On Friday night, a sold-out crowd for the fifth time this season at the Canada Life Center was able to watch the National Hockey League's No. 7 and No. 30 teams battle it out. Let's see if the Winnipeg Jets can beat the Anaheim Ducks.
The hometown Jets started with a step jump, allowing Winnipeg to control the puck and spend many shifts cycling around Anaheim's zone. Iafallo, Morrissey, and Namestnikov looked good early on with their low slot shots, but the Ducks' Gibson played solidly between the pipes. However, the visiting team had the first penalty shootout of the game, as Pionk blocked an Anaheim forward trying to get a rebound and headed into the box. The Ducks spent most of their man advantage on the Winnipeg side, but for the most part they were kept to the outside, and their best chance came when Vatrano hit a shot from the top of the faceoff circle that hit the post. The Jets had a chance to take the lead even more, but Winnipeg took the lead after DeMelo's point shot was deflected by Connor. Late in the first period, both teams played a bit of 4-on-4 hockey before the referee sent DeMelo into the box (trip), we looked back at Anaheim's power play. Once again, the Ducks spent time in the offensive zone, while the Jets mostly stayed on the perimeter (Vatrano tested Brossoit with another shot, but the backup caught it with his shoulder and deflected it off target.). His MoneyPuck information below shows Winnipeg having the upper hand in the opening frame, but Anaheim got some quality looks.
1st Period MoneyPuck Statistics: Score: 1 to 0 Jets, 6-for-11 shooting, 58% for Jets win, Expected Goals – All Situations (1.15-0.78 WPG), and 5-on-5 (1.15-0.41 WPG)
The Ducks did indeed rebuild the game in the middle frame, equalizing the scoring opportunities and allowing Brossoit to earn his salary. Winnipeg did not roll over to get Anaheim back into the game and continued to circulate the puck around the offensive zone regularly. The Jets' best chances early included DeMelo narrowly missing a net-front deflection and Namestnikov being denied on a mini-breakaway. The visiting Ducks' top line spent time in Winnipeg's zone, testing the goalie with quick wraparound attempts. Bross-Wall denied the attempt and the Jets started to break through on their own, but Iafallo was stopped and the referee forced the Jets into their first PP of the game. The first team wasn't able to produce much, but the second group was more successful when Schmidt's shot ping-ponged past two Anaheim defenders before evading Gibson's attempt to stop the puck. It was a good success. The Jets' PP goal gave the Ducks momentum toward their own goal, and they got some help from officials when they bit into an Anaheim player's garnished handshake to ask Pionk to slash. Winnipeg once again did a solid job on the penalty kick, but this time Brossoit had to make a big save on a deflection and a rebound chance before the teams were back on even strength. The Jets improved the rest of the season, acquiring quality players in Toffoli, Scheifele, and Monahan. Detailed statistics and shot charts show that the game was evened out a bit in the midfield slots, but Winnipeg still led in the amount of chances category.
MoneyPuck stats after 2 periods: Score: 2 to 0 Jets, 21-17 Shots, Ducks 56% Winning, Expected Goals – All Situations (2.22-2.06 ANA) and 5-on-5 (1.77-1.07 WPG)
The third period got interesting from the start, with the referee sending players from each team into the box to break things up with a 4-on-4 play. Despite having more room, neither team could do much until Ehlers' late rush against Winnipeg landed DeMelo in the top slot. The defender hit a hard hit that beat Gibson's five-hole, giving the Jets a 3-0 lead and allowing the floodgates to burst open. Three minutes later, Monaghan had a clean win against Toffoli along the sideboards. The winger briefly stepped toward the center of the ice, then threaded a shot through the crowd to make it 4-0. After Barron was stopped on the Jets' next cycle, Scheifele allowed Toffoli's deflection to the side of the net on another faceoff win for Monaghan, and Winnipeg's PP hit again. The Jets were given a final power play late in the game when the referee noted a questionable slash on Ehlers, so Bowness sent out the second unit to end the game. To the fury of the Ducks' head coach, PP continued to fire shots at Gibson, and Winnipeg added a PP goal with six seconds left when Lowry made a beautiful spinning no-look pass to Appleton. His MoneyPuck information below clearly shows that the Jets had most of their scoring opportunities in the final frame.
Money Pack stats after 3 periods: 66.6% Expected Goals Worth Jets Win – All Situations (3.83-2.65 WPG) and 5-on-5 (3.19-1.51 WPG)
Final score: winnipeg jets 6 anaheim ducks 0
shot: winnipeg jets 38 anaheim ducks twenty two
Game observations:
- Very good performance Laurent Brossoit, stopped 21 out of 21 shots, including 6 medium-risk shots and 5 high-risk shots. His above average 2.65 goals saved was the culmination of Bros Wall's shutout performance.
- Holy Special Forces Batman!! Winnipeg's penalty killer denied all three chances while the Jets' power play went an incredible 3-on-3.
- tyler toffoli He chose the right time to score his first two goals as a Jet, as the capacity crowd enthusiastically rewarded the winger's efforts with a cacophony of cheers.
- I have to say how impressed I am mark scheifele This season. Winnipeg's star center has been head and shoulders above his teammates this year, and last night was no exception. Shaikh had just one assist on the night, but his speed and hard work on both ends of the ice helped lead the team to new heights.
- Playing against a team competing for the top pick in the upcoming draft was an advantage in competing for expected goals. All of Winnipeg's forwards finished with at least 65.4% (The first line) is the expected number of goals, and the other three lines are the expected number of goals (2nd place – 84.8%, 3rd place – 83%, 4th place – 87.7%).
- I can't believe I almost forgot that the Jets' win in regulation last night vaulted them into the top spot in the Central Division. They are officially tied with the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche at 89 points, but currently hold the first tiebreaker. Good luck boys!!
While it's fun to watch our team fill the net from time to time, all Winnipeg can really take from this game is a modicum of confidence as the opponent lacked quality. There will be more tough games heading into the postseason, but it won't start anytime soon as the next schedule will include another non-playoff team.
Next game: Winnipeg Jets @ Columbus Blue Jackets – Sunday, March 17 @ 7:00 pm Central
The Manitoba Moose continue their onslaught to secure a spot in the AHL playoffs with last night's penalty shootout victory. They have continued their good run with seven wins from their last eight games and currently sit in the coveted fifth place in the Central Division. They'll be at it again tonight in a rematch against the No. 6 Chicago Wolves.
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