There's a lot to talk about after tonight's game between the Winnipeg Jets and Detroit Red Wings at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg. In what could have been another mind-numbing loss for the players and the fans the opposite happened with a soul-soothing 4-2 win.
The Jets were lead by rookie centre Mark Scheifele and journeyman goal Al Montoya who set up and back stopped the team to victory. While Jets captain Andrew Ladd had the insurance goal and Matt Halischuck had the game winner the yeoman's work was already done by Scheifele and Montoya.
The ciritcal juncture came in the second period when Detroit, with a 2-1 lead, nearly capitalized when Datsyuk had four whacks at the puck as Montoya lay spread on the ice his right pad pressed against the post. The puck eventually went in but before it could cross the line the goal post had come off and video review kept the score at 2-1.
Up until that point the story line might have been how Jimmy Howard slapped the Jets down with his glove. He was invincible with it for the whole game but particularly in the early going when the Jets tested him and it over and over again.
The game changed though and it was due to the rookie Scheifele. He knocked down a lazy pass in the neutral ice and quickly turned up towards the Red Wings net. As he came down the right side he looked across the ice and past the streaking Halischuk to the far post where Frolik was open before threading a pass which the young Czech put down low along the ice and into the net.
It was a rare opportunity for the Jets. They moved a puck across the ice and caught a keeper going long across the crease to cover but not fast enough. Something that was rare with Howard on this night. It was a tie game and new lease on life.
The third period saw the Jets and Wings trade chances with no result. For the Jets it was a case of Montoya standing tall and reading the plays in front of him, stymieing the Wings as he had most of the night. Only a partially screened shot and a deflection of Clitsome's skate had beaten Montoya previously and he had already denied a 2-on-0 as well.
It was the third line who struck again to give the Jets the lead they would not relinquish. Scheifele and Frolik combined behind the Wings net to get possession of the puck before Frolik slid it out front to a waiting and wide open Halischuk who once again slid it low past Howard. Not to be outdone, Andrew Ladd potted the insurance maker with greasy effort down low to eventually put the game out of reach for the Wings.
In contrast to so many games, so many things went right tonight for the Jets. The narrative of effort is not worth discussion, it was there in spades. More importantly why were the Jets, in particular the focus boy Scheifele having success unlike in recent games?
Detriot left Scheifele alone for the most part when it came to physical play. They did not target him nor did they put much effort into any of the Jets. In this case Scheifele had room to operate and he used it wisely. He made sound decisions and smart plays when left unchecked and free of contact and as the score sheet shows his line mates benefitted.
Goaltending also stood out and if you were anywhere near Twitter tonight you would have read the praise for Montoya and of the concern going forward not using him more. That question came up in the post game press conference for Claude Noel and he answered it as you would expect, in a 'wait and see' response.
Is there a goalie controversy brewing in Winnipeg? Not at the moment but all the ingredients are there and Noel has to be careful how he handles this sensitive issue. The question still remains, what in recent games has Ondrej Pavelec done to make him the number one compared to Al Montoya?
The other factor that can't be ignored is when given some ice, some room to play and skill to match the Jets can do it. Can they do it consistently is still a valid question and going back against the Hawks on Wednesday night is as good a test as any to see if they can reproduce the game they showcased tonight.
60 minutes effort. Two hundred foot game. Battle in the corners. Solid goaltending. Stay out of the penalty box. All the cliches were covered tonight by Winnipeg in a resounding positive effort from all players on the ice. Now about the power play... yeah there is still some work to do but right now that kind of work should feel a lot more enjoyable for a team that has been under siege from all angles, this space included.