These two Central Division rivals met up in Nashville last night, so let’s see how things went down….
The Winnipeg Jets started off on a bad foot when Lowry was flagged for a penalty in the opening minute of the game, but even though the Predators had a few looks with the man-advantage, Hellebuyck & the defense kept it scoreless. Shortly after, a turnover in the neutral zone by Ehlers led to a Nashville 2 on 2, which was made worse when Morrissey attempted to stand up at the blueline. He ended up missing both the player & the puck, allowing Novak to walk in all alone on Winnipeg’s goaltender and a nice backhand finish to give the home team a 1-0 lead just four minutes in. The Jets had their own powerplay right after and after a couple chances, they were rewarded when Vilardi received a pass to the left of Saros. An incredible move led to a between the legs shot that rifled into the top shelf to even the score. The Preds responded with a cycle shift in the offensive zone, but when Scheifele intercepted a pass, he quickly sent the puck to Toffoli to exit the zone. Winnipeg’s top center joined the rush as it developed into a 2 on 1. While the Jets couldn’t score on that rush, they maintained puck control and after Nashville failed to clear the zone, Toffoli quickly sent the puck to Scheifele for a mini-breakaway. With a quick forehand-backhand move, #55 beat Saros with a top shelf finish and Winnipeg had a 2-1 lead 8 minutes into the game. Yet another PP for the home team was killed off in the opening frame and with the squads back at full-strength, the Jets’ Barron skated the puck up the ice to gain the Preds’ zone. After a bit of a cycle, Barron sent the puck from low in the zone to an uncovered DeMelo in the high slot. The defensive defender let a powerful wrister go to give the road team a 3-1 lead. Play was fairly even after this, but Nashville got a 4th PP opportunity late in the first that would carry over into the next period.
First Period MoneyPuck Stats: Score: 3 to 1 for the Jets, shots 14 to 10 for the Preds, 66% Deserve To Win for the Preds, Expected Goals – all situations (1.73-1.00 NSH), & 5 on 5 (1.27-0.52 NSH)
Needing just a point to clinch a playoff spot, the Predators used the early powerplay to take control of the game in the 2nd period. During most of Nashville’s cycle shifts, Winnipeg did an admirable job in keeping them from penetrating the interior of their defense, but I can’t recall how many great looks they received off rushes. Evangelista used his speed to sneak in behind the defenders multiple times throughout the match, but Hellebuyck was always there to deny him. Even a fourth PP couldn’t help Nashville solve Bucky again as the home squad pounded the tender with 22 shots in the period. Winnipeg had a chance to alter momentum late in the period with their 2nd man-advantage, but uninspired play led to only one late shot.
After Two Periods MoneyPuck Stats: Score: 3 to 1 for the Preds, shots 34 to 16 for the Preds, 82.8% Deserve to Win for the Preds, Expected Goals – all situations (3.61-1.49 NSH) & 5 on 5 (2.56-1.01 NSH)
An early period scrum in front of Hellebuyck led to a scrap between Stanley and McCarron, getting the home fans back into the game and sparking Nashville to increase an already aggressive forecheck. After Hellebuyck made a few more big saves, Winnipeg actually spent a shift in the offensive zone and it resulted in the team’s 3rd PP of the game. The Jets did get a nice set up of Monahan in the bumper spot, but Vilardi narrowly missed the rebound and the only other shot on net with the extra-attacker was a late backhander by Perfetti. As the PP was expiring, the Preds had already switched back to offense and when Pionk loses a puck battle, Nashville gets their 2nd goal of the game on a deflection right in front of Bucky. Winnipeg actually pushed back a bit with a couple offensive shifts, but when Scheifele fails to receive a pass in the neutral zone, play quickly goes the other way. On the rush, the always deadly Josi set up O’Reilly in the slot for the equalizer with a tad over 10 minutes to play. Not a lot happened in that span, with the best chance going to the Preds when a rebound bounced out to the open side of the net. A great play by Dillon saw him just get enough of the puck to stop the shot on the open net and these two rivals were heading to overtime.
After Three Periods MoneyPuck Stats: Score: 3 to 3 tie, shots 48 to 20 for the Preds, 86% Deserve to Win for the Preds, Expected Goals – all situations (4.73-1.88 NSH) & 5 on 5 (3.44-1.35 NSH)
Nashville started with puck possession, but a steal by Lowry allowed him to send Namestnikov in all alone on Saros. The Russian tried a late move to the forehand, but the Preds’ tender stuck with him to shut down the early look. Nashville had the puck again, but couldn’t break down Winnipeg’s defense until a Scheifele defensive end turnover gave them a great look from the slot. Somehow, the Predator flubbed on the shot attempt (on a stickless Hellebucyk) and the Jets broke out on a 2 on 1 counter-attack. The rush saw Winnipeg’s best scorers with a great opportunity and Scheifele made a quality pass by the defenseman to allow Connor to net the OT winner.
After OT MoneyPuck Stats: 83% Deserve to Win for the Preds, Expected Goals – all situations (4.88-2.18 NSH) & 5 on 5 (3.41-1.35 NSH)
FINAL SCORE: WINNIPEG JETS 4 NASHVILLE PREDATORS 3 OT
SHOTS: NASHVILLE PREDATORS 48 WINNIPEG JETS 22
Game Observations:
- Running a bit late, so this section will be briefer than normal. Other than the opening period, the Winnipeg Jets were out-skated & out-worked by a hungrier team and can thank Connor Hellebuyck for the 2 points they picked up. For a full battle recap, Bucky faced 42 low danger, 16 medium danger, and 5 high danger shot attempts while allowing a goal against from each level. Despite allowing more goals than he typically does, Hellebuyck finished the game with 1.7 Goals Saved Above Average. On the other side of the coin, Jusse Saros ended up with a -1.81 GSAA rating.
- Mark Scheifele did end a scoring drought by getting involved in all three Winnipeg goals (G/2A), but it was hardly a great game by the pivot. I know he thinks of himself as a passer, but he really needs to shoot the puck way more often (1 shot = 1 goal vs NSH). You know who also thought of himself as a dish-first type player? Wayne Gretzky. And he managed to score 92 goals in a season….not saying Scheif could match that, but the need to shoot more to keep goaltenders/defenses guessing is obvious.
The Winnipeg Jets briefly held the 2nd spot in the Central, but a Colorado Avalanche victory last night has them trailing by 2 pts again. The Avs don’t play again until the meet up with the Jets, while Winnipeg has to deal with the following match up before then.
NEXT GAME: Winnipeg Jets @ Dallas Stars – Thursday, April 11th @ 7:00 pm Central
After taking a couple days off, the Manitoba Moose are back on the ice today as they prep for their weekend contests. Why is this important? Well, it gives former 1st round draft pick Colby Barlow his first opportunity to skate with his new teammates. Very excited to see him get into at least one of the games to see what the sniper can eventually bring to the Winnipeg Jets. Enjoy your Wednesday……tomorrow is a big day with a clash with the dreaded Dallas Stars and also Rutger McGroarty’s Michigan team playing in the NCAA final four.
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