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The game started with a far slower pace than many would have expected for the home team, a squad that had not had the first lead in a game for some time. In a surprise move, Claude Noel started the WST line of Wright, Slater and Thorburn. Perhaps it was a bit of bone thrown to help restore some confidence if not help set the tone of the game.
The tone however was one that was hard to hear, as the opening stanza was far from interesting or eventful. The teams played a very tentative style of game with little flow through the neutral zone- both teams looking to clog it up and make the transition game difficult. They succeeded in that task and by creating one of the ugliest periods of hockey played by any team this season.
Even though the Jets had the first power play at 8:56 on a Peter Mueller tripping call they had more than enough trouble trying to achieve any action. In the end it was the Panthers who scored first when Drew Shore charged up the right side and undressed Tobias Enstrom. Shore moved towards the net and got a shot off but Pavelec made the save, however in his effort to steer the rebound far away from Shore his pad deflected it right back out to the charging Hubredeau. He had moved past Evander Kane and then slid it right back to the far corner of the net, under a sprawling Pavelec.
The home team would come back in the second period when Blake Wheeler took the puck down the right side and fire one of the softest slap shots past a handcuffed Clemmensen to tie the game. It was one goal the goalie would want back.
However, still within the first three minutes of the period Fleischmann took a feed from Campbell to tie it up on a slap shot pasta screened Pavelec. The surrender of the lead let out a collective groan from the MTS Centre faithful with some seeing another goal that seemed softer than butter in July.
It was Mark Stuart who provided the fans something to cheer for when he took a point shot on a broken play in the Panthers zone to blast one low and through the five-hole on Clemmensen. Tie game and fears among the fans were relieved for now.
The teams would trade chances in the third but the Jets managed only 2 shots after unleashing fourteen in the second period. A golden opportunity arrived late in the third period when Weiss took a tripping penalty but once again the Jets could not control their zone entries and set up the power play.
Even with a late period face-off on an icing call, the Jets could still not manage to keep the puck in deep and Florida successfully held off the charge to force overtime and earn a point at the very least.
In overtime the Jets earned another power play when Kuba took a tripping penalty with just over two minutes left to prevent one of the few effective rushes by Kane. The zone entry troubles continued and the faithful in the stands were getting restless as they watched the home team struggle to set up with all that open ice during the 4-on-3 advantage. In the end it was Bryan Little who took a pass in the slot from rookie Zach Redmond, playing in just his third NHL game and first at the MTS Centre, who fired it up high on the glove hand of Clemmensen. Game over and the Jets win, a little but not too late.
The game does not come without some observations and concerns. Far too often the Jets were isolated trying to leave their own zone with the puck. Often the Panther players formed a triangle around the Jets’ player with him against the boards and almost nowhere to put the puck other than dump it deep. It was a clever approach and one that must have been frustrating to experience.
Another concern was the timing and drive of the Jets forwards. Often they were not in close on the goal for a centering pass, skating just behind the play. The question has to be asked, is this a case of timing or fatigue, both of which could be the culprit.
The play of newly coiffed Evander Kane was also a concern as he was only able to get free a few times and even then not close to the net, often attempting his shots from the perimeter. Last year Kane was fearless in his drive and crash to the net frequently making the turn on defenders and forcing opposition goalies to stand their ground or cheat on position. That drive was not there tonight.
Zone entries were another concern and I had the chance to ask the coach during his press conference what he thought. “Well I would have to agree. First of all in the third period there was a couple of plays crossing their blue line trying to make plays ,we ran into each other. I think it was in the second period, or whatever it was, crossing the blue line trying to make plays it was uncharacteristic of the way we wanted to play. But that’s kind of how the game got played and sometimes when you are a little tired you make those decisions, you have to be patient a little bit.”
To be polite, at times it was a dog’s breakfast of offensive zone entries and the coach knows this. He got the result and as he said right after “For us we’re going to focus on grabbing the two points and try to keep it positive.”
That would be wise because despite a great win there was not a lot to like about the game, particularly how it was played. During the breaks in the press box you could see the frustrations of many observers wondering just what, if anything was going to give and provide some energy let alone excitement.
The topic of the day before the game was that of moving Alexamder Burmistrov to the second line and dropping Antropov back with Wellwood and Ponikarovsky. Who would have thought that moving a player like Antropov, one who many expect will not be in Winnipeg after this season, would cause such interest?
Burmistrov performed admirably and was easily one of, if the best Winnipeg Jet on the ice. As I tweeted out during the game it appeared Burmistroc took his promotion very seriously as he played an attentive game not trying to force the play himself. Rather he used his skill to create space and set up his team mates along with drawing penalties. “I thought he played pretty well. He made some plays, I like him, I thought he was good,” said the coach post game.
He followed it up with a nod to the pressure of moving up lines when he said “I thought he handled it well, I thought he was good with that line for the first time playing with those guys.”
Those are fair statements and after a year with glimpses of his skill the future for Burmistrov might be about to arrive. It will be interesting to see how Noel and the Jets manage his play as they come to rely on the crafy Russian more and more.
Winnipeg Jets Blogger •Winnipeg Jets Writer • 
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