Minnesota Wild @ Jets 3-2 SO - Monday, September 18, 2017
After four consecutive days of practice and intense off-ice workouts, the Winnipeg Jets finally took to the ice for their first test of the preseason, giving Head Coach Paul Maurice and the rest of the staff their first look at the squad in game action.
Make no mistake: It was a preseason game, all right - sloppy and penalty filled after a long summer off - but the very sight of the boys in blue carving the ice in downtown Winnipeg was just the start of what we've all been waiting for.
Hockey season. It's back, baby. Unfortunately for the Jets, Night 1 didn't go their way.
Ryan Malone scored the only goal in the shootout while goaltender Steve Michalek stopped all three Winnipeg shooters as the Minnesota Wild took a 3-2 win Monday at Bell MTS Place.
Mathieu Perreault and Patrik Laine supplied the offence for the Jets, while Connor Hellebuyck made 34 saves in a losing effort. Penalties were the story, as the teams combined for 17 minors, resulting in just 33 minutes of 5-on-5 play.
"We had a big group of veteran guys and we slowly started getting them worked into the power play (during practice)," said Head Coach Paul Maurice. "We got those guys almost 10 minutes of power-play time. Some of it looked nice, some of it looked like it was the first exhibition game."
As always at this time of year, the most important thing on this night was the evaluation process, and that will continue to be the priority until the roster is finalized ahead of the regular-season opener on Oct. 4. But with a mostly veteran roster, it was also a chance to work on things like chemistry, as exhibited by Laine, Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler, who in their brief moments of even-strength ice, had the puck on a string in the offensive zone.
Still…
"There wouldn't be a whole lot of group evaluation after that game," Maurice said.
Not with that many penalties.
The Jets opened the scoring with a power-play goal just 46 seconds into the game. Perreault took a pass from Nikolaj Ehlers at the side of the net, juked his way to the front and swept a quick shot off the far post and in to give the give home side a 1-0 lead.
The physical play ramped up late in the period when Minnesota defenceman Carson Soucy levelled Mark Scheifele with a clean open-ice hit. Patrik Laine came to the defence of his teammate, but after returning the favour with a sturdy bump along the benches, he was penalized for roughing. Shots on goal favoured the Wild 16-13 after one.
Things quieted down in the second and by the midway point of the game, nine minor penalties had already been called between the two teams. The NHL is cracking down on slashing and other obstruction-related penalties this preseason and this game was no exception, slowing the pace considerably.
The Jets were even granted a 5-on-3 more than a minute-and-a-half late in the middle 20, but were unable to generate any offence. Then, only moments after the two penalties expired, the visitors took their first lead of the night. After Michael Sgarbossa was stopped point-blank at the other end, Zack Mitchell fired home the go-ahead goal off a great pass from Kyle Rau on a 2-on-1 with 4:56 to play. But with the help of yet another power play, the Jets had time to equalize before the period ran out.
In his usual spot at the top of the circle, Laine blistered a one-timer past Niklas Svedberg to make it a 2-2 game at 17:25. Svedberg, who played in the KHL last year, had no chance on the play as the Finnish marksman got every bit of the slapper, screaming it clean over the glove.
"There were some good things on the ice from our team, and there were a lot of things that we need to improve on before the season starts."
LATE HITS: Logan Stanley and Tucker Poolman got their first taste of NHL action tonight and both blueliners made their preseason debuts.
Stanley was paired with Dustin Byfuglien and had one shot and four blocks in over 15 minutes of ice time, while Poolman - rock solid - played 17:18, including more than six minutes of shorthanded ice to lead all defencemen.
Poolman was paired with Toby Enstrom and had three shots and one block.
"I just tried to keep it simple and make the quick plays out there," Poolman said.
"(Toby's) a veteran guy and he's very smart. He was telling me know what to do and got me to talk a little more and play off each other out there."
The signs were all there that it would be a special teams extravaganza before the Winnipeg Jets played their first preseason game Monday against the Minnesota Wild at Bell MTS Place. On Sunday, the Vancouver Canucks and Vegas Golden Knights opened their NHL preseason with a combined 17 power plays. Seventeen turned out to be the magic number as well in a 3-2 shootout loss for the Jets, who went 2-for-10 with the man advantage.
"Thirty-three minutes of 5-on-5 time. We knew that going in," said Head Coach Paul Maurice. "It was true to form of all the other games; really, really high penalty totals."
"We had a big group of veteran guys and we slowly started getting them worked into the power play (during practice)," said Head Coach Paul Maurice. "We got those guys almost 10 minutes of power-play time. Some of it looked nice, some of it looked like it was the first exhibition game."
As always at this time of year, the most important thing on this night was the evaluation process, and that will continue to be the priority until the roster is finalized ahead of the regular-season opener on Oct. 4. But with a mostly veteran roster, it was also a chance to work on things like chemistry, as exhibited by Laine, Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler, who in their brief moments of even-strength ice, had the puck on a string in the offensive zone.
Still…
"There wouldn't be a whole lot of group evaluation after that game," Maurice said.
Not with that many penalties.
The Jets opened the scoring with a power-play goal just 46 seconds into the game. Perreault took a pass from Nikolaj Ehlers at the side of the net, juked his way to the front and swept a quick shot off the far post and in to give the give home side a 1-0 lead.
Charlie Coyle got it right back for the Wild with a PPG of his own at 5:55, after the innocent Dustin Byfuglien was given two for holding in the offensive zone.
Things quieted down in the second and by the midway point of the game, nine minor penalties had already been called between the two teams. The NHL is cracking down on slashing and other obstruction-related penalties this preseason and this game was no exception, slowing the pace considerably.
The Jets were even granted a 5-on-3 more than a minute-and-a-half late in the middle 20, but were unable to generate any offence. Then, only moments after the two penalties expired, the visitors took their first lead of the night. After Michael Sgarbossa was stopped point-blank at the other end, Zack Mitchell fired home the go-ahead goal off a great pass from Kyle Rau on a 2-on-1 with 4:56 to play. But with the help of yet another power play, the Jets had time to equalize before the period ran out.
In his usual spot at the top of the circle, Laine blistered a one-timer past Niklas Svedberg to make it a 2-2 game at 17:25. Svedberg, who played in the KHL last year, had no chance on the play as the Finnish marksman got every bit of the slapper, screaming it clean over the glove.
"There were some good things on the ice from our team, and there were a lot of things that we need to improve on before the season starts."
LATE HITS: Logan Stanley and Tucker Poolman got their first taste of NHL action tonight and both blueliners made their preseason debuts.
Stanley was paired with Dustin Byfuglien and had one shot and four blocks in over 15 minutes of ice time, while Poolman - rock solid - played 17:18, including more than six minutes of shorthanded ice to lead all defencemen.
Poolman was paired with Toby Enstrom and had three shots and one block.
"I just tried to keep it simple and make the quick plays out there," Poolman said.
"(Toby's) a veteran guy and he's very smart. He was telling me know what to do and got me to talk a little more and play off each other out there."
The signs were all there that it would be a special teams extravaganza before the Winnipeg Jets played their first preseason game Monday against the Minnesota Wild at Bell MTS Place. On Sunday, the Vancouver Canucks and Vegas Golden Knights opened their NHL preseason with a combined 17 power plays. Seventeen turned out to be the magic number as well in a 3-2 shootout loss for the Jets, who went 2-for-10 with the man advantage.
"Thirty-three minutes of 5-on-5 time. We knew that going in," said Head Coach Paul Maurice. "It was true to form of all the other games; really, really high penalty totals."
Expected or not, it makes it tough on a player like forward Kyle Connor who's trying to prove he's an everyday Top 9 guy in the NHL. Connor finished with just over eight-and-a-half minutes of ice time with some penalty killing time included towards the end of the game.
"It seemed like every time I was up, something happened," Connor said. "I was just trying to get into the flow. I think right now in the preseason they're trying to lay down the law with the slashing penalties, maybe a little more than the regular season. It's a little tough to get into the flow that way."
"That's the unfortunate part of it," added Maurice, "because he's on a line with two penalty killers (Adam Lowry and Joel Armia) and when you're penalty killing as much as they do…
"So it's tough for him to show well, but a lot of those guys are coming in and they're not getting 20 minutes. He had a bunch of really good shifts toward the end of the game, so he did a good job hanging in there and skating well."
"(Maurice) used us (linemates Michael Sgarbossa and Marko Dano) quite a bit," Lemieux said. "We were out there playing PK. I was happy with my ice time and the way we were utilized. Obviously there were a lot of penalties but that's kind of the new game. As a young player you want to get out on the ice and be able to feel comfortable to show what you can do and be a part of special teams is really important."
Maurice was happy with Lemieux's productivity in his limited minutes.
"He looked like he had his skating legs. He was under control, he played fast, and he was under control in his routes. He was pretty sharp there; good, physical guy, a couple pucks to the net. I liked his game."
"It seemed like every time I was up, something happened," Connor said. "I was just trying to get into the flow. I think right now in the preseason they're trying to lay down the law with the slashing penalties, maybe a little more than the regular season. It's a little tough to get into the flow that way."
"That's the unfortunate part of it," added Maurice, "because he's on a line with two penalty killers (Adam Lowry and Joel Armia) and when you're penalty killing as much as they do…
"So it's tough for him to show well, but a lot of those guys are coming in and they're not getting 20 minutes. He had a bunch of really good shifts toward the end of the game, so he did a good job hanging in there and skating well."
"(Maurice) used us (linemates Michael Sgarbossa and Marko Dano) quite a bit," Lemieux said. "We were out there playing PK. I was happy with my ice time and the way we were utilized. Obviously there were a lot of penalties but that's kind of the new game. As a young player you want to get out on the ice and be able to feel comfortable to show what you can do and be a part of special teams is really important."
Maurice was happy with Lemieux's productivity in his limited minutes.
"He looked like he had his skating legs. He was under control, he played fast, and he was under control in his routes. He was pretty sharp there; good, physical guy, a couple pucks to the net. I liked his game."
Edmonton Oilers @ Jets 4-1 - Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Sami Niku will have one of the NHL's best - Dustin Byfuglien - riding shotgun as he makes his NHL preseason debut tonight against the Edmonton Oilers."I'm really excited. It's been an incredible experience at camp so far," the defenceman said following Wednesday's optional practice at Bell MTS Iceplex. "It's my first time in Winnipeg and on North American ice in general, so it's taken a bit to adjust to. The game is a bit different and the rink is a lot smaller, but overall it's been good."
Niku says the most difficult part of adjusting to the smaller ice surface has been less about the physical rink dimensions and more about the pace of the game.
Here, circling back and being "casual" with the puck just isn't an option, says Head Coach Paul Maurice.
"On the big ice, big defencemen - especially with a less aggressive forechecking systems that you see in Europe - there's way more time with the puck. You can bring it back, the team can change, you can wind it up, and that is completely different (here).
"I'd like to see him skate, use his legs, and then move the puck as quickly and as efficiently as (he) can. He's seen a lot of pucks (in practice). He's had to turn and go get it a lot with some of the battling we've been running, so he's going to get his best chance to look good."
Maurice had a similar plan for 2016 first-round pick Logan Stanley, who played more than 15 minutes on the top pairing with No. 33. Stanley had a shot, one hit and four blocks - the kind of eventful night you'd hope to see from a young defenceman playing his first game.
Niku is hoping to do the same.
"I don't want to do anything too complicated. I just want to play my own game - move pucks quick, clear the zone and if I can, get up the ice and (contribute offensively)."
It isn't all new for this raw blueliner, mind you. Niku has already had the experience of playing professionally against men, and is coming off a career year with JYP of the Finnish Elite League, demonstrating his impressive offensive qualities with five goals and 27 points in only 59 regular-season games.
He led his team with an average of 19:47 of ice time during the regular season and 20:32 in the playoffs to help JYP capture the bronze medal. (Patrik Laine's old team - Tappara - won the league championship for the 10th time in franchise history.)
Nineteen at the time, Niku was tied for the team lead during the regular season with three game-winning goals and tied for third with 201 shots. Over the past three seasons, he had 39 points (9G, 30A) in 109 games.
"It was a good season," Niku said. "I played a lot of minutes and was able to put up a lot of points. It was a good development year for me. I still need to improve on a few things like my defending, but I think I'm ready now to play (professionally) here."
Niku signed his signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Jets over the summer and is likely to play with the club's top affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, this coming season.
"I just want to learn as much as I can from the older players while I'm here," he said. "They all have so much (to offer), and tonight is going to be a good opportunity for me to soak it all in. It's important for me to pick up on everything as quickly as I can to show the coaches what I can do."
"I'd like to see him skate, use his legs, and then move the puck as quickly and as efficiently as (he) can. He's seen a lot of pucks (in practice). He's had to turn and go get it a lot with some of the battling we've been running, so he's going to get his best chance to look good."
Maurice had a similar plan for 2016 first-round pick Logan Stanley, who played more than 15 minutes on the top pairing with No. 33. Stanley had a shot, one hit and four blocks - the kind of eventful night you'd hope to see from a young defenceman playing his first game.
Niku is hoping to do the same.
"I don't want to do anything too complicated. I just want to play my own game - move pucks quick, clear the zone and if I can, get up the ice and (contribute offensively)."
It isn't all new for this raw blueliner, mind you. Niku has already had the experience of playing professionally against men, and is coming off a career year with JYP of the Finnish Elite League, demonstrating his impressive offensive qualities with five goals and 27 points in only 59 regular-season games.
He led his team with an average of 19:47 of ice time during the regular season and 20:32 in the playoffs to help JYP capture the bronze medal. (Patrik Laine's old team - Tappara - won the league championship for the 10th time in franchise history.)
Nineteen at the time, Niku was tied for the team lead during the regular season with three game-winning goals and tied for third with 201 shots. Over the past three seasons, he had 39 points (9G, 30A) in 109 games.
"It was a good season," Niku said. "I played a lot of minutes and was able to put up a lot of points. It was a good development year for me. I still need to improve on a few things like my defending, but I think I'm ready now to play (professionally) here."
Niku signed his signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Jets over the summer and is likely to play with the club's top affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, this coming season.
"I just want to learn as much as I can from the older players while I'm here," he said. "They all have so much (to offer), and tonight is going to be a good opportunity for me to soak it all in. It's important for me to pick up on everything as quickly as I can to show the coaches what I can do."
That sound you hear is the unmistakeable tone of a frozen rubber puck battering a two-and-a-half inch wide, hollow iron pipe. The Winnipeg Jets heard plenty of it - on five separate occasions, in fact - in Wednesday's 4-1 preseason loss to the Edmonton Oilers, who admittedly caught a few breaks along way.Nikolaj Ehlers had Winnipeg's lone goal and Steve Mason made 21 saves. With the loss, the Jets fall to 0-1-1 in the preseason.
"We look like we're two games into a season," said Head Coach Paul Maurice. "We've got a lot of guys working the puck around a little bit trying to find their hands. Our offensive game isn't something we spend a whole lot of time on right now, but we'll get it dialled in."
For the second straight game, the Jets opened the scoring with a power-play goal early in the first period. Back after missing 71 games last year, Tyler Myers made an immediate impact, delivering a beautiful cross-seam pass that found the stick of Ehlers at the side of the net. No. 27 made no mistake, rifling it home for the game's opening tally past Oilers goalie Laurent Brossoit.
"It felt great to get back out there," Myers, who was paired with an equally solid Dmitry Kulikov, said afterwards. "My endurance was better than I thought it would be. The first game back it was great to get my legs underneath me and I felt pretty great considering."
"I like the way he moved. He skated well and had good reads," Maurice added. "It's been a long time since he's played in a hockey game… The first thing I wanted to do was get him through the game; get him enough minutes, build some confidence in terms of how he feels, and he handled it just fine."
First, newcomer Jussi Jokinen made a terrific backdoor pass to Mark Letestu, who fended off a check and buried the feed in tight to even the score on the power play at 2:14. Then, on a 2-on-1 after rookie defenceman Sami Niku got caught at the defensive blue line, Zack Kassian made a nice pass to Jujhar Khaira for the tap-in, and suddenly the Jets were on their heels.
The Oilers opened up a two-goal lead at 13:59 as Jokinen kicked the puck past Mason, but with no video review in the preseason, the marker stood and the visitors had a 3-1 lead. Ironically enough, just minutes earlier the Oilers had a goal called back due to the very same violation, but there was no discussion between the officials this time and play continued, causing a smattering of boos from the hometown crowd after the replay was broadcast on the scoreboard.
Like all the others, Mason had no chance on the play as the Oilers orchestrated some pretty passing plays. Maurice joked during his post-game press conference that the goaltender had about as good a chance of stopping the fourth one (an empty netter) as he did the previous three.
"It was good to get back out there and back in game action," Mason said. "There are some things that need to be cleaned up, but it's good to get the first one out of the way."I'll come back, work hard in practice tomorrow and continue to feel better."
For the second straight game, the Jets opened the scoring with a power-play goal early in the first period. Back after missing 71 games last year, Tyler Myers made an immediate impact, delivering a beautiful cross-seam pass that found the stick of Ehlers at the side of the net. No. 27 made no mistake, rifling it home for the game's opening tally past Oilers goalie Laurent Brossoit.
"It felt great to get back out there," Myers, who was paired with an equally solid Dmitry Kulikov, said afterwards. "My endurance was better than I thought it would be. The first game back it was great to get my legs underneath me and I felt pretty great considering."
"I like the way he moved. He skated well and had good reads," Maurice added. "It's been a long time since he's played in a hockey game… The first thing I wanted to do was get him through the game; get him enough minutes, build some confidence in terms of how he feels, and he handled it just fine."
First, newcomer Jussi Jokinen made a terrific backdoor pass to Mark Letestu, who fended off a check and buried the feed in tight to even the score on the power play at 2:14. Then, on a 2-on-1 after rookie defenceman Sami Niku got caught at the defensive blue line, Zack Kassian made a nice pass to Jujhar Khaira for the tap-in, and suddenly the Jets were on their heels.
The Oilers opened up a two-goal lead at 13:59 as Jokinen kicked the puck past Mason, but with no video review in the preseason, the marker stood and the visitors had a 3-1 lead. Ironically enough, just minutes earlier the Oilers had a goal called back due to the very same violation, but there was no discussion between the officials this time and play continued, causing a smattering of boos from the hometown crowd after the replay was broadcast on the scoreboard.
Like all the others, Mason had no chance on the play as the Oilers orchestrated some pretty passing plays. Maurice joked during his post-game press conference that the goaltender had about as good a chance of stopping the fourth one (an empty netter) as he did the previous three.
"It was good to get back out there and back in game action," Mason said. "There are some things that need to be cleaned up, but it's good to get the first one out of the way."I'll come back, work hard in practice tomorrow and continue to feel better."
Jets @ Minnesota Wild @ Jets 0-1 - Thursday, September 21, 2017
With more than 10 regulars back home in Winnipeg to give the kids and "bubble" guys at least one more look, the baby Jets had something to prove with the ever-watchful eyes of the coaching and scouting staff looking on, pen in hand. For the most part, the Jets gave their opponents a run for their money, but the offence didn't come easy and the Wild escaped with a slim, 1-0 victory.
"These guys have been here for five or six days. They had a pretty good handle on what we were trying to do, so we were able to take a young group in here and keep it tight, keep it close and play a pretty smart game," said Head Coach Paul Maurice.
Jared Spurgeon scored the game's only goal midway through the second period after the home side pressed in the Winnipeg zone for nearly a minute. Spurgeon took a pass from Charlie Coyle, walked in off the right circle and buried a shot high over the blocker to give his team the only lead they would need.
Connor Hellebuyck finished with 22 saves in a losing cause.
But it was a hard-fought game from the youngsters and according to Matt Hendricks, they deserved a better fate.
"There was a lot more experience over in their lineup and I applaud our group," he said. "There was a lot of work ethic out there, we worked hard in the dirty, tough areas. I give Hellebuyck a lot of credit - he made the big saves when he had to. I thought we deserved a goal tonight, at least, and force that one into overtime.
"It was a team game tonight. A real detailed game by our group."
Kyle Connor, for example, had a better night after and believes his game is starting to round into form after playing only eight minutes in Monday's preseason opener.
"We're only two preseason games in, but you've got to start right away and show (the coaches) what you can do," he said. "Going into this one I knew I was going to get more opportunities to play on the power play, and it felt good to get some more touches and really harness my game."
"You always want to see skilled players score," Maurice added. "It was a slogging, grinding-type game. He didn't score, but there's a lot of improvement in Kyle's game. He's still a young player and he's going to play for the Winnipeg Jets and score a bunch of goals for us. When that starts, I'm not sure."
Trailing by one, the Jets' hopes of tying the game were quashed in the final two minutes when back-to-back minor penalties gave the Wild a 5-on-3 for the rest of the game. First, it was Brendan Lemieux called for hooking and then just 23 seconds later, JC Lipon was flagged for a faceoff violation.
While the opening frame was curiously devoid of goals an umpteen power-play chances due to the NHL's crackdown on slashing, it was, in fact, Winnipeg's best period of the preseason. The Jets officially recorded only five shots on Minnesota goalie Alex Stalock, but the pace was good, they were sound in their own end and their breakout passes were decisive and clean, giving their skilled forwards time and space to make a play up ice. But on this night, they just didn't have the firepower.
Hendricks closed his post-game interview by offering some advice to some of the younger players fighting for a roster spot:
"It's all about bringing what you bring. Be the type of player a coach can rely on in tough situations and find your niche, your role on a team and in the locker room. You have to make every day count and be consistent at it day and day out."
Only four games remain before we get going for real.
But it was a hard-fought game from the youngsters and according to Matt Hendricks, they deserved a better fate.
"There was a lot more experience over in their lineup and I applaud our group," he said. "There was a lot of work ethic out there, we worked hard in the dirty, tough areas. I give Hellebuyck a lot of credit - he made the big saves when he had to. I thought we deserved a goal tonight, at least, and force that one into overtime.
"It was a team game tonight. A real detailed game by our group."
Kyle Connor, for example, had a better night after and believes his game is starting to round into form after playing only eight minutes in Monday's preseason opener.
"We're only two preseason games in, but you've got to start right away and show (the coaches) what you can do," he said. "Going into this one I knew I was going to get more opportunities to play on the power play, and it felt good to get some more touches and really harness my game."
"You always want to see skilled players score," Maurice added. "It was a slogging, grinding-type game. He didn't score, but there's a lot of improvement in Kyle's game. He's still a young player and he's going to play for the Winnipeg Jets and score a bunch of goals for us. When that starts, I'm not sure."
Trailing by one, the Jets' hopes of tying the game were quashed in the final two minutes when back-to-back minor penalties gave the Wild a 5-on-3 for the rest of the game. First, it was Brendan Lemieux called for hooking and then just 23 seconds later, JC Lipon was flagged for a faceoff violation.
While the opening frame was curiously devoid of goals an umpteen power-play chances due to the NHL's crackdown on slashing, it was, in fact, Winnipeg's best period of the preseason. The Jets officially recorded only five shots on Minnesota goalie Alex Stalock, but the pace was good, they were sound in their own end and their breakout passes were decisive and clean, giving their skilled forwards time and space to make a play up ice. But on this night, they just didn't have the firepower.
Hendricks closed his post-game interview by offering some advice to some of the younger players fighting for a roster spot:
"It's all about bringing what you bring. Be the type of player a coach can rely on in tough situations and find your niche, your role on a team and in the locker room. You have to make every day count and be consistent at it day and day out."
Only four games remain before we get going for real.
Jets @ Edmonton Oilers 2-6 - Saturday, September 23, 2017
With cut-down day only hours away, Saturday's preseason game in Edmonton was the very last chance for many to leave their mark in the fight for a job.Some did, and the Jets' head coach left Rogers Place with a clearer picture of how the coming days will unfold at the offices back Winnipeg.
Said Paul Maurice in his post-game press conference: "A few guys just made a case."
The Jets, who had 10 players with less than 50 games of NHL experience in tow, were right there with the Oilers for the first 40 until their veteran opponents flipped the switch in the final frame. Connor McDavid broke a 2-2 tie at 2:21 of a four-goal third period as the Oilers went on to a 6-2 win over the Jets, who fall to 0-3-1 in the exhibition campaign.
On the winning goal, McDavid took a feed from Jesse Puljujarvi and showed great acceleration to drive wide past Julian Melchiori before making a nice move on the forehand and stuffing it home. Puljujarvi put the Oilers up by two with a power-play goal at 7:03 and that was it for the Jets, who were unable to fight back. The PPG was the result of a Brendan Lemieux goaltender interference penalty that washed out Brandon Tanev's would-be tying goal just moments earlier.
"I thought there was a lot of good stuff to build on tonight," Lemieux said. "I thought of a lot of guys brought their A game and there are definitely some things to improve, but there were some good performances tonight that I'm sure the coaches are happy with.
"This is preseason and that's what this is about. We using this to build off stuff to take into the regular season."
Puljujarvi and Brad Malone added a couple of late goals to round out the scoring. Michael Spacek and JC Lipon supplied the offence for Winnipeg, while Michael Hutchinson made 34 saves in the loss. Lipon, in particular, had a strong night as he pushes for a spot, finishing with two shots, two takeaways and three hits in just over 10 minutes of puck-hounding ice time.
"I thought JC Lipon had a real strong game," Maurice said. "That's what this thing is all about. You line yourself up to play the best that you can. He made the most of tonight's game, anyway."
So did Tucker Poolman, who continues to impress in his first camp, playing 16:51 of solid defensive hockey that included some beautiful stick work when he broke up a McDavid 2-on-1 early in the first period.
"He's has a really strong camp," Maurice said. "He hasn't a dip, he hasn't had a lull. He came off the shoulder injury, went into Penticton and got into a game and that, I think, gave him the confidence that he could just relax and go. Right from Penticton on he's been really good."
For the third time in four games, the Jets opened the scoring with a power-play goal. On a jam play in front, Lemieux had his initial try turned aside, but stayed with it and made a slick pass over to Spacek, who chopped it home from a sharp angle past Oilers goalie Cam Talbot at 4:51. Nic Petan drew the other assist for his first point of the preseason.
"I liked (the power play) the whole game," said Petan, who played wing on a line with Kyle Connor and Jack Roslovic. "It was really high intensity and we were moving the puck quick. It would have been nice to get a few more (goals). The thought process was right but the execution was lacking."
The Jets finished the night 2-for-7 with the man advantage. It was a good start for the Jets, who outshot the Oilers 5-3 in the opening five minutes, but the Oilers fought back and scored twice in in 17 seconds to take a 2-1 lead before the 10-minute mark.
Jussi Jokinen struck first for the Oil, as he got a piece of Matt Benning's long point shot to even the score at 8:28. Then, off the ensuing faceoff, Brad Malone shoveled home a loose puck in tight after Hutchinson made a toe save off Kris Russell.
The Jets had a bounce-back middle frame and controlled the majority of play offensively. In doing so, they drew three penalties and just like it did earlier in the game, the extra man paid dividends. Lipon took a beautiful stretch pass from Dustin Byfuglien, wheeled his way down the far side and rifled a shot on goal. The rebound careened off the end glass and Talbot no idea where it was, giving Lipon a free shot at the open cage as he raced in after the rebound.
"To stick with them, that's pretty big motivation. It shows you can play with those guys and play at that level."
"I thought there was a lot of good stuff to build on tonight," Lemieux said. "I thought of a lot of guys brought their A game and there are definitely some things to improve, but there were some good performances tonight that I'm sure the coaches are happy with.
"This is preseason and that's what this is about. We using this to build off stuff to take into the regular season."
Puljujarvi and Brad Malone added a couple of late goals to round out the scoring. Michael Spacek and JC Lipon supplied the offence for Winnipeg, while Michael Hutchinson made 34 saves in the loss. Lipon, in particular, had a strong night as he pushes for a spot, finishing with two shots, two takeaways and three hits in just over 10 minutes of puck-hounding ice time.
"I thought JC Lipon had a real strong game," Maurice said. "That's what this thing is all about. You line yourself up to play the best that you can. He made the most of tonight's game, anyway."
So did Tucker Poolman, who continues to impress in his first camp, playing 16:51 of solid defensive hockey that included some beautiful stick work when he broke up a McDavid 2-on-1 early in the first period.
"He's has a really strong camp," Maurice said. "He hasn't a dip, he hasn't had a lull. He came off the shoulder injury, went into Penticton and got into a game and that, I think, gave him the confidence that he could just relax and go. Right from Penticton on he's been really good."
For the third time in four games, the Jets opened the scoring with a power-play goal. On a jam play in front, Lemieux had his initial try turned aside, but stayed with it and made a slick pass over to Spacek, who chopped it home from a sharp angle past Oilers goalie Cam Talbot at 4:51. Nic Petan drew the other assist for his first point of the preseason.
"I liked (the power play) the whole game," said Petan, who played wing on a line with Kyle Connor and Jack Roslovic. "It was really high intensity and we were moving the puck quick. It would have been nice to get a few more (goals). The thought process was right but the execution was lacking."
The Jets finished the night 2-for-7 with the man advantage. It was a good start for the Jets, who outshot the Oilers 5-3 in the opening five minutes, but the Oilers fought back and scored twice in in 17 seconds to take a 2-1 lead before the 10-minute mark.
Jussi Jokinen struck first for the Oil, as he got a piece of Matt Benning's long point shot to even the score at 8:28. Then, off the ensuing faceoff, Brad Malone shoveled home a loose puck in tight after Hutchinson made a toe save off Kris Russell.
The Jets had a bounce-back middle frame and controlled the majority of play offensively. In doing so, they drew three penalties and just like it did earlier in the game, the extra man paid dividends. Lipon took a beautiful stretch pass from Dustin Byfuglien, wheeled his way down the far side and rifled a shot on goal. The rebound careened off the end glass and Talbot no idea where it was, giving Lipon a free shot at the open cage as he raced in after the rebound.
"To stick with them, that's pretty big motivation. It shows you can play with those guys and play at that level."
Calgary Flames @ Jets 2-5 - Monday, September 25, 2017
In case there was any concern, the Patrik Laine show is officially back for another year. The sophomore scored twice and added three helpers in a one-sided 5-2 win over the Calgary Flames on Monday on Bell MTS Place.In the victory, the Jets potted four power-play markers and have now scored nine on 30 opportunities in five preseason games.
Laine's linemates, Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele, had three- and four-point efforts, while Nikolaj Ehlers and Dustin Byfuglien each added a goal in the victory. Steve Mason made 26 saves to record his first preseason win as a Jet.
"(The power play) been good since the start (of the preseason), but the statistics in training camp don't mean a lot," admitted Head Coach Paul Maurice. "But the structure is right and most importantly, the players are engaged and they understand what it could be."
After the Flames erased a 2-0 first-period deficit with a pair in the final 3:45 of the opening stanza, Laine put the Jets back in front with a rocket on the power play to give the Jets their third PPG of the contest. He was pivotal, too, in creating a two-goal lead for the second time in the game as he picked up on assist on the team's first even-strength tally of the preseason. The sniper made a physical play on Calgary defender Tyler Wotherspoon before getting to the net and putting a shot off the post. Ehlers came in and coolly cleaned up the rebound to give the Jets a 4-2 lead at 3:49.
"We haven't used a lot of man hours to practice our power play yet, but we've been over some things that we wanted to see," Laine said. "Today, we saw those things."
With three and sometimes four right-hand shots available on the first power-play unit, Laine says they have a lethal combination at their disposal.
Byfuglien added one late - the Jets' fourth PPG of the night - with only 2:43 to play as he wired one from right point past Flames goalie Eddie Lack, with Andrew Copp parked in front.
"That's what you want in preseason - you want to continue to build and each game you want to get more comfortable," Scheifele said. "It's been a while without any games so you want to build, get more and more comfortable and get your legs under you more and more every night, and that's what we want to continue doing these last two games."
"We can't get too comfortable," Scheifele said. "We're clicking right now and we're keeping it simple and it's going in for us, but we've got to continue to work, for sure."
The Jets' power play stayed hot with their star triggerman taking centre stage for the second time in the preseason. Laine hammered a shot off the post earlier in the sequence, but found nothing but net on the second try, gunning it high over Lack's right shoulder put the Jets up by two. But not for long. Sean Monahan and Matthew Tkachuk had goals 2:43 apart to rally the Flames and even the score at the first intermission. Monahan got things rolling at 16:15, showing great hands on a solo effort at the offensive line before splitting the D and firing a shot low, glove side. Tkachuk then took the puck wide on Jets hopeful Tucker Poolman and beat Mason with a weak shot from the far circle, tying the game with just 1:02 to play.
Mason was unbeatable after that.
LATE HITS: Adam Lowry left the game after the first period and did not return with a lower-body injury. Maurice said the injury is not expected to be "significant."… Jacob Trouba was ejected from the game early in the third period after he was issued a match penalty and a game misconduct for an illegal check to the head of Flames forward Marek Hrivik.
"I've looked at it a bunch of times," Maurice said. "I understand the call on the ice because of the way it looks, and I want that call in exhibition. You don't want to miss something like that and have the game get out of hand, but I think you'll find it was a pretty clean hit."
After the Flames erased a 2-0 first-period deficit with a pair in the final 3:45 of the opening stanza, Laine put the Jets back in front with a rocket on the power play to give the Jets their third PPG of the contest. He was pivotal, too, in creating a two-goal lead for the second time in the game as he picked up on assist on the team's first even-strength tally of the preseason. The sniper made a physical play on Calgary defender Tyler Wotherspoon before getting to the net and putting a shot off the post. Ehlers came in and coolly cleaned up the rebound to give the Jets a 4-2 lead at 3:49.
"We haven't used a lot of man hours to practice our power play yet, but we've been over some things that we wanted to see," Laine said. "Today, we saw those things."
With three and sometimes four right-hand shots available on the first power-play unit, Laine says they have a lethal combination at their disposal.
Byfuglien added one late - the Jets' fourth PPG of the night - with only 2:43 to play as he wired one from right point past Flames goalie Eddie Lack, with Andrew Copp parked in front.
"That's what you want in preseason - you want to continue to build and each game you want to get more comfortable," Scheifele said. "It's been a while without any games so you want to build, get more and more comfortable and get your legs under you more and more every night, and that's what we want to continue doing these last two games."
"We can't get too comfortable," Scheifele said. "We're clicking right now and we're keeping it simple and it's going in for us, but we've got to continue to work, for sure."
The Jets' power play stayed hot with their star triggerman taking centre stage for the second time in the preseason. Laine hammered a shot off the post earlier in the sequence, but found nothing but net on the second try, gunning it high over Lack's right shoulder put the Jets up by two. But not for long. Sean Monahan and Matthew Tkachuk had goals 2:43 apart to rally the Flames and even the score at the first intermission. Monahan got things rolling at 16:15, showing great hands on a solo effort at the offensive line before splitting the D and firing a shot low, glove side. Tkachuk then took the puck wide on Jets hopeful Tucker Poolman and beat Mason with a weak shot from the far circle, tying the game with just 1:02 to play.
Mason was unbeatable after that.
LATE HITS: Adam Lowry left the game after the first period and did not return with a lower-body injury. Maurice said the injury is not expected to be "significant."… Jacob Trouba was ejected from the game early in the third period after he was issued a match penalty and a game misconduct for an illegal check to the head of Flames forward Marek Hrivik.
"I've looked at it a bunch of times," Maurice said. "I understand the call on the ice because of the way it looks, and I want that call in exhibition. You don't want to miss something like that and have the game get out of hand, but I think you'll find it was a pretty clean hit."
Ottawa Senators @ Jets 3-5 - Wednesday, September 27, 2017
It was another red-letter day for this red-hot power play. Three goals. Seven chances. All to set up one brilliant finish. Marko Dano broke a 3-3 tie with 6:48 to play in the third period as the Jets rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Ottawa Senators 5-3 in preseason action Wednesday at Bell MTS Place. On a 2-on-1 that developed in the neutral zone, Dano finished off a beautiful feed from Nic Petan to score his first of the preseason and vault the Jets their second win of the exhibition campaign.Petan, Dustin Byfuglien and Bryan Little scored the first three - all power-play markers - to help the Jets overcome three separate Ottawa leads. The Jets have now scored 12 PPGs on only 37 chances this preseason. Little found the empty net with 4.5 seconds left, after Connor Hellebuyck made a key save and Matt Hendricks chipped in with two huge blocked shots, to preserve the victory.
"He says the right things; he's got a feel for the game, for what players need to hear when they're coming to the bench," said Head Coach Paul Maurice. "He's just a really good pro, and he's just a hard, grinding man. He's going to block shots and if it's with his face, so be it. He's a good example for the other players."
"I thought it was a really good effort from the whole team," Little said. "They had some skilled players in their lineup, but I thought we did a good job taking the game to them, for the most part.:"
It all started with a response - a big, big goal after the Senators opened up a 3-1 lead.
Just nine seconds into a 5-on-3 - and with only 10 ticks left in the second period - Byfuglien wired one home from the top of zone to make it a one-goal game entering the third. Then, on a 4-on-3 midway through the final frame, Little briefly fumbled the puck in the high slot before collecting it, changing the angle and rifling a shot high over Ottawa goalie Mike Condon's right shoulder. No. 56 did the rest. On Dano, Maurice said he got better as the game went on, and that he's looking for "speed" and strength along the wall if he's going to look up a job before next Wednesday's home opener.
"He's a powerful man and he's got a good set of hands. Speed is something that we're constantly looking to improve so he can get to those places faster."
Tonight, Dano was parked in front of the net on the top power-play unit, using his 210-pound frame as wrecking ball in and around the blue paint.
He was thorn in Ottawa's defence all night.
The Senators took a 2-1 lead at 7:26 of the second after the Jets evened the score late in the first. After Kyle Connor turned the puck over the neutral zone, the recently drafted Alex Formenton broke in alone and went bar down on Hellebuyck to restore the Sens' one-goal lead.
Kyle Turris helped the Sens open up a two-goal lead on a delayed penalty with three-and-a-half minutes left in the period. With the Jets running around, unable to get possession and stop play, Winnipeg native Mark Stone delivered a beautiful pass to the near circle, and Turris made no mistake in hitting the yawning cage. It was all Jets from that point forward.
Ottawa's Bobby Ryan drew first blood just into 2:33 into the first period after getting a bounce off an otherwise innocent play. Ryan posted up at the far boards and drifted a shot that skipped off the ice about five feet out, beating Hellebuyck under the arm for the game's opening score.
The Jets answered back with - what else? - a power-play goal at 19:49. With Dano parked in front, Josh Morrissey unloaded a one-timer that Petan got a piece of en route, beating Condon clean over the shoulder for No. 19's first of the season. Asked about the goal post-game, Petan wasn't even sure if it was rightfully his. But he'll take it.
"I've always liked playing against good players. I was going against Turris for some of the game tonight and I knew I had to be on my game."
"I thought it was a really good effort from the whole team," Little said. "They had some skilled players in their lineup, but I thought we did a good job taking the game to them, for the most part.:"
It all started with a response - a big, big goal after the Senators opened up a 3-1 lead.
Just nine seconds into a 5-on-3 - and with only 10 ticks left in the second period - Byfuglien wired one home from the top of zone to make it a one-goal game entering the third. Then, on a 4-on-3 midway through the final frame, Little briefly fumbled the puck in the high slot before collecting it, changing the angle and rifling a shot high over Ottawa goalie Mike Condon's right shoulder. No. 56 did the rest. On Dano, Maurice said he got better as the game went on, and that he's looking for "speed" and strength along the wall if he's going to look up a job before next Wednesday's home opener.
"He's a powerful man and he's got a good set of hands. Speed is something that we're constantly looking to improve so he can get to those places faster."
Tonight, Dano was parked in front of the net on the top power-play unit, using his 210-pound frame as wrecking ball in and around the blue paint.
He was thorn in Ottawa's defence all night.
The Senators took a 2-1 lead at 7:26 of the second after the Jets evened the score late in the first. After Kyle Connor turned the puck over the neutral zone, the recently drafted Alex Formenton broke in alone and went bar down on Hellebuyck to restore the Sens' one-goal lead.
Kyle Turris helped the Sens open up a two-goal lead on a delayed penalty with three-and-a-half minutes left in the period. With the Jets running around, unable to get possession and stop play, Winnipeg native Mark Stone delivered a beautiful pass to the near circle, and Turris made no mistake in hitting the yawning cage. It was all Jets from that point forward.
Ottawa's Bobby Ryan drew first blood just into 2:33 into the first period after getting a bounce off an otherwise innocent play. Ryan posted up at the far boards and drifted a shot that skipped off the ice about five feet out, beating Hellebuyck under the arm for the game's opening score.
The Jets answered back with - what else? - a power-play goal at 19:49. With Dano parked in front, Josh Morrissey unloaded a one-timer that Petan got a piece of en route, beating Condon clean over the shoulder for No. 19's first of the season. Asked about the goal post-game, Petan wasn't even sure if it was rightfully his. But he'll take it.
"I've always liked playing against good players. I was going against Turris for some of the game tonight and I knew I had to be on my game."
Jets @ Calgary Flames 2-3 SO - Saturday, September 30, 2017
In what was the final tune-up before the start of the regular season, the Winnipeg Jets came back to tie the Calgary Flames twice, but Sean Monahan's shootout winner proved to be the difference in a 3-2 shootout loss to close out the preseason. Patrik Laine scored twice - his team-leading fourth and fifth goals of the preseason - while Kris Versteeg and Mikael Backlund each netted their first of the exhibition schedule for the Flames."There was a lot I liked about the game. I thought we were pretty resilient. It was a pretty good battle," said head coach Paul Maurice.
"It's still not regular season, it's still not the same. They had their guys in their line-up and they want to play well. They're working. It was a good work effort from them I think, and I think ours was pretty darn good too."
Monahan was the only shooter to score in the shootout, and Mike Smith turned away attempts from Kyle Connor, Laine, and Nic Petan in the skills competition.
"They're part of the game. It's a skills competition but it can be an extremely important part of the game come playoff time in terms of making it or not, so we have to be good in it," said Mason.
"I think tonight was an indication that it's just getting better. The guys worked extremely hard… unfortunately we just couldn't come up with it in the shootout."
"He took that shot. X-ray was negative, but we're going to take a look at it again when we get back. Real quick it got big on him, it swelled up right on the knee," said Maurice. "I hope he's alright because he was playing a fine game of hockey and that was a heck of a block."
The Flames took the lead back in the third five minutes into the third, when Mikael Backlund was in the right spot at the right time. Sam Bennett's pass attempt to the left wing deflected off the stick of Dmitry Kulikov, right on the tape of Backlund, who slipped a wrist shot through the legs of Mason for his first of the preseason. With under eight minutes left in regulation, penalties to Backlund (cross-checking) and Hamonic (roughing) put the Jets back on a 5-on-3 advantage. When Smith stopped the initial shot and deflection from Mark Scheifele, the rebound came to the stick of Nikolaj Ehlers, who quickly fed it to Bryan Little at the face-off dot. Without hesitating, Little sent a one-touch cross-ice pass to Laine who wired home the one-timer from the top of the left wing circle.
"We'll lean it down to four lines plus a couple guys and get moving up and down the ice," Maurice said of his plan for the two days of practice. "There's probably six things that we looked at really hard here. We'll cover those. It'll be a little bit more of a grind on Monday, and we'll try to get back to speed (on Tuesday).
"The first day is going over the first week we had, the second day will be the second week we had, then drop the puck on Wednesday."
"They're part of the game. It's a skills competition but it can be an extremely important part of the game come playoff time in terms of making it or not, so we have to be good in it," said Mason.
"I think tonight was an indication that it's just getting better. The guys worked extremely hard… unfortunately we just couldn't come up with it in the shootout."
"He took that shot. X-ray was negative, but we're going to take a look at it again when we get back. Real quick it got big on him, it swelled up right on the knee," said Maurice. "I hope he's alright because he was playing a fine game of hockey and that was a heck of a block."
"We'll lean it down to four lines plus a couple guys and get moving up and down the ice," Maurice said of his plan for the two days of practice. "There's probably six things that we looked at really hard here. We'll cover those. It'll be a little bit more of a grind on Monday, and we'll try to get back to speed (on Tuesday).
"The first day is going over the first week we had, the second day will be the second week we had, then drop the puck on Wednesday."
The Jets announced today they have assigned Brendan Lemieux, Jack Roslovic and Michael Spacek to the Manitoba Moose.
The Jets also announced that JC Lipon will be assigned to the Moose, pending waivers.
The Jets now have 15 forwards, eight defencemen and two goaltenders remaining at training camp.
The Jets now have 15 forwards, eight defencemen and two goaltenders remaining at training camp.
Adam Lowry was back on the ice with his teammates on Monday for the first time since leaving a 5-2 preseason win over the Calgary Flames one week ago.The 24-year-old centre says he's feeling better now, and was thankful his lower-body injury happened in the preseason.
"It was nice to get back out there in practice with the guys," said Lowry. "I'm looking forward to getting back out there. I think we're all excited for the regular season to begin. We have high expectations for our group, and we're excited to get things underway."
"He gets in on the puck real well," Maurice said of Tanev. "Adam and Joel do some other things very well, but having a little bit of speed with them works."
With two days to go until the home opener against Toronto, the full Jets line rushes looked like this:
Perreault-Scheifele-Wheeler
Ehlers-Little-Laine
Tanev-Lowry-Armia
Dano-Matthias-Petan
Connor
Morrissey-Trouba
Enstrom-Byfuglien
Kulikov-Myers
Chiarot-Poolman
"Bryan is a very quick player. But because Nik has come in and stopped and started, and done all the things defensively, I don't have to worry about the two of them," said Maurice. "Last year it was a lot for whoever played centre ice with (Laine and Ehlers), they had to cover off a lot of ice. With Nik's game, I don't think that puts undue burden on Bryan, and now there's that speed that line does need."
Little, who has played with the young duo before, says the added experience both Laine and Ehlers have in the defensive zone benefits him as a centre.
"I expect them to take another step forward this year and use that experience from last year."
Andrew Copp (lower-body) and Matt Hendricks (lower-body) didn't take part in Monday's practice at Bell MTS Place. Maurice said the veteran Hendricks will start the season on injured reserve, but listed him as day-to-day. As for Copp, Maurice said the team will have a better idea of his status tomorrow.
With two days to go until the home opener against Toronto, the full Jets line rushes looked like this:
Perreault-Scheifele-Wheeler
Ehlers-Little-Laine
Tanev-Lowry-Armia
Dano-Matthias-Petan
Connor
Morrissey-Trouba
Enstrom-Byfuglien
Kulikov-Myers
Chiarot-Poolman
"Bryan is a very quick player. But because Nik has come in and stopped and started, and done all the things defensively, I don't have to worry about the two of them," said Maurice. "Last year it was a lot for whoever played centre ice with (Laine and Ehlers), they had to cover off a lot of ice. With Nik's game, I don't think that puts undue burden on Bryan, and now there's that speed that line does need."
Little, who has played with the young duo before, says the added experience both Laine and Ehlers have in the defensive zone benefits him as a centre.
"I expect them to take another step forward this year and use that experience from last year."
Andrew Copp (lower-body) and Matt Hendricks (lower-body) didn't take part in Monday's practice at Bell MTS Place. Maurice said the veteran Hendricks will start the season on injured reserve, but listed him as day-to-day. As for Copp, Maurice said the team will have a better idea of his status tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment