I said yesterday that the Jets power play was a weapon, and indeed it was as the hosts used 3 power play goals to power their way to a 5-3 win over the Senators, despite not having their top line of Mark Scheifele, Patrick Laine and Blake Wheeler.
Ottawa got goals from Bobby Ryan, Alex Formenton and Kyle Turris in taking a 3-1 lead, but it was all Jets after that as they gave the Jets seven man advantages including a 5-on-3 that the Jets capitalized on.
Those three power play goals were the first three the Jets put past Mike Condon, but the fourth and eventual game winner was the one that is most notable, not because it went in but because it was a defensive lapse by top prospect Thomas Chabot that allowed the shot. It was a 2-on-1, but Chabot committed to take away the shot far too soon and left the pass wide open, and Nic Petan found Marko Dano all alone with Condon at his mercy while Chabot was sliding on his knees away from the play. It is just one play, but one where a pretty simple play was not executed and the Senators paid the price. It just demonstrates that should Chabot break camp with the team, that as good as the upside is (and it is very good) there will be some growing pains as he realizes that some things he got away with in junior because of skill won't be effective as a pro.
Formenton, who I questioned why he was still around yesterday, proved me wrong as he scored the nicest individual effort of the night to give the Senators a 2-1 lead before Turris capped a great feed from Mark Stone while a delayed penalty was coming to the Jets.
I still don't see Formenton starting the regular season with the Senators, but he shows that he could be a legitimate prospect going forward.
Condon played his first full game of the preseason, and had a better effort than he did in the Kraft Hockeyville game in PEI, stopping all but one of the 23 shots at even strength against the Jets.
Obviously, the absence of Erik Karlsson is still a huge hole, and as his recovery continues you can only hope for the Senators' sake that he is not out very much longer than the October 5th opener.
The Senators will have 1 final dress rehearsal on Saturday night in Montreal, ahead of the opener which is now just a week away.