Having been burned twice by the San Jose Sharks this season, the Winnipeg Jets left nothing to chance in front of a 15,016 crowd, at the MTS Centre. This time, there were no early season jitters and too much respect (Game 2 of the season, a 3-0 loss) or a missed call on a pick play that keyed a San Jose winning goal with five seconds to play (Game 40 on Jan. 5, a 3-2 defeat).
This time, the Jets blazed from the gate with three goals in the first 13 minutes and cruised to a 5-2 victory over the Sharks, leap-frogging back into a Western Conference playoff spot with a 35-23-12 record, 82 points in 70 games. The result dropped the Sharks six points back. San Jose are fifth in the Pacific Division and still eyeing one of the three berths there.
Undermanned still - the Jets skated again without top center Bryan Little, sniper Mathieu Perreault, and defencemen Ben Chiarot and Dustin Byfuglien - the home team again showed an ability to plug and play in ways that get the job done. Byfuglien took the morning skate and looked good, but he was a surprise absence from the pre-game warm-up and missed a fifth straight game because of an upper-body injury suffered against Ottawa on March 4.
Winnipeg connected on both their power plays in the first, on goals by Scheifele, his 12th of the season, and Andrew Ladd's 24th, a tip-in that made it 3-0. The Sharks started firing everything Pavelec's way after being outshot 10-7 in the first. The Jets drove Sharks' starter Antti Niemi from the game in just 13:01, replaced by Alex Stalock. It started badly for Niemi when Adam Lowry scored from behind the goal line just 70 seconds in. Niemi failed to hug the post tightly enough and Lowry's hard wrister dropped down his pad and across the red line. The goalie had little chance on shots by Mark Scheifele and the Andrew Ladd's deflection but coach Todd McLellan decided on the change after three goals on just eight shots.
In the banged up state of the Winnipeg Jets lineup, right winger Blake Wheeler isn't waiting around to see who will step up to carry the load. Wheeler continued to be a force with a three-point night. The 28-year old Minnesotan has been setting a sharp pace for his team with big goals and forceful play. His points streak is now at five games, with five goals and nice points. When Adam Lowry banked his shot off the pants of goalie Antti Niemi from below the goal line just 70 seconds into the game, you got the feeling the Jets weren't going to suffer any sort of let down. By the time Mark Scheifele (on a rocket of a wrist shot) and Andrew Ladd (on a nifty redirection of a point shot from Jacob Trouba) added power play goals, the Jets were off and running. Joe Pavelski gave the Sharks some life with a goal just over a minute in the second period, but the Jets got a pair of goals from Blake Wheeler to restore order. Despite holding a three-goal lead late in the contest, Wheeler was laying out to block a shot to try and preserve the victory. Ondrej Pavelec contribution to the victory can't be ignored, stopping 38 shots. Tyler Myers was a welcome addition to the lineup after missing the last game with an upper-body injury.
The Jets got a raucous standing ovation for the final 30 seconds of the game, and immediately after the final horn line up in front of Pavelec. It looked like a receiving line at a Ukrainian wedding as, one by one, players removed a glove and shook each other's hands. A show of respect for a job well done and a symbol of the team's togetherness.
For a team that was desperate, the Sharks looked awful, falling behind 3-0. They were so awful my good friend Ashleigh (a Sharks fan, and San Jose native) apologised to me. It certainly was disappointing to see this kind of performance from a team who have been so exciting to watch for so long, and this being my first time watching this team live. If the Sharks haven't thrown in the towel this season, they're loosening up their arms and reaching for it. The whole controversy between veteran Joe Thornton and GM Doug Wilson was going to go one of two ways: either the players circle the wagons and play to win despite their boss, or they concede this is too big a mess to salvage. The home fans, offered up one of those only-in-Winnipeg chants. "Who's-your-captain?" is how it went loud and clear, a shot at the controversy that's tearing the Sharks apart. To recap, Wilson, in consultation with his coaching staff, we presume, ripped the 'C' from Thornton's sweater last summer after one too many early playoff exits. When Wilson talked about the decision to a group of season-ticket holders on the weekend, Thornton had, had enough, telling his GM, through the San Jose Mercury News, to put a sock in it. "Doug needs to shut his mouth. he just needs to stop lying, shut his mouth."
Game in a Nutshell
Before playing the Banged-up Winnipeg Jets, the San Jose Sharks emphasized the need for a strong start to their seven-game road trip. However, by 13:01 of the first period at MTS Centre, the Sharks, subdued, trailed 3-0 and starting goaltender Antti Niemi was on the bench in an eventual 5-2 loss. The win began a three-game homestand for the Jets (35-23-12) and moved them one point ahead of the Calgary Flames for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. San Jose (34-28-8) is six points behind Winnipeg, with nine of the Sharks' final 12 games against teams below the playoff line. Adam Lowry's eighth goal gave Winnipeg a 1-0 lead before power-play goals by Mark Scheifele and Andrew Ladd. Blake Wheeler had two goals and an assist, and linemates Scheifele and Drew Stafford each had two assists. Niemi made five saves on eight shots before he was pulled with 6:59 remaining in the first period. Alex Stalock finished the game and made 12 saves. Joe Pavelski scored twice for the Sharks.
Apologies for the lack of quality photos. This was due to the BS policy of not allowing any cameras into the MTS Centre. Mine was placed in the cloak room at cheek cost too!
There is something about watching hockey in Canada which has this extra special feeling to it. The anthem is rousing, the game are sold out and you have passionate and knowledgeable fans. The Canadian accent is also great and instantly reminds me of hockey. Not long into the game a young couple were trying to find their seats in the same row I was in, and found people already sitting in them. The conversation was oh so Canadian Guy: 'There are some people in our seats eh?' Girl: 'For Sure'. It was oh so simple but did bring a smile to my face having heard it.
It was a pleasure that during the game I got to sit next to and converse with Chris, who was at the game with his friend from Ottawa. Both were fellow hockey fans like myself who just love to watch the game no matter who is playing. It was quite a surreal site however, having told Chris of my blog, that he was actually reading it while sat next to me at an NHL arena. Made me feel proud in a humble kind of way. Chris if you are reading this (which hopefully you are) get in touch via my email at heshootshescores91@gmail.com.
Sharks Quotes
"We're moving on. We've got to go to Toronto. By the time we [get on] the plane, we should be recharging our batteries and getting ready to play in Toronto. Now we get on the plane, we eat, we review the game, we have a good skate [Wednesday], we practice and away we go. There is nothing else we can do. We could sit in the corner and cry if we wanted to, but that's not going to help us one bit. If something negative happens, we've got to park it and move on. We have no other options."
Marc-Edouard Vlasic: "It's a little setback, but it's far from over."
Joe Pavelski: "Every game right now, if you don't win it, it's a setback, bottom line. Nobody in here can hang their heads right now. We've got to get ready for the next game. I don't care what happened before. Now is now. My job is to be ready whenever I have a chance to play, so that's my job."
Jets Quotes
Drew Stafford: "I've known [fellow Minnesotan Wheeler] for quite a while, know the type of player he is, his personality. It's not really much of a surprise. Just playing with him, you definitely have an extra appreciation that he's a heck of a player. I'm just trying to ride this wave as much as I can playing with guys like him and Scheifele. We have some great chemistry. He's fun to watch and he's an exciting player, and clutch lately. Same with Scheif. He's had a lot asked of him, especially with some of the bodies out of our lineup but they've stepped up for sure"
Paul Maurice: "You're worried about the game back after a trip, but I wasn't as concerned about that because of the situation that all teams are in at this time of year, and then we got some pucks to the net. The power play really moved the puck very, very well. Real good shots. Scheifele's shot is spectacular.
We got some really good goaltending. The same game that he played in Tampa, and the same game that he played in St. Louis. He was just aggressive trying to find pucks. He was fighting. The Tampa Bay game was a big game because of what happened. When he got through that game with the win, his confidence has to be high and strong and it was an easy decision to come back with him. Pav came off the bench in a difficult game, saw a lot of action and had a terrible thing happen to him, and then showed all the toughness you need to know about a man in that game in Tampa.
[Byfuglien] was ready to go, and he got through the morning skate. But sometimes you have to pull a guy back a little bit, and I just didn't think it was the right time for him to come in. Also, you put two (injured) guys in at the same time... you've got healthy guys. We want to be sure with Dustin that when he comes back in, he doesn't go back out again.
Individually I thought [Wheeler] was really good Saturday but as a line, that whole line tonight. Every time we put them on the ice something good happened. Mark [Scheifele] has really stepped up his game here in the last couple of weeks. He's faster now, more sure with the puck. Confidence goes a long way to that. He's feeling good with the puck, shooting it now. We saw so many of those shots early in the year crack the post for him. Now they're starting to go in. Because of their speed, their hard to handle."
Drew Stafford: "I'm just trying to ride this wave as much as I can playing with guys like [Wheeler] and Scheifele. I feel as though we have some great chemistry."
Mark Scheifele: "I think we're just getting more comfortable playing with each other. I think we all just want to go out and make plays. We all want to play a hard game, we want to be fast, we want to take an opportunity when we get it.
I think every line is clicking. Every line is getting its chances, every line is creating offensive pressure, and that's what we want. We want a well-balanced attack."
Goals
1-0 - 1:10 - Adam Lowry Asst: Andrew Ladd - Lowry scored 1:10 into the game when he muscled past San Jose defenseman Brent Burns in the left corner and banked a shot off the back of Niemi's right leg from behind the goal line.
2-0 - 9:39 - PPG Mark Scheifele Asst: Toby Enstrom, Blake Wheeler - Justin Braun's slashing penalty helped create Winnipeg's second goal. Scheifele took Toby Enstrom's cross-ice pass to the left circle and beat Niemi over the left shoulder at 9:39.
3-0 - 13:01 - PPG Andrew Ladd Asst: Jacob Trouba, Michael Frolik - The Jets took a 3-0 lead 3:22 after Scheifele's goal. With Sharks forward Melker Karlsson off for high-sticking, Ladd tipped a point shot by defenseman Jacob Trouba past Niemi at 13:01 for his 24th goal.
3-1 - 21:06 - Joe Pavelski Asst: Joe Thornton, Melker Karlsson - Pavelski's goal off a long rebound from Pavelec 1:06 into the second period made it 3-1.
4-1 - 27:05 - Blake Wheeler Asst: Drew Stafford, Mark Scheifele - Winnipeg led 4-1 7:05 into the second period when Wheeler jabbed a loose puck between Stalock's pads for his 21st goal.
5-1 - 49:12 - Blake Wheeler Asst: Drew Stafford, Mark Scheifele - Wheeler made it 5-1 with 10:48 left in the game when he batted a puck past Stalock.
5-2 - 57:35 - Joe Pavelski Asst: Brent Burns, Joe Thornton - Pavelski, who had one goal in his previous 12 games, made it 5-2 with 2:25 left in the third.
Stars of the Game
1 Ondrej Pavelec
2 Blake Wheeler
3 Mark Scheifele
Stats
- Jets center Bryan Little missed his fifth consecutive game because of an upper-body injury. His absence placed more burden on Scheifele, who is in his second full NHL season, and Lowry, a 21-year-old rookie.
- Scheifele and Lowry took 35 of the 58 faceoffs; Lowry had a Jets-high seven hits.
- Jets goaltender Ondrej Pavelec started for the second consecutive game, the first time since Nov. 20-23, and made 38 saves. Pavelec has bounced back after rookie goaltender Michael Hutchinson started eight consecutive games. Pavelec defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 on Saturday.
- Stafford is a right-handed shooter playing on his off wing, since coming to the Jets in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres on Feb. 11, has five goals and five assists in 14 games. Scheifele has four goals and six assists in his past 10 games, and Wheeler has a five-game point streak (five goals, four assists).
- The Jets host the St. Louis Blues on Thursday. With 82 points, Winnipeg is trying to catch the Minnesota Wild (85) for the first wild card while attempting to fend off Calgary (81), the Los Angeles Kings (81) and San Jose (76).
- Winnipeg could have defenseman Dustin Byfuglien back against St. Louis. He participated in the morning skate Tuesday but missed his fifth game because of an upper-body injury.
Penalties
| 1st Period | ||
|---|---|---|
| 07:23 WPG | Adam Lowry Holding against Joe Pavelski | |
| 08:28 SJS | Justin Braun Slashing against Matt Halischuk | |
| 11:54 SJS | Melker Karlsson Hi-sticking against Toby Enstrom | |
| 2nd Period | ||
| 13:49 SJS | Marc-Edouard Vlasic Interference against Mark Scheifele | |
| 17:04 WPG | Jim Slater Holding the stick against Joe Pavelski | |
| 3rd Period | ||
| 03:47 WPG | Mark Stuart Cross checking against Tommy Wingels | |
| 14:22 WPG | Jay Harrison Roughing against John Scott | |
| 14:22 SJS | John Scott Roughing against Jay Harrison | |
| 14:22 SJS | John Scott Misconduct (10 min) | |
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