The Winnipeg Jets were tasked with beating a team that was fairly close to them in the standings and managed to lay the boots to them. They turned a five minute major into a major advantage in the game and used it to pull away from the Philadelphia Flyers in the second period. Once they did that, they were cruising. They managed to get goals from seven different goal scorers and show off their depth a bit more this game.
Three Takeaways
- I really like that they now allow the referees to look at video to make sure a five minute major is called correctly. I hope they allow it when the referees are not sure if something should be a two minute minor or a five minute major in general because if fans are allowed to use a replay to make a judgement call, the refs should be afforded the same luxury. The game is fast and letting people have more certainty in big moments is important.
- The Jets had an excellent response to the hit from Joel Farabee: they scored two goals on the five minute, one goal right after, and another goal not long after that. It is a much better response than starting a fight and essentially won the game for the Jets. Whoever had them remain focused on the task at hand instead of seeking revenge did their job well.
- Neal Pionk had a three point game. While I have not looked at his underlying numbers yet this year, he has been performing fairly well especially considering who his partners have been. He has been a pleasant surprise this season even with his bad games. He’s different than Jacob Trouba, but he has been dealt some of the worst partners he could ask for and has been respectable to the eye-test this year.
