Jets blanked by Flames in exhibition opener

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This article was published 27/09/2016 (3294 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With the start of the 2016-17 NHL regular season still weeks away, the Winnipeg Jets brass got its first bit of tangible evidence in determining a 23-man roster for opening day.

Winnipeg kicked off its pre-season Tuesday night with the first of seven exhibition games before the schedule begins in earnest at home against the Carolina Hurricanes Oct. 13.

The Jets lost, 3-0, to the Calgary Flames in a match that featured two inexperienced lineups filled with rookies; rosters that will undergo major overhauls in the coming weeks as the games get more serious.

“I thought we played a fast game for the first two periods and it dipped in the third,” said Jets assistant coach Jamie Kompon. “For some of them it was their first NHL game. You don’t want to dwell on that too long but at the end of the day, there were more positives than negatives.”

With the loss, Winnipeg falls to 0-1 in the pre-season, while the Flames, who dropped two games to the Oilers in a pair of split-squad games on Monday, improved to 1-2 in exhibition play.

FIGHT FOR JOBS

The night went exactly the way early pre-season games go, with glimpses of brilliance from both the Jets and Flames, with Winnipeg’s bright spots overshadowed by mostly sloppy play in front of an energetic, but sparse crowd at the MTS Centre.

Indeed, it was a tedious game that lacked that superstar punch because, well, neither team dressed their superstar lineups.

The Jets had three forwards with 20 or more goals last season – and six with at least 15 – none of which cracked the roster on this night. Instead, Winnipeg went with a group that will be vying for the limited number of spots near the bottom of the depth chart.

And with only a few spots on the Jets’ third and fourth lines up for grabs, and even less time for those potential suitors to stand out, only a few were able to do just that.

JC Lipon, who has played three seasons for the Jets’ AHL affiliate, splitting time between the St. John’s Icecaps and Moose last season, showcased his familiar hard-nosed style of play.

The 23-year-old finished the game a minus-one, but furthered his case for a spot on the fourth line with his physicality, registering four hits, two shots on goal and two penalty minutes in 14 minutes 9 seconds of ice time.

On defence, Josh Morrissey, though not stellar, played a consistent game. Morrissey, the Jets 2013 first-round pick in 2013, logged the second most ice time for the Jets with 21 minutes 41 seconds. He played well alongside Paul Postma, who led the way with 22:36 of ice, on what could very well be a pairing for the upcoming season.

“I thought I made some good plays out there and started to feel my legs,” said Morrissey. “I thought for the first game of the season, not bad.”

TANEV TURNS IT ON

But the one to make the biggest impression was the play of left-winger Brandon Tanev. Tanev, 24, was signed to a one-year, two-way deal at the end of the 2015-16 season, playing in three regular-season games for the Jets before re-signing another one-year deal in July.

Tuesday, Tanev, who played four seasons at Providence College, finished the game with a team-high five hits and notched four shots in 15:04 of ice time.

But as much as Tanev was able to toss his body around, it’s another part of his game that stuck out even more: his speed.

“The game that I want to play is fast, physical and smart and tonight I felt at times I was able to do that,” said Tanev.

Tanev showed off all three of those traits in the second period, reading the fore check perfectly before stripping the puck off a defender and then using his quickness to break in alone on Flames goalie Chad Johnson. He’d get a shot off at the end, but was slashed by Flames winger Emile Poirier in the process.

The play resulted in a two-minute penalty, even though after the replay was shown it looked as if it could have been called a penalty shot.

“I was a little tired and we got the penalty there so that’s all that matters,” he said.

COMRIE CONTROLS CREASE

It’s a curious battle for who will get control of the Jets crease this season, a debate that has been primarily centered around the three goalies – Ondrej Pavelec, Connor Hellebuyck and Michael Hutchinson – that spent time with the Jets last season, with many believing it’s time for the 23-year-old Hellebuyck to take over the No.1 job.

Eric Comrie is the other, lesser talked about young goalie prospect in the Jets system. But even though the chatter hasn’t been as prominent around Comrie, he certainly made a lot of noise after his first professional season with the Manitoba Moose last year. Despite posting a record of 13-25-7 with Manitoba last season, Comrie’s stellar play earned him a nod to the AHL all-star game – he replaced Hellebuyck, who was up with the Jets – and was a pivotal part in the team’s success.

That success didn’t exactly translate into Tuesday’s game. Comrie played all 60 minutes for the Jets, allowing three goals on 27 shots in what just his second NHL pre-season game of his career.

After Freddie Hamilton opened the score for the Flames early in the second period, Comrie attempted to make a play behind the net but instead confused defenceman Brian Strait, who then shot the puck up the boards to defenceman Brett Kulak for an easy empty-net goal to give the Flames a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes.

“I probably should have made a better play than that. Left him out to dry a little bit,” said Comrie.

Kulak added a second goal midway through the third period to round of the scoring for the Flames, beating Comrie blocker side to put the Flames up a commanding 3-0.

“It’s our first game in a little while,” added Comrie. “It’s just unfortunate.”

Speaking of unfortunate, left-winger Shawn Matthias left the game after the first period. Matthias, one of the Jets’ notable off-season signings, took a puck to the face midway through the first but Kompon was unable to provide an update after the game.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.catwitter: @jeffkhamilton