It wasn’t always pretty, and it wasn’t convincing. The fact is, the Winnipeg Jets came away with two points against the Sabres when they needed it.
The first period was good. It went downhill from there. Winnipeg went with the old ‘build a lead and coast’ tactic and it barely worked against a subpar Sabres squad. They led 4-2 after Bryan Little scored 25 seconds into the third, and tried to fight Buffalo out of their zone the entire period afterward.
The Jets committed too many penalties in this game. Their penalty kill has been lights out at home, as they haven’t allowed a goal since the middle of November. But five penalties in the first two periods is going to get you killed against better teams. Thankfully, they were able to avoid any in the third, but the last two minutes with Johnson on the bench felt like a giant powerplay. The puck barely ever left the zone in that span.
Dustin Byfuglien scored his first goal of the season tonight, ripping a huge slapshot past Johnson to open the scoring.
The goal came on the powerplay, and seemed to set the tone against the Sabres. Unfortunately, two minutes later, Marco Scandella scored his first of the season. The goal came just three seconds after the penalty expired, letting the Jets keep their kill streak alive. How very meaningful.
Jacob Trouba, Blake Wheeler and Bryan Little scored the other goals for the Winnipeg Jets. Wheeler’s goal gave him eight points in his last five games and was his fourth consecutive game with a goal. He assisted on the Byfuglien goal as well.
Johan Larsson and Scott Wilson had the Sabres other two goals. Neither goalies were particularly strong, with both ending up with a save percentage below .900. Connor Hellebuyck stopped all six shots on the power play, and a few more in the final minutes of the game. He’s now 6-0-2 in his last eight starts.
Still no Jack Roslovic, as he was seen in the press box watching the Canada v Sweden game with Mark Scheifele.
White Out’s 3 Stars
Dustin Byfuglien – Big Buff opened the scoring, and it was a pretty sight. He also threw his weight around a bit, especially in the third. A warm welcome back for the big man.
Jacob Trouba – Trouba had a goal and an assist on Bryan Little’s marker in the third. Not only that, but the defenseman played over six minutes shorthanded.
Blake Wheeler – The man just keeps putting up points, which is more important than ever in the wake of Scheifele’s injury. He now has 49 points in 42 games, and could make a push for 100. He would be the first Winnipeg player to score 100 points since Marian Hossa did it in the 06-07 season! That was back in the Thrasher days. I’m surprised, I really thought it would be Kovalchuk. Wheeler’s career high is 78, which he did two seasons ago.
Next: Winnipeg Jets Should Utilize Michael Hutchinson
What’s Next
The Winnipeg Jets host the San Jose Sharks on Sunday, following tomorrow’s off day. That will be a Sunday Matinee™. San Jose is 21-12-6, and sits third in the Pacific Division.