Blackwood backstops Devils to 2-1 shootout win over Jets

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This article was published 05/11/2019 (2137 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Stay in the fight, right? That’s the sexy new buzz phrase connected to the Winnipeg’s NHL team these days.

The Jets are developing a reputation as a squad that rarely comes out swinging but lingers just long enough to unload some punishment in the waning moments.

On Tuesday night, however, no one in aviator blue could administer the knockout blow.

The New Jersey Devils earned a 2-1 shootout victory over the Jets at Bell MTS Place. It’s the first time Winnipeg (8-7-1) has fallen in either overtime or the shootout this season.

After a scoreless overtime, Nikita Gusev and Jesper Boqvist fired pucks past goalie Connor Hellebuyck to earn the extra point for the Devils (4-5-4). Neither Kyle Connor nor Patrik Laine could solve New Jersey goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, who had a terrific 32-save effort.  

While the Jets have earned points in five of their last seven games, they’ve had to scratch and claw each time out — a point driven home by a clearly frustrated Blake Wheeler.

“Nothing ever comes easy for us. That’s our team. So, we gotta battle for every inch and stay in the fight, stay with it. All easier said than done, but for the most part I think our team has done that this year,” said the Jets captain.

In their four most recent victories, the Jets eked out a 1-0 shootout win over the Edmonton Oilers, nipped the Calgary Flames 2-1 in overtime in the Heritage Classic, withstood an onslaught in San Jose before rallying late to knock off the Sharks 3-2, and posting a 4-3 OT triumph in Vegas after falling behind 3-1 in the first period to the Golden Knights.

With the Devils in town, the Jets trailed 1-0 early on a goal by Nico Hischier, pulled even on Andrew Copp’s second tally of the season and then stuck around long enough to gain a single point. There were a few high-spirited moments but not nearly enough from a group that appeared out of sync most of the night.

Wheeler, who plodded along with linemates Mark Scheifele and Connor for two periods before the trio manufactured some buzz in the final frame and three-on-three OT, said there’s been no quit shown from the Central Division squad. 

“There hasn’t been any give… obviously, there have been times where we haven’t played out best, but for the most part it’s been us fighting through it, trying to salvage a result,” he said.

It was the first of four straight games at home for the Jets, who host the Vancouver Canucks on Friday at 7 p.m. 

Hischier, arguably the best player on the ice not wearing a blocker and mitt, gave the visitors the lead early in the first period, sweeping in a loose puck coughed up by Hellebuyck after a weak shot from a bad angle by Taylor Hall. The Jets’ top pairing was burned badly as Josh Morrissey let Hall barge down the wall and Dmitry Kulikov failed to cover Hischier on the doorstep.

The Scheifele line finally generated its first shot on goal about seven minutes into the second period with the Devils a man short. The hosts failed to connect on the power-play chance but finally hit the scoreboard on the next shift as Copp deflected a point drive from Morrissey past Blackwood with about nine minutes gone in the middle frame.

Copp’s assessment of the Jets’ performance wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement.

“I thought that it was just OK. Thought we got a little better as the game went on. I don’t know. I feel we hold ourselves to a pretty high standard and didn’t play all the way up to that,” he said.

“With that said, it’s not like we were off by a lot. We did some good things. Obviously played pretty well defensively. (Hellebuyck) was great again. Some good things, but we got to keep building.

“Just have to try and build throughout the game, try and get fast. Hopefully use (Monday’s) practice and (Tuesday) morning, whether you skated or not, just to get your legs going and get mentally right into the game. Just something that each guy kind of prepares differently. Once the game starts it’s just another game. You got to do you job and get going right away.”

Both teams came up dry the final 36 minutes of play. Blackwood made a huge blocker save on Neal Pionk with 83 seconds left in OT after Scheifele stripped the puck from Hischier in the high slot.

Boqvist was tripped up by Wheeler and the Devils had a power play for the final 37.7 seconds of the extra session. Hischier tried a wraparound but couldn’t jam it in past a sprawling Hellebuyck in the dying seconds. The Jets goalie finished with 31 stops.

Jets head coach Paul Maurice wasn’t enamoured by his club’s sluggish start, yet praised them for flashing — wait for it — “still enough fight and battle.

“I think the game played out exactly the way I thought it would. They’re a good, quick team and I didn’t think we would have all of our quickness there and that was fair. I think nothing was easy in terms of moving the puck. Part of that is they play that kind of game, part of that is we were just gonna grind this one,” said Maurice.

“It was going to be the way it looked, and it did. And to be honest with you, when you’re at home you can’t throw points away but you never disrespect an NHL team to view the game as that.

“I thought we got better as the game went on. I like our third better than our second, (the second) better than our first, so I thought we had a bit of a push there and had some chances.”

 

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell