With little downtime between games, the Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabers quickly returned to the ice for another game Sunday. The two franchises were both winning and looking to extend their winning streaks…look what happened.
The first period started early with both teams making their first shots, but gradually the Jets began to take control of the game. Winnipeg showed enough looks to take the lead in scoring (Scheifele has a mini-breakaway, deflected point shot for a third line cycle, Connor and Ehlers are 2-on-1, and Appleton's shot goes off the post.) However, the Sabers' Lukkonen was in the game. Buffalo slowly got back on its feet and started attacking as the period wore on, but Pionk made a great block on one of their best scoring chances. Lowry's line almost connected when Appleton drove to the net for a deflection, but unfortunately he missed the puck and ended up making contact with the Sabers' tender. Buffalo's power play was set up early, with some very nice passes, and a tic-tac-toe play ended with the puck in the net behind Brossoit. With just over two minutes remaining, Winnipeg went back on offense and nearly tied the game with a nice rebound (Nino whiffed) but they maintained puck possession and continued the cycle. Morrissey has been racking up assists of late and added another when he found Niederreiter's easy deflection to the side of the net to tie the game. MoneyPucks stats and shot charts show that the Jets looked better in the first period.
1st Period MoneyPuck Statistics: Score: from 1 1 Tie, Jets shooting 13-6, Jets deserved win 59%, Expected Goals – All Situations (0.77-0.41 WPG), and 5-on-5 (0.77-0.18 WPG)
Winnipeg exploded with chances to start the second period, with Luukkonen converting multiple chances (Monahan's departure, Namestnikov's denial from near the blue paint, and the 2-on-1 rush from Ehlers and Scheifele.). Buffalo broke when a flip pass from the defensive end narrowly evaded Perfetti's reach at center ice, giving the Sabers a 2-on-1 chance. Robinson chose to use the Jets defenders as a screen and took a long shot past them, allowing Brossoit to give the home team a 2-1 lead. Winnipeg lost momentum at this point as Buffalo picked up the pace with good cycle shifts in the offensive zone. Their fourth line was especially good at trapping the Jets in their own territory with a tenacious forecheck. The visiting team had a chance for the first PP of the game late in the second inning, and although they struggled to set up early on, the team managed to steal some looks (Monahan missed a deflection point shot and then a rebound, and Namestnikov misfired on a slot shot attempt.). MoneyPuck's stats after two periods show the Sabers came back into the game in the midfield slot and assumed the lead in expected goals and win-worthy meters.
MoneyPuck stats after 2 periods: Score: 2 to 1 Sabers, 21-12 Shots, Jets, 53% Sabres Winning, Expected Goals – All Situations (1.25-1.08 BUF) and 5-on-5 (1.06-1.02 WPG)
Hockey gods and goddesses are a fickle bunch, so I had to step away from the Jets game again to help my team win. Saturday's blowout win over the Hurricanes showed the Winnipeg Jets are prone to big third-period comebacks when you don't watch your team play live, so I hit the record button on the Showbox and took Lambo the cat for a walk. Took me around the neighborhood. Let's see if it works again….
The Sabers tried to extend their lead with an early push, but a great defensive block from Conner denied any scoring opportunities. Being too aggressive on the forecheck resulted in a home team player tripping Pionk, giving Winnipeg its second penalty shootout of the game. The Jets kept the pressure on with their extra attacker, and Perfetti nearly tied the game with a nice rebound. After that, the away team stepped up their attack and continued to attack, aiming for an equalizer. After some lineup changes late in the second inning, the Jets' second line regained play (Great setup for Ehlers, but Iafallo couldn't break the UPL from the low slot and had another dangerous chance with a cross-crease one-timer.). He had a golden opportunity to put a dagger into Winnipeg's comeback when Buffalo was forced back to the power play by Tripp. Our penalty killers did a great job of not allowing the Sabers to set up and only had two decent looks blocked (Sunberg) or with gloves on (Brossoit). Almost immediately after the kill, Winnipeg ran up the ice with Namestnikov in control of the puck. After gaining the offensive zone, Vladi transferred the biscuit to Scheifele high up, but the center didn't last long as he found Morrissey driving toward the net from the left side. The pass weaved through defenders and onto the stick of “Norrissy,” and the D-man managed to slip the puck into the five-hole despite being hacked and hooked by a Buffalo defenseman. The game was even, and both teams had a chance to break the tie with just under 10 minutes remaining. Winnipeg's fourth line found itself caught up again, but managed to keep the Sabers on the perimeter. Eventually, Perfetti banked the puck against the glass, evading a defenseman at the blue line, and the race was on. Despite being completely gassed, Barron won a sprint for the loose puck, forcing a one-on-one contest. Deciding he didn't have the energy to drive to the net, East Coaster instead allowed a slap shot from the top. UPL's best glove in the right faceoff circle to give Winnipeg the lead. Despite losing for the first time in the game, Buffalo did not give up, keeping Winnipeg within a one-point lead with only a great save from Brossoit on Greenway's return. UPL also did everything in his power to give his team a chance to tie the score, making sure to take Connor on the stretch pad on a 2-on-1 rush. In the end, the Sabres' coaching staff got desperate and pulled up their goaltender despite not being able to set up well in Winnipeg's zone. As a result, the Jets only added one EN goal (Namestnikov) as well as the second (Monaghan). MoneyPuck's shots His charts and advanced stats show how well Winnipeg played in the third period (Expected goals in the final frame was 2.91 vs. Buffalo's 0.52.).
Money Pack stats after 3rd period: 62% deserved Jets win, Expected Goals – All Situations (3.99-1.77 WPG) and 5-on-5 (2.21-1.31 WPG)
Final score: winnipeg jets Five buffalo sabers 2
shot: winnipeg jets 34 buffalo sabers 20
Game observations:
- oh. The Winnipeg Jets achieved another come-from-behind victory. Nine goals in the past two third periods. Impressive, but I don't know if it's necessary to turn it around every game, but I don't know if it's a good habit.
- josh morrissey Sunday, like the past few weeks, was great. With the second-most time on ice (24 minutes, 30 seconds) on the team, the defenseman had four shots on net, a goal and an assist, and several key points. His elite skating helps join the rush and propel the offense from the back end. It's fun to watch.
- I also love watching Vladislav Namestnikov Awarded only once on the score sheet (Goal/Assist). The plucky Russian will give the same quality of effort no matter where the coaching staff ends up placing him (Center/Wing, Top 6/Bottom 6). Vladi tied for the team lead in hits against the Sabers (3, with Adam Lowry, Neil Pionkand Nino Niederreiter).
- Winnipeg's front three played well last night in the expected 5-on-5 scoring battle (1st place – 70.8%, 2nd place – 70.5%, 3rd place – 94.3%), but the 4th line was eaten (3%). It was nice to see Lowry's line dominating the offensive boards and chipping in on offense like they did early in the season. Imagine if Apple & Lows had a softer hand.
- The Winnipeg Jets are currently 9-2 in their last 11 games and only need 18-20 more points to secure a top-six playoff spot in the West. There are 22 games remaining on the schedule, so there should be no problem even if the remaining 11 games are mainly against strong opponents.
The Jets will pack up and head back to the peg for a one-game homestand, where they will begin home-and-home series against the teams listed below.
Next Game: Seattle Kraken @ Winnipeg Jets – Tuesday, March 5th, 7pm Central
The Manitoba Moose dominated the Texas Stars over the weekend, increasing their chances of earning an AHL wild card spot. I also saw 2 wins. Henri Nikkanen After going scoreless in the first 35 games of the year, he exploded for four points and continued his promising goaltending. Thomas Milik.
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