Loved the fact several Winnipeg Jets were reluctant to use the term “statement game” themselves following Friday’s 4-2 victory over the Boston Bruins, but there’s little doubt the team served notice they’re not ready to fold up the tent when it comes to the challenge of trying to stay in this Eastern Conference playoff chase.
As we mentioned in our game analysis column, seeing the Bruins score in the opening minute of the third period to tie the contest seemed like a harbinger of bad things to come for the Jets, especially after they were forced to go on the penalty kill less than a minute later after Bryan Little headed off for hooking.
However, for the second time in the game, the Jets found some momentum after a successful kill and sure enough, it was Little who scored his first of two goals 2:04 apart to help his team restore control.
Wheeler’s goal at 15:50 of the second period came 30 seconds after an elbowing penalty to Evander Kane, while Little’s first goal came 33 seconds after he got out of the sin bin.
“Our PK had been letting some goals in the past few games, so we really wanted to shut that down,” said Jets centre Jim Slater. “Boston has a great power play and it was a good job by our three groups to stand tall. We blocked a few shots on the PK and when you get a lift from a big PK, it can bring some momentum swings for your team.”
On Saturday, we asked Ondrej Pavelec about the save he made on Patrice Bergeron — a moment Claude Noel called critical after the game.
Pavelec was quick to downplay the save when I asked him if it was one of the best highlight-reel saves of the year this morning.
“I wouldn’t say that,” said Pavelec. “It was a 2-on-1 and our D did a good job. It was a hard pass (by Brad Marchand to Bergeron), a rocket and I don’t know if Bergeron was ready for it. He just put the stick there and I put the glove there. You need a little luck for those saves. He pretty much had an open net and you try to get there as quick as you can. It would have been tough (to give up a goal there) it would have been 4-3. But it’s my job to make those saves. I’m trying all the time to help the team. And I wasn’t happy with the two goals I let in. I was trying to do something in the third. Finally, I did. It was nice to see how the guys respond. It was a great third period for us.”
There’s no question the Jets top line of Little, Andrew Ladd and Blake Wheeler drove the bus in this game. The night before it was the Evander Kane-Alex Burmistrov-Kyle Wellwood unit.
Remember what Ladd said on Wednesday about the best players needing to be the best players on a nightly basis? The theory held true in the first two games of this important stretch, that’s for sure.
Wheeler was a beast against his former team — picking up a goal and two assists in 20:48 of ice time while recording four shots on goal and sending Chris Kelly flying when the Bruins forward actually took a run at him — and seemed to relish the match-up with B’s captain and giant Zdeno Chara, who had a rare tough night and was on the ice for three of the four goals the Jets scored.
“First of all, Chara is not an easy guy to play against and he plays a lot of minutes,” said Noel. “Wheeler played like he wasn’t going to be denied in this game. He certainly looks like a Top-6 forward to me right now.”
Saturday didn’t bring a great deal of news, as only three Jets — birthday boy Nik Antropov (who turned 32), Mark Flood and Eric Fehr — hit the ice for the optional skate.
Meanwhile, the Colorado Avalanche skated at MTS Centre, fresh off a 3-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers and the news of the day for them was that centre Matt Duchene is ready to return to the lineup Sunday for the first time since suffering a knee injury on Dec. 29. Duchene has 12 goals and 24 points in 39 games this season.
Can the Jets find a way to make it three consecutive victories on Sunday in a game against the Avalanche?
We’re certainly interested to see what type of effort is put forth.
There have been a few times this season when the Jets have allowed success to go to their head and they simply can’t afford a letdown against the Avalanche, as there are only 22 games left on the docket.
The Jets beat the Avalanche 4-1 back on Dec. 27 at Pepsi Center, as Evander Kane scored twice, while Tim Stapleton and Little had singles and Pavelec made 32 saves.
We said at the start of the season that the Jets would sneak into the playoffs in the eighth spot and we still believe it can be done.
However, we’re thinking the Jets need to win 6 (or more) of 8 on the homestand to make up some ground.
Finding a way to sweep the two-game season series against the Avalanche would be an important next step.