Winnipeg Jets Overpower Panthers 7-2

The Winnipeg Jets regained the central division lead with their win over the Florida Panthers Sunday night. A fast, entertaining game saw Canada’s #1 team put up 7 goals in a dominating victory.

The Winnipeg Jets continue to steamroll the opposition with their latest victim being the underachieving Florida Panthers. The Panthers had been winners of 7 of their last 8 games riding their nearly 40% powerplay over that span. We would see that same powerplay score both Florida goals. However, it would not be enough to stand up against a relentless Jets forecheck and cycle game.

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines

You could see early that Blake Wheeler was going to have a doozy of a game. He was strong and confident on the puck all night long. Blake would have three beautiful assists throughout the game, starting in the 1st period. Wheeler would send an east-west pass across the slot to a waiting Kyle Connor who did his best Patrik Laine impression to put the Jets on the board. In the 2nd he would center a pass after coming off the wall to a waiting Mark Scheifele who shot it past James Reimer for the Jets 3rd of the night. He set up Connor again in the 3rd with a perfect tic-tac-toe play that put the game out of reach. Blake would have had a goal in the third if he had remembered that as he was falling on the puck in the crease tapping it across the line with his glove is a no-no.

Nikolaj Ehlers would get a goal in the second off an odd shot that took Reimer by surprise. It flipped over Reimer’s shoulder and bounced behind him for the goal. Bryan Little would score in the third off another great cycle, this time by Tyler Myers. Then Mathieu Perreault‘s hard work all game would finally pay off on a 2 on 1. He double-clutch faked then shot past Reimer’s left arm as the goaltender was anticipating a pass and was preparing to push right. Little would then feed Laine late with 1:30 left to seal the win.

My Puck, Not Yours

Strong board play and amazing cycling would give the Jets disgusting amounts of zone time. This would wear the Panthers down throughout the first two periods. In the 3rd the Jets skated circles around them and put the game away. The relentless grinding down of opponents has served the Jets well this season and should translate to similar success in tight postseason play. At the time of this writing, I don’t have possession metrics. However, I personally counted zone times that exceeded 50 seconds at several points throughout the game. One Jets powerplay in the 3rd saw Winnipeg have a full 1:45 of zone time before the Panthers could get the puck out.

Reimer Goes for an Oscar

James Reimer kept the Panthers in the game for the first two periods. His play earned the hometown crowds respect, until the third period. Dustin Byfuglien turned on jets he must have been borrowing from Nikolaj Ehlers and skated in on Reimer in a 1 on 1. Buff’s shot went wide but as he skated by Reimer his right elbow glanced James mask. Reimer then put on an award-worthy performance by doing down. It was so good I was fooled by it for a bit. Heck, Siskel and Ebert would have given it two thumbs up. But a replay on the jumbotron would reveal the deception to the Jets faithful at MTS place. A chorus of boos the likes I have not heard in Winnipeg before rained down on the goaltender from every direction. But the ruse worked and Byfuglien would go to the box for goaltender interference. Reimer was the villain for the rest of the night, receiving a litany of boos if he even went near the puck.

Conclusion

The Winnipeg Jets came to play from the start. Their confident puck movement, flawless board work, and impressive cycling generated scoring chances all night long. The constant zone time in Florida’s end exhausted their defense by the third and the scoring floodgates opened. Florida played a smart fast game where they tried to score off of transition, but Connor Hellebuyck once again answered the call there. Only during their power plays were the Panthers able to crack the goaltender putting in their only two of the night.

Whiteout’s Three Stars of the Game

Blake Wheeler – The captain is still leading by example as he was a dominating power forward all night. Most of the gaudy possession numbers for the Winnipeg Jets can be attributed to his board and cycle work that created quality chances and goals. We are seeing Wheeler in his prime.

James Reimer – Reimers’ legs were everywhere all night long. If not for his heroics this game would have been over halfway through. He kept his team in it until the third when the dam broke.

Kyle Connor – The kid’s all right. Connor has found how to use his speed smartly and is putting up numbers as a result. He was in the mix all night long and potted in 2 goals with nearly getting a hat-trick in the 3rd. 6 goals and 9 points in 9 games for Kyle.

Next: Winnipeg Jets Trade Deadline: Best Buys From the Bruins

Injury Update

Steve Mason, Michael Hutchinson, Shawn Matthias and Brandon Tanev all skated Sunday morning at practice.