Jets impressive in pre-season finale

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This article was published 07/10/2022 (1111 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CALGARY — It’s a fool’s game to suggest the pre-season is an accurate predictor of how a hockey team might perform once the puck drops for real. Plenty of clubs look like contenders during dress rehearsals, then immediately get a case of stage fright once the bright lights come on.

Still, the Winnipeg Jets we watched on Friday night at Scotiabank Saddledome — and through much of the past two weeks, in fact — sure look like a group poised to make some noise.

“We’ve got a great team here. We do,” coach Rick Bowness said following an impressive 5-3 victory over the Calgary Flames which highlighted many of the ways this group can be dangerous. “We’re going to continue to get better. We believe in ourselves and it’s going to be a fun year.”

It starts in goal, where Connor Hellebuyck was his usual rock-solid self, stopping 35 of 38 shots he faced. Tyler Toffoli on a highlight reel tick-tack-toe play, Blake Coleman off a lucky bounce and Nazem Kadri on a one-timer were the only ones to beat him.

It extends to the new-look top line of Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers, who all lit the lamp and have the potential to be one of the most potent trios in the league.

“Starting to come together. Last two games were pretty good,” Scheifele said. “A lot of speed, a lot of skill. We’re excited to get going.”

It includes Pierre-Luc Dubois, who sure looked the part of a dominant power forward in potting a pair of first-period goals. Unfortunately, he exited the contest after 20 minutes with a lower-body injury and didn’t return. After the game, Dubois was in the dressing joking around with teammates looking none the worse for wear, and Bowness confirmed it was simply a precautionary move given the low-stakes of the contest.

It also involves special teams, which were once again stellar. Winnipeg went 4-for-4 on the penalty kill, following up a 6-for-6 night in Wednesday’s 5-0 triumph over Calgary at Canada Life Centre. They scored a shorthanded goal, and also went 1-for-4 on the power play after a 3-for-5 effort 48 hours earlier.

Yes, there was plenty to like as Winnipeg finished the exhibition slate with a flourish, going 4-1-1 in six games. Which, along with a couple bucks, will get you a cup of coffee. The record, of course, now reverts to 0-0-0 with the 82-game regular-season set to get underway next Friday when the New York Rangers pay a visit to Canada Life Centre.

“It’s a fun time to get ready for the season now. Training camp is more or less behind us,” said Bowness.

Before we put the pre-season in the rear-view mirror, here’s some news and notes, analysis and quotes from what went down in the finale:

1 Just as they did Wednesday, both teams dressed close to their A lineups, which makes Winnipeg’s performance even more impressive. The Flames are being touted as a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, with the likes of Jacob Markstrom, Kadri, Jonathan Huberdeau, Elias Lindholm leading the way. The Jets are being overlooked by most pundits, given little chance of being much more than a team fighting tooth and nail just to grab a wild-card spot. Yet Winnipeg took the two-game series by a combined 10-3 margin.

2 Does Cole Perfetti have a target on his back? The 20-year-old Jets forward was boarded by Kadri in Wednesday’s game and was lucky not to be injured. Kadri was given a minor penalty. On Friday, Dillon Dube crushed him from behind on the numbers — and didn’t even go to the sin bin. Blake Wheeler and Morgan Barron, who jumped to his defence, were penalized. Perfetti was shaken up but remained in the game.

3 Scheifele and Connor killing penalties? Together?! Bowness gave it a look Friday, and the duo quickly combined for a beautiful shorthanded goal. As the saying goes, the best defence is a good offence. You wonder if this experiment will carry over into the season?

“I haven’t done much of it, but the coaches have done a great job of helping me and teaching me positioning and stuff like that,” said Scheifele. “It’s exciting for me to play something I haven’t really played since I got to the NHL. It’s something I take pride in.”

4 Bowness wants the Jets to be aggressive on the forecheck, and it was noticeable in this one. They were buzzsaws in the Calgary end, and it was interesting to see how many times defencemen jumped into the play, and were quickly covered by forwards falling back. Ehlers, Connor and Scheifele, not exactly known for their work in the defensive end, all made solid contributions in this department.

“Each game we’ve done a decent job of it. We’re still trying to get a handle on it,” said blue-liner Dylan DeMelo, who had a pair of assists in the game and joked that he should “buy a lottery ticket” given he’s not exactly known for offence. “That’s something we have to continue to work on. It’s a bit of a change for our group. The D (last year) were more stay-at-home.”

5 The Jets made two cuts earlier in the day, reducing the active roster to 25 skaters. Rookie sensation Brad Lambert is heading to the Manitoba Moose, where the 18-year-old should be given plenty of opportunity to shine. He impressed in his first NHL camp, but a little more seasoning at this stage seems like the smart play. Defenceman Johnathan Kovacevic was the other casualty, and the organization is holding its collective breath that he clears waivers by this afternoon. It would be a shame to lose an asset for nothing, and Kovacevic is on the cusp of being an NHLer.

6 It’s hard to get a sense of which two players might still be on the outside looking in. Mason Appleton and Sam Gagner were the forward scratches Friday. Appleton has a minor upper-body injury but is expected to be ready for the season opener, while Gagner is a veteran who didn’t need another look. Depending on the health of Dubois, you’d think one forward of Dominic Toninato, Saku Maenalanen and Jansen Harkins are likely out, but time will tell.

7 On the blue line, it was noteworthy the three healthy scratches were Kyle Capobianco, Logan Stanley and Dylan Samberg. It’s a safe bet one of those three will be cut. Capobianco, who would have to go on waivers, is most likely.

“Competition is good, internal competition is good,” said DeMelo. “We have a lot of guys that maybe won’t be in on opening night that can contribute.”

8 Ville Heinola was paired with Nate Schmidt on Friday, a first-time look for the duo Bowness wanted to see tested against strong competition. That would seem to give Heinola the nod over Stanley and Samberg when it comes to a job in the top six, but Bowness wasn’t ready to declare that just yet.

“We’re going to have to sort that out in the next couple days. We’ve got some tough decisions to make. There’s no question,” said Bowness. “No one has played their way out of here.”

9 Kudos to defenceman Josh Morrissey, who spoke his mind Friday on Hockey Canada’s role in multiple sexual assault scandals and their refusal, so far, to make sweeping changes at the highest level. He called the current situation a black mark on the sport’s governing body.

“As someone who has played for Hockey Canada, grown up here in Canada, it’s really disappointing and I hope going forward the right change is in place so we can have a better game for kids and everyone in the system,” said the Calgary native.

“Change can come in different ways. Fortunately the way that major sponsors have put their foot in the ground and demanded change, that’s what you need, really. I think it’s a really courageous thing and the type of initiative on those companies’ behalves to ask for that change.”

10 The Jets will enjoy a day off today in Banff, with plenty of team bonding on the menu. Morrissey and teammate Adam Lowry, also a Calgarian, have been tasked with event planning. Then it’s three straight days of practice, starting Sunday, in the mountain town before heading home.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg