Three Talking Points as the Winnipeg Jets Beat the Buffalo Sabres
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.
2. The Jets Earn a Rare Shootout Victory
After 65 minutes the Jets were forced into a shootout against the Sabres to try and salvage a much needed victory. Fortunately for the Jets Pierre Luc Dubois, Mark Scheifele, and Blake Wheeler, with a highlight reel goal, all scored in the shootout to earn the Jets the victory.
With a team that has the offensive firepower of the Jets, their record this season in overtime and shootouts has been disappointing. To date, the Jets have lost 10 games in overtime which ranks 24th in the NHL.
The win against the Sabres was only their second shootout victory of the season, and they remain ranked 22nd in the number of shootout losses in the NHL. It was an important win for the Jets as they pulled to within one point of the Dallas Stars, and are now two points behind the Vegas Golden Knights, who now occupy the final Wild Card playoff spot.
There will be no easy games upcoming for the team as they fight for the final playoff spot. The team will likely end up in more overtime games and shootouts. The Jets need to continue to display their offensive prowess in overtime and shootouts if they have any hope of reaching the final playoff spot.
1. The Jets Other Players Need to Step Up For These Crucial Games
As Kieran Hurley pointed out in his article here, the Jets sustained some terrible luck at the worst possible stage of the season losing leading scorer Kyle Connor and veteran defenseman Nate Schmidt for at least two more games.
As of Thursday morning, the Jets had yet to call up any reinforcement players from the AHL Manitoba Moose. The Jets will go into the Toronto game Thursday night likely with the same lineup as the Sabres game the night before.
This means that Logan Stanley and Ville Heinola will both remain in the lineup on defense paired with Brenden Dillon and Neal Pionk respectively. Both played well enough against the Sabres, with Heinola, in particular, looking more comfortable every game he plays.
New acquisitions Zach Sanford and Mason Appleton were elevated in the lineup spending time in the top-six forwards. Both players seem to be growing into their roles more each game, with Appleton having his best game in his return to the Jets last night against the Sabres.
Adam Brooks will remain in the lineup and will be called upon to provide some forechecking and energy on the Jets’ fourth line against his former team the Maple Leafs.
The Jets will need every player to step up if the team hopes to earn a victory against a top-tier NHL team like the Maple Leafs.
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