The Winnipeg Jets introduced new players Monday night against the Washington Capitals, hoping they would give the team some momentum after a really poor performance over the weekend. Let's see if Toffoli and Miller made a difference.
Things didn't start promisingly as the Capitals got a quality scoring chance on the first shift, but the Jets quickly took over the game with a relentless forecheck that led to cycle shifts multiple times. The entire forward unit spent time in the offensive zone staring down Washington's Lindgren as Winnipeg built an early 8-1 shot lead. In fact, the visitors only spent one shift on the Jets' end in the first half of the period, and that was due to Winnipeg turnovers at his home blue line. At the midway point of the frame, Lowry scrambled for the puck along the boards just inside the Caps zone and managed to get the puck free to Appleton. The often-criticized winger made a beautiful cross-ice pass that put Pionk in a pinch as he stomped on a defender. The defenseman slid into the slot and fired the puck at the far side, beating Lindgren to give Winnipeg a 1-0 lead at the 10:05 mark. After this, both teams were evenly matched and the game was a little even.Toffoli gets his first chance as a Jet, while Carlson and Ovechkin get Bucky tested.). Neither team was able to light the lamp by the end of the period, but the Jets had the upper hand in the first frame, as the stats/shot chart below shows (3 for 6 mid-high risk shots, 2 for 6.5 minutes of ozone time).
1st Period MoneyPuck Statistics: Score: 1 to 0 Jets, Shooting 12-5, Jets Win Rate 67%, Expected Goals – All Situations (1.29-0.56 WPG), and 5-on-5 (1.29-0.56 WPG)
Washington almost tied the score on the opening shift of the second when Carlson had a chance to take a point shot and then attempted a rebound. Winnipeg took control after that, creating numerous scoring opportunities, including Morrissey and Ehlers' low fly shots that hit the post. The fourth line had a great cycle shift and yielded some good looks, but the best was a nice slot deflection by Perfetti, who found iron instead of twine. The second line of Iafallo, Monaghan and Toffoli then flew around the Caps' zone, and finally Morrissey was rewarded with a point shot with both Toffoli and Iafallo providing screens. Knowing this might not be enough to earn him a second win over Lindgren, Iafallo opted to make sure to deflect the shot, giving Winnipeg a 2-0 lead with 12 minutes remaining. The Jets had another post when DeMelo's slapper almost added to their goal total, but it was just one of many scoring chances for the home team the rest of the period (Connor rocks from the low slot and Toffoli almost jumps on a breakaway.). Washington almost broke the goose egg at times, but Hellebuyck made some nice saves, especially on two deflections. MoneyPucks stats and shots His chart shows that the Jets still had the upper hand, but the Capitals made strides toward evening things out.
MoneyPuck stats after 2 periods: Score: 2 to 0 Jets, Jets Shots 20-16, 61% Expected Goals Worth Jets Win – All Situations (2.02-1.43 WPG) and 5-on-5 (2.02-1.43 WPG)
For three consecutive periods, Washington had a chance to score on a shift early in the period, but Hellebuyck again stood the test. Winnipeg picked up the pace again after another great backcheck from Scheifele stopped the Capitals rush. The Jets increased their cycle shifts in the offensive zone and created multiple opportunities, but were unable to extend their lead. When Miller's love tap was called a slash, officials tried to turn the game back on Washington, but despite spending most of the time on the Jets' side, the Caps were unable to solve Bucky on the man advantage. There wasn't. While the away team attacked, the home team began to fight back, with Scheifele and Ehlers making it 2-1. Lindgren made a nice stop on that attempt, but Winnipeg quickly went back to the odd rush again, this time allowing Connor to finish Scheifele's pass to make the game 3-0. The Jets had plenty of chances to increase their goal total in his remaining 10 minutes (Perfetti and Scheifele fly the puck off the post and Toffoli steals the puck from the left faceoff circle.). The officials gave our team a look on the power play in the second half, but they couldn't capitalize on it (Although it was confirmed that the mirror would be placed in the second unit). His MoneyPuck information below shows Winnipeg has made Bowness' system work well, limiting high-danger looks and keeping his expected goal count below two.
Money Pack stats after 3 periods: 80% Jets Winning, Expected Goals – All Situations (3.63-1.61 WPG) and 5-on-5 (3.15-1.60 WPG)
Final score: winnipeg jets 3 washington state capital 0
shot: winnipeg jets 29 washington state capital twenty three
Game observations:
- Perhaps the best place to start is conor hellebikes Last night against Washington, he earned his fourth shutout of the season and 36th of his career. Bucky wasn't that busy, only he faced 23 shots (6 medium risk/1 high risk) for the night's work, finishing with an above-average 1.61 goals saved.
- The Winnipeg Jets as a team won 63.5% of their faceoffs against the Capitals. sean monaghan (73%) and mark scheifele (68%) are leading the way.
- Despite having his best game in a while, young Cole Parfetti Last night, he deflected two point shots off the post and came close to ending his scoring drought, but he couldn't catch a break.
- tyler toffoli He was outstanding in his first game in Winnipeg, hitting three shots on the Caps' goalie and finishing with a +2 rating. Although he didn't end up scoring, the new winger stole the spotlight from the netminder and contributed to two goals for the Jets.
- colin miller He looked solid even in his debut match pairing with Dylan Samberg. The duo ended up hitting 49.9 percent of expected goals, with Winnipeg outscoring Washington 6-3 on the ice.
- The Jets' forwards had a great night in terms of expected goals, with the first line leading the way at 69.6% (13-10 shots), followed by 3rd place with 66.4% (13-10 shots), followed by 64.7% of the second unit (7-3 shots), and finally the fourth line is 58.8% (9-4 shots).
- I'm impressed mason appleton's The American winger has improved his passing ability recently, as he has brought in a fifth helper in the last five games. The majority of those assists were of the primary variety and were given to players in quality scoring areas. We would all like to see him score his own goals more often, but his defensive play and scoring output this season is close to where a third liner would like to be (Progressing at a pace of 38 points).
With last night's win, our team is now within two points of the Dallas Stars for first place in the Central Division. The upcoming schedule will be a little easier for the Winnipeg Jets, but first they have to face the hottest team in the NHL.
Next Game: Nashville Predators @ Winnipeg Jets – Wednesday, March 13th, 6:30pm Central
After a clash with their division rivals, the Jets will face several last-place teams (anaheim and columbus). I was looking at the NHL standings and noticed that the Chicago Blackhawks officially became the first team to be eliminated from the playoffs.
Looking for an easy way to support Arctic Ice Hockey? Use our affiliate links when purchasing hockey gear this holiday season.
