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In today’s NHL the anomaly of seeing a 0-0 draw after sixty minutes of play is no longer considered a rarity and nor should it be considered odd when the Winnipeg Jets and Los Angeles Kings skated to that result last night at the MTS Centre. The game was not without scoring chances as each team had a 5-on-3 advantage and a couple of power plays, perhaps a few more for one team but that’s another issue altogether. The goalies were solid but not tested to any significant magnitude yet both had the benefit of friendly posts to keep the puck out. Was the game exciting, not particularly, but it was telling.
Nik Antropov and Andrew Ladd were consensus targets for criticism last night and not just within this space but from several points of interest. Antropov seemed half a step slow and slightly disinterested with winning puck battles for most of the night. To complicate matters the tall Russian seemed to take extended time on his shifts and when a rush or scoring opportunity emerged he was too gassed to help finish it off. Ladd on the other hand was fairly dynamic down the middle of the ice but the closer he played to the boards the less effective he became. Once on the boards his stick seemed eerily non-existent as he attempted to dig for the puck. With the game inching closer and closer to a scoreless draw or a one-goal win, one would expect the captain to exert more effort and drive to win the hard battles.
One player who came to skate was Alexander Burmistrov who had several dynamic shifts with one noteworthy one which could have ended with a fantastic goal. At 5:40 in the first period Burmistrov took the puck from behind the LA net, was tripped, kept possession and then came up the boards looking to cut back behind but instead deeked around the back-checking forward before circling right through to the slot for an open shot on Bernier. What made this event stand out was that before Burmistrov had the puck he had already helped keep the play in the LA end for an extended time and looked dangerous. The move from behind the net up the boards to find a gaping shooting lane was pure ‘icing on the cake’.
The challenges in this game, for the Jets at least, came during the second period when the officials seemingly took over the game. The Kings were handed a near two minute 5-on-3 advantage when Mark Stuart took a high sticking penalty on Mike Richards after Bogosian had been called for holding. Losing the two top defensive penalty killing players for two minutes was typical of the Jets in so many ways. Whether or not the calls were correct or fair, it’s these actions which seem to happen to the Jets in the middle frame of games which often cost them more than they did tonight. An interesting stat is that the Jets yet to win a game when trailing after any period, getting out of the second period was indeed a coup.
The key to the successful kill was the active sticks in front of Chris Mason. Few passes made it across the ice to set up an easy one-time shot and those that did were deflected far enough away from any waiting player. The Jets showed poise and dedication to winning the penalty kill battles which turned out to be an important part of the game. It was a shame that the Jets power play unit could not muster up the same effort as it was less than effective, even on the two-man advantage they received in the third period.
An intriguing match up to watch was between Doughty and Kane who each seemed to take an immediate dislike to the other. Kane seemed to get the best of Doughty early when he took him hard into the end boards in the first period. Doughty didn’t know who hit him but he took the number and there were more than a few battles during play and after between the two. In the end it was Kane who emerged the victor with his overtime winner. Certainly there were some fine words exchanged throughout the game but it seemed odd to have such an early ‘hate-on’ for each other.
Other Jets who had a strong game were Blake Wheeler who continued to use his size and speed to get a breakaway and work the puck well down low. Eventually his hard work paid off as he assisted on Kane’s game winner by getting the puck to Hainsey who tried to bat it out of the air before he fluttered it towards Kane.
Zach Bogosian was the other notable Jet who had a strong game. He had to play ‘extra-large’ against a bigger and stronger Kings team without the help of Dustin Byfuglien. At today’s practice Bogosian was not on the ice and it is expected that he is taking a ‘maintenance’ day after the pounding he received last night.
With the Leafs visiting for the New Year’s Eve match one has to consider what adjustments Claude Noel makes. He was asked about Stapleton centering Kane and Wheeler in his post game conference and seemed pleased with the experiment. In theory it’s probably not the best fit but necessity becomes a factor as Bryan Little is still out and not skating today. While Stapleton performed admirably, and Noel affirmed that observation, he simply does not have the creative play to help Kane and Wheeler long term, hopefully this line is not a long term project.
Brian Burke just tweeted that it’s cold and beautiful in the ‘Peg and he’s going ice fishing early tomorrow morning. I’m not sure where as the rivers are still flowing and there’s open water everywhere, no place I’d take a truck or snowmobile out on. But I’m not a gambler like Burke, I wouldn’t give my coach a one year contract to fire him later. I’m still waiting for Sara Orlesky to respond to my offer of a bottle of excellent Prosecco (Italian Champagne) to ask Wilson in person if he feels like a ‘lame duck’ coach still.
A game preview will be up tomorrow but don’t underestimate how important this one is. The Jets are in 7th spot in the east right now and holding on requires beating the teams who need the points as bad as the Jets do but that’s tomorrow’s issue. Today we can enjoy the Leafs as the circus has come to town.
Enjoy the day.
Winnipeg Jets Blogger •Winnipeg Jets Writer • 
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