Winnipeg Jets: 3 Talking Points as the Jets Win Their 2021 Home Opener

2. Nate Schmidt Shows His Offensive Prowess

There was a good amount of excitement when the Jets traded for veteran defenseman, Nate Schmidt this offseason as he is known for being a terrific offensive defenseman.

Schmidt’s passing skills were on full display in Winnipeg’s win last night as he provided two assists in the win.

The thirty-year-old’s first assist was a thing of beauty. Schmidt was on the point in the offensive zone and received a diagonal pass from Paul Stastny who was in the corner to the right of Gibson’s goal.

Instead of catching the pass and taking his time with the puck, Schmidt fired a one-touch pass to the back door where Andrew Copp was wide open and tipped the puck into the back of the net to give the Jets a 2-1 lead.

Schmidt knew exactly where he passing the puck before he even received the initial pass from Stastny and Gibson had no chance of stopping this great play.

Schmidt’s second assist was a much simpler play than his first. The Jets were on the powerplay and Schmidt was positioned in the middle of the Jets’ umbrella.

Schmidt worked the puck to Pierre-Luc Dubois who was on his left. Dubois then passed the puck back to Schmidt fired a kick pass to Josh Morrissey who was on the top of the circle (to Schmidt’s right) and was wide open.

Morrissey was geared up for a one-timer and released a terrific shot at the net that fired past Gibson to extend Winnipeg’s lead to 3-1.

Schmidt showed his value to the Jets in yesterday’s game. He offers the Jets a great offensive look from the defensive corps including being a great asset to Winnipeg’s powerplay.