Crosby comes up big against Jets

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This article was published 16/02/2017 (3514 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PITTSBURGH — It was a shot, even if it was a long one.

The Winnipeg Jets arrived at PPG Arena with their playoff hopes hanging by a thread. A victory over the Dallas Stars Tuesday provided a temporary escape from what had been a nightmare week for Winnipeg.

 

They had lost four straight games — three on home ice — and were beginning to sink more and more each day, while at the same time teams around them started to further themselves in the standings.

Now, they faced a heavy task: to resurrect their season on a four-game road trip, beginning with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who had climbed near the top of the league standings by earning points in their last seven games.

Hours before puck drop, the game plan was simple, as one by one players in the Jets dressing room spoke about the importance of playing tough, being physical against a Penguins team built on skill.

They would deviate from that plan for only minutes, but those minutes were costly as the Jets put together one of their best efforts of the year only to fall short, 4-3, in overtime to the Penguins Thursday night.

“We played one hell of a hockey game,” said Jet coach Paul Maurice after the game. “The compete was so high, the checks got finished, the battle on pucks was real good — lots of chances to score and good goaltending kept you from scoring.”

“We’ll think about the chances in overtime for sure, but really hard-fought game.”

With the loss, the Jets still earn a point, but fall to 26-29-5. They now head to Montreal for the second game of their current four-game road trip Saturday, moving on to Ottawa Sunday before wrapping up in Toronto with a game against the Maple Leafs Tuesday night.

As for the Penguins, they left the game battered and bruised, losing two defencemen — Olli Maatta and Justin Schultz — both of whom were forced to leave the game with injury. With the win, Pittsburgh improved to 36-13-7, and have now collected points in eight straight games to maintain third in points in the NHL standings.

Sidney Crosby, the league’s most acclaimed player, proved every bit his worth on this night. Heading into the game, Crosby sat one point shy of 1,000 points in his career. It wouldn’t take long for him to give the sold-out crowd what they came for.

Crosby, with the Penguins already up 1-0 after a bobbled puck by Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck found the back of the net, slid a pass over to a wide-open Chris Kunitz in the slot and the veteran winger made no mistake, converting a one-timer to give Pittsburgh a commanding 2-0 lead.

At that point, it looked like it would be a long night for Winnipeg. After all, the Penguins rarely lose on home ice — just three times in regulation this season in 56 games — and rarely ever to the Jets, who extended their winless streak in Pittsburgh to 16 games.

The last time the Jets beat the Penguins on their ice, they were called the Thrashers, playing for the city of Atlanta when they edged the Penguins late in the 2006-07 season.

Unlike many times this season, Winnipeg would find their composure. A more physical game would soon develop late in the first period and last for the next 45 minutes of play. At times, Pittsburgh began to look rattled, often showing a lack of discipline with extra checks after the whistle.

The Jets were more than happy to engage, a style that began to work in their favour as they continued to push back.

Patrik Laine, the Jets’ coveted young rookie, scored his 27th of the season, converting a slick pass with a shot that beat, at that point, what looked to be an unstoppable Penguins goalie in Marc-Andre Fleury.

“I’m proud of every guy who battled out there,” said Laine. “I think we played well and maybe would have deserved to win. We had our chances and we couldn’t score.”

It was the first of three unanswered goals for the Jets, who tied the game with Paul Postma’s first of the season before taking a 3-2 lead after Dustin Byfuglien muscled the puck through Fleury on a strong wraparound play.

But just when it looked as if the Jets were in full control, the Penguins transformed back into the Penguins. With Byfuglien in the penalty box for holding, Phil Kessel scored 24 seconds into the man advantage, beating Hellebuyck from the left side with a laser shot to the far top corner.

From there, it would be Fleury who would steal the show, making 43 saves by the end of the night to improve to 14-7-5 on the year.

His performance overshadowed a strong game from Hellebuyck, who finished the night with just the lone blunder in the first, en route to a 35-save performance.

“I’ve got to control that — this is the NHL,” said Hellebuyck of the early goal. “Sometimes it’s unexplainable. The puck will just spin off a stick or you take your eye off it for a second; you’ve got to be on it at all times.”

Fleury, who signed a four-year extension with the Penguins in 2014 worth US$23-million, has shared the crease with the young up-and-comer Matt Murray this season. Murray is now considered the future in the crease, cemented when he helped lead the Penguins to a Stanley Cup last season.

Because of Murray’s strong play, rumours have run rampant that the Penguins will soon shop Fleury by the March 1 trade deadline, or risk losing him in the off-season in the Las Vegas expansion draft.

On Thursday, any team would have wanted Fleury, who stopped a number of quality chances by the Jets, including in overtime, where he came up big on a pair of two-on-ones and stoned Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers, who was sprung in alone from the Jets’ blue line.

“Their goalie obviously stood on his head, he played really well,” said defenceman Ben Chiarot. “I’m proud of our effort but sometimes it just doesn’t go your way.”

By press time, the Jets were four points shy of the Calgary Flames for the final wild-card spot in the West. They now move on to Montreal to face the top team in the Atlantic Division for another shot at proving they belong.

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