The Winnipeg Jets went into last night’s game against the Monreal Canadiens at Bell MTS Place looking to even the series before the teams went to Montreal for games three and four.
Winnipeg was also missing three of their star players for game two. Paul Stastny remained out of the lineup for the second straight game with an injury and Dylan DeMelo also missed the game due to a soft tissue injury. Finally, Mark Scheifele was out of the lineup as he was serving the first game of his four-game suspension.
In turn, Paul Maurice inserted Jansen Harkins and Kristian Vesalinen into the lineup on forward and Jordie Benn replaced DeMelo on defense.
Ultimately the lineup changes did not make a difference as the Jets were stifled by the Canadiens throughout the game and failed to score.
The Winnipeg Jets got shutout by the Montreal Canadiens 1-0 in game two
Here are three talking points from the Jets game two loss:
3. No Scheifele, No Stastny= Big Problem
With Paul Stastny out of the lineup and Mark Scheifele serving his suspension, the Winnipeg Jets were without their top-two centermen for game two.
This forced the Jets coaching staff to move Pierre-Luc Dubois to the first line as their centermen and Andrew Copp, who has played the whole season on the wing, was moved to center the second line. This created some new look line combinations for the Jets in game two.
Subsequently, throughout the game the Jets’ lack of chemistry was apparent. Winnipeg turned the puck over often and had a whopping 12 giveaways.
The Jets will be without Scheifele for the next three games, but just the return of Stastny will make a huge difference for the Jets. This will then allow Copp to return to the wing and give the Jets a true top-six center, which will give Winnipeg some balance throughout the lineup.
Stastny is still listed as day-to-day and will most likely be a game time decision for Sunday’s game three.
2. Price Stands Strong in the Third
Trailing 1-0 going into the third period and already down one game to none in the series, we knew the Jets would come out strong in the third in an effort to tie the game.
Unfortunately, the Jets were facing Carey Price who was on his “A-Game” last night. In total, Winnipeg doubled Montreal in shots in the final frame, 14-7 but Price and the Canadiens defense stood strong.
The Canadiens limited the Jets grade-A scoring opportunities in the final frame and although the Jets threw everything they had at Price, he played outstanding and turned every shot away.
Price deservedly earned the first star of the game yesterday and showed why he is still one of the top goaltenders in the NHL.
1. History is Now Against the Winnipeg Jets
With the loss last night, this is the fourth time in franchise history that the Jets have started a series down two games to none.
Those prior three times have not gone well for the Jets. In those three series, Winnipeg has gotten swept each time. Also according to Hockey Reference, historical stats have shown that teams who have started a series down 2-0 at home have only gone on to win that series 19.2% of the time.
It will be an uphill battle for the rest of the series for the Jets, but they have responded well to adversity throughout 2021.
Winnipeg was outstanding on the road throughout the regular season posting a 17-10-1 record and have done well after losing back-to-back games. Although the Jets are now down 2-0, do not count them out!
The Jets and Canadiens will be back in action on Sunday evening for game three as the series moves to the Bell Centre. The opening puck drop for Sunday’s game is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. central time.
Winnipeg Jets Fans: What lineup changes should the Winnipeg Jets make for game three? Leave your comments below!
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