Winnipeg Jets Tamed by Wild
By RJ Beaulieu
The Winnipeg Jets were in Minnesota to take on the Wild Saturday night in the second game in two nights. Can Winnipeg avenge their loss to Chicago?
It was a cold night in St. Paul for the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. It was pretty frosty outside, too. The Jets would get iced by the home Minnesota Wild in a 4-1 loss in their last game before their NHL mandatory by-week.
1st Period
As a writer, I have a secret hope that my articles will be read by the very subjects I write about. In my pre-game article, I capitalized on the need for the Jets to come out strong and put the Wild on their heels early. I think someone read that article, but it was most likely by the opposing team.
Minnesota came out strong in the first using speed and getting separation to create opportunities. They quickly took over, getting quality zone time and bombarding Connor Hellebuyck with shots. The Wild then staked their claim in the paint and camped out in front of Connor Hellebuyck for most of the night.
Point blank shots by Marcus Foligno were followed by more from Mikko Koivu and Mikael Granlund. The Wild would control the slot area in front of Hellebuyck for most of the game. Leading to their first goal from the point on the power play by Granlund. A nice tip in from the point shot by Ryan Suter.
The period saw 23 shots on Hellebuyck in the first. Most were quality chances and you have to give the young goaltender credit. Where most netmiders would be shell-shocked, Connor kept his cool all game long. He would be tested even more as the Wild would commit 3 penalties in the first. The last two giving the Wild a 2-man advantage. The Winnipeg Jets would do well on the 5 on 3, limiting Minnesota to a hit post by Jared Spurgeon.
The Winnipeg Jets were lucky to escape the first period only down 1-0.
2nd Period
The Wild would begin to pull away in the second period. Hellebuyck would make a big save on Jason Zucker’s breakaway. However, he could not be everywhere at once when a bounce off the boards came right to Zucker who planted it in the open net to give Minnesota a 2 goal lead.
The Jets would turn up the heat in the 2nd and try to bounce back. But their lack of second passes and general playmaking allowed Devan Dubnyk to anticipate and absorb shots. Patrik Laine was stopped stoned cold by Dubnyk, and you could see Devan getting comfortable.
A holding penalty on the Wild gave the Winnipeg Jets their first power play of the game. The next two minutes would be more of the same from the Jets: Pass, then an obvious shot.
Winnipeg’s best chance of the period came on the stick of Joel Armia on a shorthanded breakaway. Dubnyk, however, was in full confidence by this point and poke-checked the puck away from Joel before he could get a quality shot off.
The period would end with the shot totals at 22 for the Jets and 32 for the Wild. The telling stat though would be in scoring chances with 10 for the Wild and only 3 for the Jets.
3rd Period
Once again in similar fashion to the previous night’s game in Chicago, the Jets tried to turn in on in the 3rd and make a game of it. Matthieu Perrault scored on the deflection of a Wheeler shot alone in front of Dubnyk to make it a 2-1 game early in the period. They would follow the goal by getting some good zone time in the Minnesota end but they were just not able to capitalize. Even a “Go Jets Go!” chant from the visiting fans at Xcel center was not enough to get Winnipeg close to that tying goal.
Matt Dumba would take over the game at 13:37 with a laser from the top of the right circle to make it 3-1. 7 minutes later he would unleash a bomb from the point through the 5 hole to make it 4-1. Dubnyk would shut the door and seal the win for the Wild, who slides back into a playoff spot in the west.
One and Done
The Winnipeg offense in this game was eerily similar to last nights game in Chicago. The Jets could not get separation from the opposing players. Thus most passes were disrupted by active sticks. This led to a reoccurring theme of “One pass, one shot” which therefore made the offense predictable. Dubnyk, like Glass in the previous game, saw most of the shots coming and were in good position to make the easy save. Hence the Jets offense was shut down to 2 goals or less in both games.
Whiteout’s 3 Stars
Matt Dumba – While quiet for two periods, Dumba broke the game open midway through the third as the Jets were pressuring.
Connor Hellebuyck – Without Connor, this game would have been a blowout early on. He was able to weather the 1st-period barrage and keep making saves to keep his team in it right up to the end.
Devan Dubnyk – Devan had to be good. The few chances the Jets had ended up being quality ones. Credit him for keeping his team ahead in the second while he gained confidence and shut down Winnipeg in the 3rd.
Next: Blake Wheeler All Star Selection Long Overdue
Next Up
The Jets head into their CBA mandated bye-week. They will face the Calgary Flames at home at 2 pm CT on Saturday the 20th. It seems like a good time as any to get some rest and recovery as each week brings the team closer to the return of Mark Scheifele. Health will be key to this teams success in the second half.