Hellebuyck stones Rangers

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This article was published 14/10/2022 (1060 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

You couldn’t have scripted a much better start for the Winnipeg Jets.

Mark Scheifele looked like a man on a mission — at both ends of the ice — in scoring two big goals and playing some rock-solid defence. Veteran Sam Gagner, closing in on nearly 1,000 games, came up clutch when it counted by snapping a tie with just over four minutes left in regulation. And 2019-20 Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck reminded everyone why he might just be the best on the planet in his position by stopping 40 of 41 shots.

Add it up and you had an impressive 4-1 victory over the New York Rangers Friday night at Canada Life Centre that gives the home team a win to start to the 2022-23 season.

“That’s a big win against a good team,” said Scheifele. “Obviously, Bucky made a lot of big saves. You know, we had guys bailing each other out. I think that’s the biggest thing. When a guy made a mistake, we had guys backing them up. Obviously, we’ll have to fix that for the next one but, all in all, big win and I’m happy with that one.”

Sure, the weary visitors had arrived in town in the late hours of the night after playing in Minnesota on Thursday (a lopsided 7-3 triumph). And yes, they were already playing for the third time in four days, with a 3-1 decision over Tampa on Tuesday. Still, a win is a win is a win, especially over a New York squad that looks to be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

Here’s a breakdown of what we saw from our press box perch, with plenty of news and notes, analysis and quotes.

1) The new campaign certainly got off to an ominous start before the puck dropped, with coach Rick Bowness testing positive for COVID shortly after the morning skate and media availability. Here’s hoping the 67-year-old has a quick recovery. It delayed his debut behind the Jets 2.0 bench, likely until later next week at the earliest. Associate coach Scott Arniel took the reins.

“Not the way I dreamed it up,” Arniel said of his first head coaching win with the Jets. “It hit him pretty hard. So, it’s COVID and we’ll just kind of move forward. We’ve all lived this for the last few years, so we’ll just take it day to day and see where it goes from there.”

2) Hellebuyck clearly loves a lot of rubber coming his way. This marked the 22nd time he’s faced at least 40 shots in a game during his career. And he’s now an incredible 16-3-3 in those contests. Highlights including stopping Artemi Panarin on a first period breakaway, and stoning Chris Kreider from in tight during a chaotic second period in which he faced 21 shots. Only Dryden Hunt, early in the third period, managed to beat him

3) Scheifele will naturally be under a microscope this season, given the way last year played out (and ended) with him sounding like a guy wanting a change of scenery. The 29-year-old has been saying all the right things during the summer and throughout training camp and seems to be relishing the clean slate in front of him. It’s not just the two goals he scored, but plenty of little things away from the puck including hard back checks and shorter shifts, which have been an issue with him. At times, his line with Nikolaj Ehlers and Kyle Connor looked like the hockey version of the Harlem Globetrotters, the way they whipped the puck around. They have the potential to be one of the top trios in the NHL.

4) The importance of Gagner’s goal can’t be overstated. Not only was it the game-winner, but the fact it came from the fourth line is significant. If the Jets are to have any kind of success this season, they need production from the bottom-six. David Gustafsson got things going with a strong forecheck, freeing up a puck that Saku Maenalanen pounced on and fed to Gagner. The third line of Adam Lowry, Mason Appleton and Morgan Barron had a good game as well, often matched up against New York’s big guns and keeping them mostly in check all night.

“All three of them had been real responsible most of the game and it was just a scenario where we were kind of looking at what was coming, they were kind of loading up on their top two lines and those guys had done the right things all game long and they had a real good shift prior to that, too,” Arniel said of giving that line a late shift in a tie game. “To get a goal like that, it was huge.”

5) Connor is going to score a ton of goals this year — 50 is definitely not out of the question — but his first one of the year won’t make any highlight reels. It was into an empty net, with Blake Wheeler making a nice play at his own blue line to get him the puck. Here’s betting his next one is with a goaltender standing in his way.

6) Isn’t it time to get over the Jacob Trouba hate? The Rangers captain, who was going to exercise his right to free agency to play in an American market and was traded before that could happen, was booed mercilessly every time he touched the puck. The jeers got even louder when, under pressure in his own zone, he air mailed a puck into the crowd shortly after Gagner put the Jets up a goal. And the fans were positively giddy when Scheifele scored his second of the night, off a “did you see that” pass from Pierre-Luc Dubois.

7) The Jets special teams were a positive during the preseason, and that has now spilled over onto the bigger stage. The power play, which went one-for-three, is going to be a problem for many opponents this year. And the penalty kill went two-for-two. Hellebuyck, of course, played a big part of that.

8) A new celebratory twist this year is Jets players getting to choose their own goal songs. We learned Friday that Scheifele is a big supporter of “The Greatest Show” by Hugh Jackman, Gagner is a fan of The Killers with “Mr. Brightside,” and Connor loves his country music with”1, 2 Many” by Luke Combs.

9) What to make of the fact the Jets couldn’t sell out the home opener? The announced attendance Friday was 14,553, which is still nearly 800 short of a full house. Unlike last year, there’s no vaccine or mask mandate, so that can’t be used as an excuse. No doubt getting off to a good start might boost the box office.

10) Curiously, scouts from nine different NHL teams were in the building on Friday night. That would be a normal count in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline, but it’s unusually high for a season-opener. Is this a case of vultures circling the Jets before a single game had been played, wanting to get a look at some players ahead of potential movement? Is it just trying to get a read of the team’s new systems under Bowness? A bit of both? Who knows. For the record, teams with bodies in the building were Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Jersey, Ottawa (with two), Tampa Bay, Vancouver and Vegas.

UP NEXT: The Jets begin a three-game road trip on Monday in Dallas.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg