The Washington Capitals have been a bogeyman for the Jets over the past several years. Whether you care about the Atlanta franchise records or not, this franchise has repeatedly dueled the devils of DC for nearly 2 decades. Winnipeg faces Washington a lot less frequently than it used to, but one theme has generally held; the Jets lose to Washington a lot. In yet another visit to the American political center, the Jets had a chance to squeeze out 2 points with a solid road effort. Instead, Winnipeg’s efforts fizzled out to a lackluster overtime loss after a strong start. Here are my takeaways from a night of fun and frustration.
Seven Takeaways
- Cole Perfetti bagged his first NHL goal! It’s been coming for a few outings now, but the Coletrain finally grabbed the marker to kickstart his career. On a line with Dubois and KFC, Perfetti was positively radiant, generating beautiful chances with his teammates. He has a long and bright future in Winnipeg.
- Dylan Samberg had another strong, well-rounded outing alongside Neal Pionk. Dylan kept his zone exits clean and simple, supporting Pionk’s rushes up the ice when needed. His calming defensive presence is a welcome addition to a helter-skelter group.
- The Stanley-Schmidt pairing was virtually unwatchable. Logan hasn’t been good for a while, but watching him alongside a partner who doesn’t defend all that well was excruciating. The kid genuinely needs to be sat a few games. People will think Heinola is going to have the same issues, but I’m not as convinced of that. A few mistakes here and there won’t trouble me, but Stanley is drowning.
- Ehlers is going to miss a few games after his knee-on-knee collision with Orlov. It was hard to watch and I’m sure the league will suspend Dmitry for a couple games. The Jets are lacking talent upfront after the first 2 lines, and this won’t make life easier.
- The overall vibe with this team is a bit strange. Offensively, they’re attacking the slot and aggressively forechecking well. On the defensive side of things….well, you might as well pretend defending doesn’t exist.
- The power play looks to be clicking along but the lack of ice-time for the second unit is troubling. I get that PP1 is handling matters well, but PP2 needs to get out there for a change of pace, if nothing else.
- What was that display in overtime? Scheifele, Connor, and Morrissey (to a lesser extent) all got smoked. With the forwards, they got caught puck-watching while Josh was bowled over by Kuznetsov. That cannot happen. Winnipeg might have left an extra point on the board with such a poor OT effort.
