The Winnipeg Jets went into Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena and took game one from the defending Western Conference Champions.
It wasn’t a pretty game for a Winnipeg Jets supporter, but, hey, they all count the same. Much has been made (by me) of the battle of the Vezina Finalists, and Connor Hellebuyck clearly came out on top in the first battle. For one thing, he played all three periods.
Juuse Saros took over in the third after Pekka Rinne allowed three goals on just sixteen shots. Our personal hero Connor Hellebuyck, however, stopped 47 of 48 shots in the game. Helly was incredible, he was exactly what Winnipeg needed to steal a game in Nashville.
Taking one game on the road against the President’s Trophy winners is a good start to a series. Win all the home games and ‘bam’, you’re moving on. Stealing another game? That’s going to make it real difficult for the Predators to win this series.
Unfortunately, the Predators played incredibly well in game one. Much better than the Winnipeg Jets, actually. They dominated the faceoff circle, winning 66% of all draws. Not a single Jet was a plus in the circle.
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Yes, they have an advantage now, but if the Winnipeg Jets play games 2 through whatever like they played the first, Connor Hellebuyck is going to have to do his best Henrik Lundqvist impression if they’re going to have a chance.
The defense couldn’t seem to get the puck away from the Predators, but they tried their best to keep it out of the net. Winnipeg blocked 26 shots, Nashville only got in front of seven. Seven blocks in a playoff game! For one of the best defensive teams in the league. That’s a blemish, for certain.
But Winnipeg only attempted 26 shots. Nashville attempted 74. Wow. It’s not often a team gives up 48 shots on net and has fewer than 20 and manages a victory.
Actually, in the history of the NHL Playoffs, only twice before has a team surrendered as many as 48 shots, and had 19 or fewer and won the game.
The Chicago Blackhawks did it in 1975 and the other iteration of the Winnipeg Jets (wild) did it in 1996. This is not a sustainable game plan. But hey, when you have Connor Hellebuyck stopping everything, it’ll play for a bit.
Kevin Fiala finally broke his playoff shutout streak at 163 minutes, as he dropped on past him early in the third. But at that point, it felt like Winnipeg had been cruising. They were never actually in control of play, but the game felt in hand.
The Winnipeg Jets had all of three shots on goal in that final period. THREE (!!!). How do you win a playoff game on the road with three shots in the third? Oh, and also, one of them was a Mark Scheifele empty net goal, his second tally of the evening. Wild.
Next: Patrik Laine is not Alex Ovechkin
The Winnipeg Jets won the first game, on the road. That’s a wonderful start. But Nashville isn’t a pushover, and the team needs more than Connor Hellebuyck to win. This series is just getting started, and the Jets will have to show a little more.