ best line through two periods, with Nic Petan earning himself a lot of love from onlookers.

6. Petan showcased some of his wonderful passing ability as well as his well-rounded two way game. He won board battles, made excellent reads, drew a penalty and generally looked ready. He even spent some time as the Jets' net-front presence on the power play. He was in my mind the Jets' best player. Again. Does anybody recall a moment this preseason where his size appeared to be a hindrance? I don't.

7. Fellow 4th liner Andrew Copp also had a steady game and perhaps most importantly he was worked in the penalty kill rotation. This may not continue – at least at the start of the season – but special teams contributions from the bottom six are key to resting the top-end guys.

8. After a nightmare outing in Minnesota, Mathieu Perreault showcased everything that makes him extremely fun to watch. He may have been guilty of over-passing, but even that was exciting. Plus he scored a goal!

9. Two periods of up and down play did lead to some line juggling. Petan was posted with Andrew Ladd and Bryan Little. Early results were awesome. Ehlers was moved around too and he flashed offense and picked up a late assist.

10. It is far more fun watching a team come back from behind than it is watching them piss one down their leg.

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