The Winnipeg Jets beat the Buffalo Sabres in the battle of the special teams. The Jets were able to pull away early, only to let the Sabres back in late. Just like they did against the Edmonton Oilers, funny enough.
In other news Canada won gold at the World Junior Championships with little controversy and the Jets are in first in the Central Division, the Chicago Blackhawks are not doing so well, and the Jets have no problems with goaltending. What is this world?
Ten Thoughts
- There were a lot of penalties this game and it was hard for either team to get into a rhythm. It was interesting to say the least.
- I don’t like Evander Kane for a myriad of off-ice reasons, but the cheering of him when he ran into his teammate was weird. On the other hand, the booing was expected and excellent. Whatever. (This is only because I struggled with coming up with ten thoughts)
- When Nathan Beaulieu was a Montreal Canadien the joke was no one could pronounce his name. Dennis Beyak is definitely in this club as he pronounces his name “boil-you”.
- Team Canada is playing at the exact same time and I feel like too many people are watching the Jets…like I am because someone has to write a recap about 50 billion power plays.
- The Jets are able to get shots from the point when they engage down low on the power play first. Their puck movement is what opens up those shots and it is impressive that they have finally figured out how to use their point men. It has only been 84 years.
- When is Tobias Enstrom back?
- The Buffalo Sabres have shown almost no improvement since they all-out tanked in the McDavid-Eichel draft. I think that rebuilding is more luck than anything else. The real truth is teams have to be consistently average until they see a small window where they pounce and improve their team just enough above average to win it all.
- The thing with the Sabres (and the Jets to be honest) is that their best players are for the most part their youngest players. They are supported by good veterans like Ryan O’Reilly (Sabres) and Blake Wheeler (Jets), but both teams have vets that contribute little and make their young players do more.
- The Jets are not the best team 6 on 5 and maybe they should work on that, but whateves, they won.
- On the Lias Andersson throwing his medal into the crowd after losing the Gold Medal Game: losing the gold is harder than winning the bronze according to my mom because you end a tournament on a losing note. Over time he will learn to appreciate that medal (which he got back), but right now he is bitter about it and he is still young. I say this as someone whose mom has won a silver medal at a world championship (water polo). That medal is now displayed, but the feeling when they got the silver is that they could have won gold. Andersson probably feels the same way and reacted emotionally.
