Disappointing effort by Jets ends in 4-2 loss to Leafs

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This article was published 24/10/2018 (2509 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Randy Bachman may have performed Wednesday night outside Bell MTS Place as part of the pre-game festivities for a much-anticipated matchup between two Canadian hockey heavyweights.

But the Winnipeg Jets were unable to take care of business against the Toronto Maple Leafs inside the rink, putting in one of their roughest efforts of the young season in a 4-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The fact it came on a big stage — the game was broadcast across Canada by Sportsnet and across the United States by NBCSN — only adds to the sting.

Winnipeg falls to 6-3-1, while Toronto improves to 7-3-0.

“We can watch video all we want but you never know until the game starts what’s gonna happen. We got behind and we can take some good things out of that game but we didn’t get the play we wanted,” said veteran Jets defenceman Dustin Byfuglien, who was minus-two on the night and victimized on a key third period goal that shut down a Winnipeg rally.

It’s no secret the Jets have not played their best hockey despite winning six of their first 10 games this season. Captain Blake Wheeler said earlier this week his team was “carrying a lot of weight, carrying a lot of expectation,” which was “inhibiting” them from playing their best.

But the ability to get by on talent alone against inferior opponents and keep racking up the points was of little help as they faced off against a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

“We’re more concerned with our defending than anything else,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice said of a game in which they gave up 39 shots on goal and another 29 shot attempts, many of the dangerous variety.

After falling behind 3-0 through 40 minutes, the Jets tried to mount a late rally by scoring two quick third-period goals. But Toronto took advantage of some sloppy defensive play — a familiar theme throughout the night — and scored a couple minutes later to put this one away.

Winnipeg’s 15 game regular-season point streak on home ice (14-0-1) came to an end with the loss. The Jets finished this six-game homestand, their longest of the season, at 4-1-1.

Toronto came flying out of the gate, no doubt motivated by the fact they had lost two straight games and been idle since Saturday. They fired 18 first-period shots on Connor Hellebuyck, and another 16 pucks that either missed the net or were blocked.

Kasperi Kapanen opened the scoring late in the period, taking advantage of two consecutive Patrik Laine turnovers and beating Hellebuyck high. That prompted a huge roar from the vocal Maple Leafs fans in the crowd.

The Jets have given up the first goal in six of their 10 games, including the last three games. By comparison, Winnipeg surrendered the opening tally only 37 times in 82 regular-season games last year.

Rather than regroup and come out focused following the first intermission, the Jets were even more sluggish in the second period as Tyler Ennis and Nazem Kadri added to the lead. Ennis’s goal came on a nifty tip, while Kadri’s was a softy Hellebuyck would no doubt want back.

Winnipeg only mustered four shots, none of them dangerous, in the middle frame.

“We missed the net 11 times in the second period and that keeps you from feeling good about your offensive game,” said Maurice. “It’s more than defensive plays and the turnovers in our end of the ice. If you’re unable to recover from those, you’ve got to look at your problem. You’re in the wrong spots or you haven’t shut down hard enough to close out the goals. The first two, for me, we can be a better defensive team than that.”

Maurice brought the line blender out to start the third, moving Nikolaj Ehlers to the top line with Mark Scheifele and Wheeler. Laine, who started the game in that spot, moved down to play with Bryan Little and Kyle Connor.

It seemed to spark the Jets, as Ehlers broke a personal 27-game scoreless drought when he took a Jacob Trouba pass and beat Frederik Andersen 4:57 into the final frame. Ehlers reached back, pulling the proverbial monkey off his back and throwing it into the crowd for good measure.

“When you don’t score it sucks. So getting that one, and getting the boys in the right direction and fired up was definitely nice,” said Ehlers, who was credited with a game-high eight shots on net. “I felt really good out there and I tried to do my best and just skate my ass off. Getting this one, even though we lost, it definitely gives me some confidence. Scoring always does. Now I just gotta keep skating, keep playing the way I did (Wednesday).”

Scheifele cut the deficit to one with a power-play goal 91 seconds later, and his team-leading fifth of the year suggested another big rally might be in the works from a Jets team that leads the NHL in third-period scoring.

But Toronto’s John Tavares responded with the dagger exactly two minutes later. Mitch Marner turned Byfuglien inside-out on the play, and Tavares, the prized free-agent signing, cashed in the rebound.

“You’re going to come back from two-goal deficits a bunch of times, it’s just tough to do in games in the same game. We needed that to stay at one, we certainly had the momentum at that point,” said Maurice.

Winnipeg outshoot Toronto 22-11 in the third period. Andersen finished the night with 38 saves, while Hellebuyck turned aside 35 shots.

“It seemed like all their lines were buzzing,” said Jets forward Adam Lowry. “They’re a really skilled team over there. It’s about managing the game. And when you get put in your zone you get put in those positions where you have to defend and keep them to the outside. I think as the game wore on we got a little better at that, we got quicker in our reads. You have to give them some credit, they’re a good team, they’re going to force you to make some mistakes. And they did that.”

The top two picks in the 2016 NHL draft were kept off the scoresheet. Laine, the No. 2 pick, had a tough game overall with that costly first-period turnover along with a penalty he took, although he did hit a crossbar. Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews, the No. 1 pick, also had a quiet night and failed to add to his NHL scoring lead.

Winnipeg now heads to Detroit to play the Red Wings on Friday night, then meets the Maple Leafs again Saturday at Scotiabank Centre. After that it’s off to Finland for a pair of games against the Florida Panthers.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg