The Winnipeg Jets beat the Buffalo Sabers in a shootout Thursday night at KeyBank Center. Here are three talking points from the game.
The Winnipeg Jets faced an uphill battle against the Sabres on Wednesday as they found out that afternoon that they would be without leading scorer Kyle Connor and veteran defenseman Nate Schmidt, as both had been placed in Covid protocol. Adam Brooks and Logan Stanley slotted into the lineup for the Jets.
The Jets entered the game three points back of the Dallas Stars and the final Wild Card playoff spot. The Sabres were 6-2-2 in their last 10 games and have been playing their best hockey of the season despite being long out of the Eastern Conference playoff race.
The Jets were coming off of two overtime home ice victories and needed a win to stay in the playoff hunt. The last time these two teams met the Sabres beat the Jets 4-2 on December 14, 2021, which was Paul Maurice’s last game as Jets head coach before resigning a couple of days later.
The Jets travel to Toronto immediately to face the Toronto Maple Leafs Thursday night without Connor and Schmidt who will be forced to remain in Buffalo for five days.
Here are our three talking points from the Jets’ win in Buffalo:
3. The Jets Started Slowly Again
In what is becoming a familiar story for the Jets, the team started off very slowly in the first period. The Jets did not register a shot on goal until the nine-minute mark of the first period and ended the period down 1-0 after being outshot by the Sabres 13-5.
Once again, Connor Hellebuyck was the reason why the Jets were only down by one goal after one period. Hellebuyck ended up facing 37 shots from the Sabres in the game and made a key stop in the shootout to preserve the win.
It is surprising that a team playing each game for their playoff lives would come out so flat in the first period. The Jets cannot afford a repeat of this type of performance Thursday night when they face the Maple Leafs in Toronto.