Jets topple Caps after long-drawn-out goal review

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This article was published 05/12/2015 (3627 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It took a full three periods and then another 4:40 of overtime and then a video review of the game winner that lasted close to 10 minutes but seemed to last forever.

In the end, the Winnipeg Jets found a way to do something very few teams in the NHL have done this season — beat the Washington Capitals.

Jets forward Mark Scheifele scored on a one-timer with just 20 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Jets a 2-1 victory at the MTS Centre Saturday afternoon the Jets and their fans ultimately got to celebrate three separate times.

They celebrated, of course, when Scheifele scored. And then they celebrated a second time moments later when, after a short video review, an official pointed at centre ice and seemed to indicate the review had concluded the goal was a good one.

And then, just for good measure, they celebrated one more time when, for reasons that still weren’t entirely clear a half hour after the game, the review resumed and dragged on. And on. And on, as the two teams lingered on the ice and fans debated whether to beat the traffic or return to their seats.

In the end, even the final announcement that the goal was a good one — no, really, they meant it this time — was flubbed as the on-ice official stuttered before finally getting out the words Jets fans wanted to hear.

“First time celebrated a win three times,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice mused after the game.

An email to reporters from the NHL situation room after the game explained Caps head coach Barry Trotz had challenged Jets forward Blake Wheeler was offside on the play that set up the game-winner, but the video was “not conclusive” — all of which should have been obvious about five minutes into the review.

The win over Washington will only count once in the standings of course, but make no mistake, this Jets victory counted a little more than some of the others.

Washington came into Winnipeg riding a six-game winning streak and their starting netminder Braden Holtby had been all but unbeatable for a month, carrying an eight-game personal winning streak into the game.

The Caps had been beaten just five times in regulation — and six times overall — in 24 games coming into Saturday.

So yeah, it counts just once in the standings, but this Jets win was worth a lot more than, for instance, that 6-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.

How did that go?

The book on beating Washington this season is that it is almost a prerequisite that you score first against a Caps team that was 12-1-0 when they score first this season — and 7-0-0 when they led after the first period.

And the Jets did exactly that, notching the game’s first goal with just six seconds remaining in the first period on a power-play marker by captain Andrew Ladd that capped a wild opening frame that saw the Jets outshoot Washington 17-6.

The Caps evened the score with 5:35 to play in the second period on a power-play goal of their own by Nicklas Backstrom and Washington owned much of the play the final two periods, outshooting Winnipeg 26-17 in the final two frames.

But Jets goaltender Connor Helleybuyck was equal to the task, making some big saves at key times — his robbery of TJ Oshie in the third period stands out most — to send the game to overtime still tied.

So what now?

The question of who starts in net for the Jets in Chicago on Sunday afternoon against the Blackhawks is a compelling one.

While Hellebuyck is now unbeaten in three career starts for the Jets this season, Michael Hutchinson has been sensational in his career against the Hawks.

Hutchinson has posted a 4-0-1 record in five lifetime starts against Chicago, with a .965 save percentage and a 1.19 goals against average.

Add to that the fact Sunday’s game in Chicago will see the puck dropped just 26 hours after it was dropped for Saturday’s game in Winnipeg and it might not be as much of a no-brainer as it might immediately appear for Maurice to simply ride a hot goaltender in Hellebuyck against the Blackhawks.

Maurice was saying nothing about his preferences Saturday afternoon, urging reporters to stay tuned.

Scheduling quirk

The Jets were scheduled to fly out immediately following Saturday’s game to Chicago, where they will face the Blackhawks at 4 p.m. Sunday.

In a scheduling quirk, it’s one of two trips the Jets will make to Chicago this week — they also play at United Centre next Friday. And just like this trip, the Jets will also be facing the Blackhawks next weekend after playing the day before — Winnipeg hosts Columbus Thursday.

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @PaulWiecek