With the trade deadline giving the Winnipeg Jets’ Central Division rivals the opportunity to add significant pieces to their clubs, it is no even more important for our squad to win the division to set up the easiest opening playoff match possible. With that knowledge in hand, let us find out how the Jets did against the Devils last night….
GAME RECAP
With brand new acquisition Brandon Tanev in the lineup wearing #73, the Winnipeg Jets started off the match with a good pace and that allowed them to begin to pressure the New Jersey Devils defense on the forecheck. Early on, the scoring chances were limited for both franchises but it was the hometown Devils that almost opened the scoring when former Jet Jonathan Kovacevic came close to beating Connor Hellebuyck from the slot. The puck trickled through the tender and just sat in the blue paint inches from the goal line, but Dylan DeMelo did a great job of tying up a NJ player’s stick and that allowed Winnipeg the time to swat the biscuit away from the danger area. Shortly after, the Devils started throwing their weight around and that resulted in captain Adam Lowry taking a retaliatory cross-checking penalty. NJ controlled the puck in the offensive zone for the majority of the man-advantage, but Winnipeg kept them to the perimeter and allowed no shots against. The Jets went back to the attack in the later part of the frame and a 4th line grind shift produced a good scoring chance when they won the puck on a dump in to work it back to the blueline. After a cross ice pass between the defensemen, Colin Miller did a good job to avoid the shot block and put a hard wrister on the Devils’ Jacob Markstrom. Unable to control the rebound, the puck bounced out to Alex Iafallo, who did a fantastic job of quickly corralling it before firing the game’s opening goal into the net. WPG 1-0.
The middle period began well when the Devils took a holding penalty less than 2 minutes in. The Winnipeg powerplay did a good job of controlling the puck, but it took them almost the full 2 minutes before a Nikolaj Ehlers’ shot created a juicy rebound for Josh Morrissey to add to the lead. WPG 2-0. The Jets certainly didn’t look like a team on the second half of a back-to-back situation, as they outshot the Devils 14-7 in the 2nd. Despite numerous opportunities to score again, it wasn’t until the final minute that the scoreboard saw more action. Once again it was Winnipeg’s Great Dane that was the key player, as Ehlers picked up a pass along the right boards before cutting to the slot to fire the puck through a Gabriel Vilardi screen to beat the NJ goalie for the third time of the match. 3-0 WPG.
The New Jersey Devils tried to make it interesting early in the 3rd when Dawson Mercer scored just 31 seconds in. 3-1 WPG. After withstanding a pushback from the home team, the visiting Jets added to their lead just after the midway point when defenseman Simon Nemec turned the puck over to Lowry, allowing him to walk in and snipe a shot far-side. WPG 4-1. Shortly after, Kyle Connor added his 33rd goal of the season when he ripped a shot just under the bar. WPG 5-1. The Winnipeg Jets weren’t done there though, as 2 minutes later Cole Perfetti netted his 13th marker of the year to finish the scoring.
FINAL SCORE: WINNIPEG JETS 6 NEW JERSEY DEVILS 1
FINAL STATS
Shots: 35-23 WPG / Hits: 32-23 NJ / Face-Offs: 54.9% NJ / x Goals: 3.49 WPG – 2.58 NJ /
MoneyPuck’s Deserve to Win: 67.9% WPG / High-Medium Danger Scoring Chances: 13 to 11 NJ
*****
SCORING SUMMARY from ESPN
SHOT CHART from MoneyPuck
ADVANCED SKATER STATS from MoneyPuck
GOALIE STATS from ESPN & MoneyPuck
If you would like to dive deeper into the game’s stats, follow the links below to the game pages:
MoneyPuck: Winnipeg Jets vs. New Jersey Devils – Friday March 7 2025 – MoneyPuck.com
NaturalStatTrick: Winnipeg Jets @ New Jersey Devils, 2025-03-07
*****
BOJA’s Observations:
- Well, let us start off with a discussion about the trade deadline. GM Kevin Cheveldayoff did make some additions (Brandon Tanev & Luke Schenn), but it did cost a significant price (two 2nd’s & a 4th). Yes, other teams added significantly bigger pieces and while I would have liked to address the second line center and the 3rd pairing left-hand defensman positions…I am not sure there really were better options out there, at least at a price I was willing to play. It is certainly much easier for teams that are able to attract UFAs to gamble with their high draft picks/prospects via trade, but we all know the Winnipeg Jets don’t reside in that category. So overall, I am okay with the work Chevy did at the deadline. Playoff success will be up to the guys who got us here and hopefully they will be able to keep up their strong play beyond the regular season.
- It was certainly been fun to watch the Jets play the last two games….but I guess that makes sense when you realize our boys have out-scored the opposition 10-2 over those matches. One of the best parts of the win over New Jersey was the fact that all FOUR forward lines got involved offensively. That is something the Jets will need to be successful going forward.
- Looking at the shot chart above, we can clearly see that Winnipeg peppered chances from the low slot region, but the other side of the ice shows the Devils had plenty of looks of their own. Against the elite teams in the post-season, the Jets will need to do a better job.
- Welcome to the team Brandon Tanev!! While the winger didn’t get involved on the scoresheet, Tanev was very noticeable out there in all situations. In fact, the penalty kill might have been fixed with his addition, as they were a perfect 2 for 2 against New Jersey. lol.
- I though Mark Scheifele played extremely well on Friday….just the way we need him to play in the post-season. The top pivot was physical (2nd on the Jets with 4 hits), active in board battles, and involved offensively (3 shots, 1 assist, +2).
- Back to back great games by the Jets’ 2nd line of Vladislav Namestnikov, Cole Perfetti, and Nikolaj Ehlers. 8 combined shots, 2 goals, and a 73.9% Expected Goals Percentage. While this success is largely driven by Ehlers, I have really liked how Fetti & Vladdy have been playing lately, even if it doesn’t result in scoring a goal. For example, Cole drew a cross-checking penalty when he was battling for position in the low slot…Winnipeg needs players to go to the dirty areas and he has been willing to take the punishment to do so.
- Another great outing by Connor Hellebuyck….+1.58 Goals Saved Above Expected and a .957 save percentage. Though his best “stop” of the game occurred when Bucky was lying flat on his back (article’s main photo), but as long as the puck doesn’t go in, right?
A fun game to watch and hopefully there will be more of those in the Winnipeg Jets’ future. For now, I will switch my attention to the Manitoba Moose and their afternoon game, but the NHL club will be back in action against the Mikko Rantanen-less Hurricanes on Sunday so the minors won’t keep my attention for long.
Hope everyone enjoys their weekend….it is looking like it will be a sunny & warm one here in Manitoba!!
UP NEXT: Winnipeg Jets @ Carolina Hurricanes – Sunday, March 9th @ 4:00 pm CST
