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Game Recap: Winnipeg Jets vs. Vancouver Canucks

The Winnipeg Jets continue to roll along, collecting standings points left and right as they climb to the top of the West. After losing a heartbreaker in the shootout to Edmonton, the Jets were looking for revenge against the beleaguered Canucks. Everything is spiraling in Vancouver, and the team has few answers as to how to fix any of it. With jobs on the line, Vancouver managed to eke out a 3-2 regulation win against a somewhat fatigued Jets squad. Winnipeg, however, can take some solace in the even-strength performance and some extremely puzzling officiating on the night. Here are my takeaways.

Seven Takeaways

  1. I hate to harp on the officiating, but the Jets not getting a single call was a bit ridiculous. It’s still Winnipeg’s fault for taking penalties and failing to kill them, but getting 0 power plays is absurd. It wasn’t like Vancouver was playing clean hockey either. They have 4-5 easy calls at a minimum that were ignored.
  2. Dubois scored his 10th goal of the season before the end of regulation. Even when he has a quieter night, he can still find a way to put his stamp on a game.
  3. Wheeler is cooked. After an alright performance against Edmonton, Blake was under the waves in Vancouver. Maurice kept feeding him tons of minutes too. Maybe don’t go down this road again, Jets…
  4. Winnipeg’s PK is killing the team. It’s the most glaring weakness and a big enough issue to cause the Jets heartache during the post-season. If they can’t figure out how to stop conceding on every single kill, they won’t make it past the first round or so.
  5. The overall performance wasn’t half-bad. Were it not for the PK and the absence of power plays, the Jets probably could have walked away with a point or 2.
  6. Ehlers looks to have his shooting gloves back. His goal tonight was a work of art.
  7. Winnipeg has accrued points in 13 out of the 17 games it’s played so far, 9 of those games being wins. That’s pretty darn spiffy, especially for a team that’s still a work-in-progress.
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Talking Points