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Game Recap: Winnipeg Jets vs. LA Kings

The Winnipeg Jets sure are something! Against the LA Kings, the Jets spent 3 periods not knowing what to do with themselves. Was the team there to play hockey, or take a nap? For about 55 minutes, it appeared to be “take a nap”. The Kings didn’t do much of anything on the puck, yet managed to defensively dominate Winnipeg for most of the game. LA converted on a nasty Grundstrom shot (that I would have hoped Helly could stop) and a Lemieux goal thanks to a baffling lack of defensive effort from Scheifele. Despite Winnipeg’s sleepwalker performance, a DeMelo short-handed goal turned the tide and forced both teams to overtime. Scheifele, attempting to atone for his poor regulation game, sniped a one-timer to grant Winnipeg both points. Well then!

Seven Takeaways

  1. Prior to the OT goal, Scheifele looked pretty off-kilter. For most of the season’s start since he’s been back, I’ve thought his effort levels were there. Tonight, though, Bad Mark showed up. The OT goal absolved a few sins but he’ll want to avoid making it a recurring issue.
  2. DeMelo picked an ideal time for his first Jets goal. The no-look hail mary pass up the middle from Stanley to set up the counter sure was fortunate, but we take the luck where we can get it. Copp did well to wait for DeMelo to drop in and join the play.
  3. I don’t know what the team does with Wheeler. He just can’t keep up at all. Even with reduced minutes, Blake is still struggling to make a consistent impact. It’s tough to see the captain falling off this much.
  4. Ehlers definitely has some sort of injury. He hasn’t been holding on to the puck much and when he does have possession, he hasn’t be able to create effectively. I hope he heals up quickly, because his presence can turn the tide.
  5. The lines got shuffled a lot and many of the combos didn’t make a ton of sense. We were 2 steps removed from seeing CSW back together. Thankfully, Maurice resisted the urge and only put 2 of the 3 parts together, sandwiching Dubois in the middle.
  6. OT finally brought back the 3-forward routine and, whaddya know, the Jets won! Be aggressive and fast. Abandon the boring 2F1D unit and embrace speedy chaos.
  7. If you made it through without falling asleep, hats off to you. The Jets played a fairly unexciting game, but still managed to eke out the victory. I think I prefer the games where they get a lead and keep the foot on the gas…
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