Jets can’t protect third-period lead in 4-3 loss to Penguins

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This article was published 27/11/2018 (2475 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Slamming the lid down was instinctive for the Winnipeg Jets during the 2017-18 NHL season, but lately no lead is totally safe with this hockey club.

The Jets were guilty of another costly third-period collapse Tuesday night, surrendering goals by Pittsburgh forwards Derek Grant and Zach Aston-Reese as the visiting Penguins posted a 4-3 triumph at Bell MTS Place.

Winnipeg (13-8-2) opened the scoring and held one-goal leads three times but couldn’t pull away. Pittsburgh (10-8-5) has now won three of its last four outings.

The Jets have released their grip on several games early in the 2018-19 campaign — they’re just 7-3-2 when leading after two periods. Last season, they fumbled away only a miniscule amount of points late in games, finishing 42-1-1 when ahead after two periods.

Most recently, the Jets led 2-0 heading into the third period Friday in Minnesota before the Wild rallied for a 4-2 win. 

“We get away from it, we start doing things that aren’t part of our strategy. We turn pucks over, we don’t get pucks deep,” said Jets centre Mark Scheifele, who halted a three-game goalless skid with his 12th and 13th tallies of the season to spark Winnipeg to a 3-2 second-period lead.

“We’ve just gotta simplify in those areas. We’re a simple team, we get it deep, we work teams in the offensive zone and make them go an extra 30 to 50 feet every time. You turn it over, they’re going to make you pay,” he added.

On the go-ahead goal, Penguins forward Phil Kessel’s shot from the corner struck Jets captain Blake Wheeler and bounced to the stick of Aston-Reece, who hammered it past Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck with 5:02 left in the third.

Full marks to Scheifele, Winnipeg’s top-line centre, for some brilliant shooting and Wheeler for two shrewd passes. However, the Jets really didn’t push the pace, and were guilty of some sloppiness in their own end. 

“We got away from our game a little bit. We got pucks hung up at the red line and blue line and didn’t get it deep. That team lives off turnovers, so they made us pay,” reiterated Scheifele.

Hellebuyck’s performance, meanwhile, was ordinary at best. He stopped 26 shots but doled out several rebounds and looked dreadful on Grant’s game-tying marker just over five minutes into the third period.

In the past, Hellebuyck has, at times, seemed strangely at ease following sub-par performances, but this time he chastised himself in no uncertain terms.

“That one is on me. I’ve got to find a way to stop a weird knuckler. It just sucks because I was having a great game and the guys were playing fantastic in front of me. That one is on me,” said Hellebuyck who stopped just three of five shots he faced in the final period.

Grant let a wrist shot go from the top of the circle that appeared to go right through the Jets’ big, broad goalie. Whether or not the puck first glanced off blue-liner Joe Morrow’s stick was irrelevant, said last year’s Vezina Trophy finalist.

“To be honest, I’ve got to watch video because I am in shock that thing went through. I could give you a million excuses, but that’s all they’re going to be, excuses. So I’m not going to go that route. I’m just going to take responsibility and say, ‘that one is on me,'” said Hellebuyck.

The Jets’ red-hot shooter opened the scoring. No, not Patrik Laine, the other guy, Brandon Tanev. The checking forward scored his fourth goal of the season — and third in four games — on a short-handed effort in the first period.

But Penguins star centre Sidney Crosby evened the game with his 10th of the season late in the opening frame when he raced toward the net, took a pass from Dominik Simon and flipped a quick backhand past Hellebuyck.

Jets head coach Paul Maurice used a three-line approach, and there wasn’t much gas in the tank of his forward group by the end.

Despite the collapse, Maurice didn’t sound like a boss harbouring a slow burn.

“We gave up five shots in the third. It wasn’t a tilt to the ice by any means. I think we’re going to like our chances better than theirs in the third,” he said. “(We) gave up a tough one, got a bad break on one and it’s in the back of the net. That’s it. It’s a tight game. Not a lot of execution probably going both ways. Each team had a hand in that, shutting the other team down a little bit. Tough night.”

Maurice also let his No. 1 netminder off the hook. 

“He’s been good for big chunks of games. He’s played well. It’s a tough goal that beat him but it’s 3-3. It wasn’t 3-2 after that one, so that’s going to happen to a guy. He’ll bounce back next game.”

Kyle Connor set up Laine for a great chance just 80 seconds into the game but Pittsburgh goalie Casey DeSmith stopped him, something neither Chad Johnson nor Jake Allen could do Saturday in the St. Louis cage when the 20-year-old Finn scored five goals on five shots in the Jets’ 8-4 win over the Blues.

Laine had four shots on DeSmith while another three sailed wide, and was held off the scoresheet. He has 19 goals this season, including 16 in the month of November, and is just one shy of 100 for his career.

Later in the first, giants collided when 6-5, 260-pound Jets blue-liner Dustin Byfuglien levelled 6-7, 255-pound Penguins defenceman Jamie Oleksiak. Both players went to their respective benches but Byfuglien, who needed help getting into the bench area, was then led down the tunnel, presumably as part of the concussion protocol. He returned before the period was done.

The Jets’ brief home stand wraps up Thursday when the Chicago Blackhawks pay a visit. Game time is 7 p.m.

Winnipeg then heads out for three games against Metropolitan Division opponents, all in the New York area. The Jets play the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night, the Rangers on Sunday and the Islanders on Tuesday.

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell