It didn't feel like the Winnipeg Jets were going to have an aggressive game based on what we saw this pre-season but that's what they delivered in Glendale last night. The Jets had a big first period taking a 4-1 lead before moving on to win 6-2 by the time the game was over and all of it was from the not so infamous 'Atlanta Association'.
If you are not familiar with that term it's a name Winnipeg Free Press columnist Gary Lawless coined the group last year amidst another leadership and identity crisis. Whether you like the term or not or believe it's accurate it does sum up the leadership group and a significant part of the team's identity.
One thing that Lawless took heat for when he used the term was that some associated the time in Atlanta as the basis of the association. That was only one part of the rationale for the name, it also represented a somewhat social if not friendship side. A group of guys who were close in and out of the team who had top positions, ice time and perhaps the coach's ear.
Nearly a year later, under a new coach, new systems and a much higher level of fan scrutiny and apathy the Jets, including the Atlanta Association opened the season with a 6-2 win having Little and Wheeler score 2 apiece, Byfuglien with 1 and Stuart with the other. That's the way it was supposed to work in 2011 when the team relocated to Winnipeg.
I will be the first to tell you that one game does not mean the leopard has changed its spots but did anyone see a 6-2 shellacking coming? However, for the Jets to play that way it's the Association who has to step up and make things happen, last night they did.
Thanks to Mike Smith, the Arizona goalie, that shellacking happened as he gave up at least two if not three goals he would want back. Teams have bad nights and sometime players have bad nights and that was Smith last night. The other player who had a bad night was Evander Kane. Not long after the forward nearly got around Ekman-Larsen for a break away before being bumped (obstructed really) to the ice he was hit in a collision with Mark Scheifele.
As Kane stradled the blue line trying to stay on side for a rush Scheifele changed course and collided with Kane, knee on knee and luckily only one player stayed down. That player was Kane who was helped off the ice but came back later for a shift before leaving the bench for the locker room, finished for the night.
The collective gasp across the city of Winnipeg could be heard quite clearly. Then the social media reaction started. What was interesting though was a tweet 12 hours later that was read on the air on TSN 1290. "Of all the player to get injured, Kane is the most expendable of the top 6".
That is my paraphrase but you get the point, the person feels that Kane is the least valuable of the top six group of:
Ladd Little Frolik Kane Scheifele Wheeler
He may have a point and last season his loss could be considered extreme in terms of depth but is it now? Would Kane have done anything differently to help with the six goals the Jets scored? Would he have been Byfuglien taking Wheeler's pass? It matters not in the greater scheme of things but it poses an interesting question, if the Jets can roll without Kane then how much value does he really have?
That's a topic for another time but one well worth pursuing. Right now fans can look at the game tomorrow night in San Jose and prepare for that task and pontificate on how the goalie's start the next two games. Don't let a strong performance from Pavelec in the first game of the year make you forget how close to the surface a controversy lies beneath.
Game Notes: (going to try and do this each blog now with a few direct thoughts on game)
Zone Exits: Jets seemed to struggle in the first period, once again being caught from behind near their own blue line. Trouba also had trouble moving the puck when he had it deep in his end.
Zone Entries: It appeared PoMo had certain players enter with it and others to dump and chase- will be interesting to watch if this trend continues
Byfuglien: Think he liked getting moved up to top 6? The guy did it all and maybe when games have a lot of PP time he will feel more like a defenseman
Perreault: Are Jets fans starting to get an appreciation for the player yet? He looked pretty darn good to me last night and his possession numbers were solid
Pavelec: He spent a lot of time on his knees and but appears to be squaring up to shots better than in the past. He didn't have a ton of work but got the result.
Defense: On the Boedker goal there were 5 Jets skaters staring back at the puck behind the net. It's going to take some time but when you keep players down lower you have to make sure no one else misses coverage. This can be fixed but will take time as it would appear there too many guys trying to do the right thing at the same time.
Next up is San Jose followed by LA on Sunday. More as it happens.