Second-overall pick in draft Laine takes top spot in first battle with Leafs’ Matthews

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This article was published 19/10/2016 (3268 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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The Winnipeg Jets have preached patience. With the NHL team’s youth movement in full swing, time is needed to determine what the future will look like.

Through the patience has come brief stints of excitement to start the 2016-17 campaign (including a season-opening win over the Carolina Hurricanes cued by second-overall 2016 NHL Draft pick Patrik Laine). But mostly, the Jets have battled with the growing pains of their evolution.

Like any team with a number of new pieces, trying to find that winning formula comes with its share of bumps along the way, including recent back-to-back losses to the Minnesota Wild and Boston Bruins.

Fans got a fair dose of both the good and the bad Wednesday night, with the good ultimately prevailing as the Jets were able to rally late to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-4 in overtime.

LAINE VS. MATTHEWS

The hype around Laine versus Auston Matthews, who was selected at No. 1 ahead of Laine this summer, continued to grow throughout the day, beginning after each team’s morning skate as the two top picks were bombarded by reporters eager to tap into a storyline they were responsible for fuelling.

Laine had helped the Jets defeat Carolina, but it didn’t compare to the four-goal performance Matthews had in his NHL debut a week ago.

Neither player was willing to budge when asked if they saw themselves in competition with one another. Both insisted the real winner would be the one who left with the two points from a victory.

Using that logic, it was Laine who proved the victor.

If it were a competition, Laine would have won by all other measures as well. In what was a brilliant offensive effort Wednesday, the Jets rookie winger recorded his first hat trick in just his fourth NHL game.

Afterward, he was asked a number of different ways if there was some added motivation from the budding rivalry, but the 18-year-old wouldn’t give in to the peer pressure.

“Not really,” he said. “I just wanted to focus on this game like every other game.”

With the Jets down 4-1 heading into the third period, Laine cut the lead to two just a minute in. After Mark Scheifele made it a one-goal game (4-3), Laine tied it with less than a minute to go — prompting the crowd to chant “Laine’s better.”

It would set the stage for an ending that could hardly be imagined, let alone written.

“Who wouldn’t hear them?” Laine said when asked about the crowd. “It was just an amazing home crowd and they were just supporting the whole time when we were chasing from 4-0.

“They’re just amazing fans.”

After Matthews was stopped on a breakaway in overtime, Jets defenceman Dustin Byfuglien gathered the puck and sent it up the boards to Laine, who had a 2-on-1 with Nikolaj Ehlers.

Laine decided to utilize his booming shot, beating Toronto goalie Frederick Andersen in the top-right corner to clinch the win.

“I’ve never seen anybody score goals like Patrik Laine does in practice. Ever, in 20 years,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “There are guys that are good shooters in practice and they can’t seem to find a way to translate that into a game. But he has a gift, there’s no question about it.”

Matthews finished the game a minus-1, adding an assist and a team-high seven shots.

DOWN BUT NOT OUT

Despite the loss to the 4-1 Bruins earlier in the week, the Jets viewed the game as closer to the model they hope to improve on over the season: fast and hard on the puck, using their speed to transition up ice. 

Tougher to swallow would be losing to a Maple Leafs team also built around youth. The Leafs dumped a number of veteran pieces as part of a complete rebuild. The moves made room for the likes of Matthews, and others such as forwards Mitch Marner and William Nylander. In total, the Leafs have had six rookies dress thus far this season.

“It’s no secret we’ve got a lot of young guys in the room, but I think they’ve been stepping up pretty well,” said defenceman Tyler Myers, who open the scoring for the Jets late in the second period. “Even us older guys, there’s another level that we can take it as a group in terms of work ethic.

“We’re showing it in spurts, but as we go here we have to find a way to be more consistent.”

Had it not been for the late dramatics, the Jets would be licking their wounds. After a strong start that had the Jets up in shots, 7-0, through the first six minutes, Winnipeg trailed 2-0 after the first period after goals from Connor Carrick and Nazem Kadri.

Penalty trouble for the Jets in the second period would double that lead to 4-0, with the Leafs scoring twice on the power play in a span of eight seconds. Nylander converted on a 5-on-3, while Kadri looked to put the game away seconds later with his second of the night.

“We don’t want to be in that situation in the first place,” said Scheifele. “We have to be more prepared for the start of the game and come out every night and play like we did in the third.” 

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

It looked to be another tough outing for Jets goaltender Michael Hutchinson. Already without a win after dropping his first start against the Wild, Hutchinson seemed destined for another loss after he allowed four goals on 17 shots.

He would rebound in fine fashion, standing tall to stop the final 23 saves — the biggest against Matthews in the dying moments of the game. Hutchinson improved to 1-1, with a .887 save percentage.

“You can’t worry about save percentage,” said Hutchinson after the game. “You’ll drive yourself crazy thinking like that. The only thing that matters is getting the win.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton