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Dallas Stars at Winnipeg Jets – Dec 3, 2019 |
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With members of the CFL Grey Cup winning Winnipeg Blue Bombers on hand last night, it appeared the Jets were playing with a little extra fire in their bellies. The Stars, on the other hand, having lost their third game in a row, were gifted a shinny hockey practice from head coach Jim Montgomery. It was supposed to remind them of how fun hockey was. After last night’s game, it may be the last of that kind of fun for them.
Within 13 seconds Patrik Laine, after a couple quick passes from linemates Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele, thought he had his team up by one. Unfortunately, video replay upon a coach’s challenge would show us Connor had gloved the puck down just offside. Back to the drawing board.
After an eventful powerplay that saw the Jets get multiple good chances, including a dazzling between the legs attempt by Connor, the score was still knotted at zero. This wouldn’t last long as the Jets continued to push the pace and cycle the puck around the Stars zone, eventually leading to a point shot that Ehlers was able to knock down and fire past Anton Khudobin. A wonderful team play in which each member of the Jets on ice had a touch of the puck in quick succession.
It was a fast-moving period in which the Jets limited the Stars to just 1 shot in the final 13 minutes, and they didn’t let up. Early in the second Neal Pionk sent Scheifele in for a breakaway, on a fantastic stretch pass, and was robbed trying to go five-hole. Dallas was gifted a powerplay, but wouldn’t get much going. The best chance coming off of the stick of Connor, who after missing, skated the puck back into his own zone and then casually flipped it down the ice to kill some more time.
Still only up by one the Jets kept their foot on the gas, and again utilized the stretch pass for a breakaway attempt. This time it was Ehlers who tried to go five-hole and was denied. Keeping the pressure on Morrissey got a shot off from the point that Connor was able to get a stick on, finally getting one through the wickets of Khudobin. Montgomery wasn’t liking what he was seeing and decided to call his time out. It wouldn’t do his team much good though.
Credit to Khudobin, he was playing well despite being saturated with high quality scoring chances from the get go. The third Jets goal would be the most painful for him as Morrissey took a pass inside the Stars blue line and fired a shot on goal, only to have it bounce off the netminder’s blocker, into his own player, and finally, the back of the net.
The Jets would receive a powerplay after Tyler Seguin laid a painful looking crosscheck on Matthieu Perreault. It wouldn’t last long however, as Laine decided he wanted to get in on the action and gave the unsuspecting Blake Comeau a solid crosscheck to the back. With 2 minutes left in the period, and the ice opened up on the 4 on 4, Sekera sent in a streaking Heiskanen through the Jets defensemen, who proceeded to rip the puck top cheese. This kid has a future.
It appeared as though the Stars had finally found some life until Connor, Scheifele, and Laine went end to end with a perfect sequence of passing that culminated in a Laine forehand finish with just 30 seconds remaining in the period. The game felt over at this point, but there was still 20 minutes to play.
The third, as you might expect, began to get a little chippy. Starting with Jamie Benn instigating a melee with Ehlers in which the feisty Dane got his gloves up in Benn’s face and managed to push him into the glass. Not bad, considering the size difference. Off to the side, Corey Perry made the mistake of taking on Adam Lowry and got a couple fists in the head for his trouble. An animated start to the third for an already amped up arena.
The Jets final goal would come off the stick of Mark Scheifele in a brilliant wrap around goal, once again set up by both of his linemates. This line just seems to be getting better and better, and when considering the ages of these three, it’s tough to wonder just how good they could become as a unit.
Of course, as is the 2019-2020 season for the Jets, they lost another defenseman late in the game when Luca Sbisa took a rather robust skate to, as Kevin Sawyer put it, “a very delicate area”. I’ll let you figure that one out. Lower body injury might be the how it’s reported tomorrow.
A dominant game from start to finish for the Winnipeg Jets, and an important one, as the win moved them into second within their division with 35 points in 28 games, while leaving the Stars with 33 points in 29 games and the first wild card spot. No doubt the Stars will be seeking revenge, and lucky for them, they won’t have to wait long as their next tilt is slated for this Thursday in Dallas.
As for the Jets, they’ve won the first of 7 match ups they face against fellow Central division teams this month, and improved their record against them to 5 – 2 on the season. A very good recipe if they want to clinch a playoff spot. Until next time.
Wesley Peters
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