Jets storm back in Jersey

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This article was published 04/10/2019 (2166 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEWARK, N.J. — Say this about the Winnipeg Jets: They’re definitely not boring. And a wild Friday night in Newark might just be type of statement game that will serve as a template for what this young group is trying to build.

Down 4-0 in the dying seconds of the second period and seemingly headed for a second frustrating loss in as many nights to start the season, the Jets rallied for a thrilling 5-4 shootout win over the New Jersey Devils.

“I think no matter what happens the rest of the year, you still have that to fall back on. You’re never out of a game, just stay together, stay with it, just keep pushing all game and you never know what’s going to happen,” said captain Blake Wheeler, who scored the winner in the fifth round of the shootout.

“You go down four, you’re probably not going to win many games in this league, but every once in a while you’re going to. I think the important part is just sticking together and doing it as a team.”

Wheeler had a glorious chance to win it in regulation, hitting the same post twice in the dying seconds. He was happy to get another opportunity with the game on his stick after an exhilarating, end-to-end three-on-three overtime session somehow didn’t produce a winner.

“Play enough years in this league and you’re going to look stupid. The good news, I have it within myself. I don’t want to back away from that opportunity after missing a couple layups at the horn. I was gonna score, that’s how I felt,” said Wheeler.

Winnipeg is now 1-1 on this season-opening road trip.

“It’s just so much fun. The fun we’re having right now in the room is just unbelievable,” said veteran forward Mathieu Perreault. “We’re gonna have a team dinner and you know you can really enjoy that and get to know a bit more of each other. It’s a huge win for us.”

After a strong showing a night earlier in New York in which they suffered a 6-4 defeat to the Rangers, the Jets came limping out of the gate against the Devils and dug themselves a big hole.

Winnipeg was its own worst enemy on the first two goals of the night, unable to get out of their own way.

On the first, with two minutes left in the opening period, defencemen Tucker Poolman and Anthony Bitetto both bobbled the puck in their own zone, allowing a wide-open Nikita Gusev to be set up for his first NHL goal. On the second, just 1:42 into the middle frame, Jets forwards Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers seemingly couldn’t decide which one was going to play a loose puck in front of their net. In the end, neither did and Blake Coleman hammered home his first of two goals in the game.

Sami Vatanen made it 3-0 just past the midway mark, as his slapper from the point went right through Jets goaltender Laurent Brossoit. Coleman’s second, at 13:52, was a goal-of-the-year candidate in which he beat Jets rearguard Dmitry Kulikov in a race for the puck, then flicked a shot past Brossoit and just under the crossbar with just one hand on his stick.

“Hats off to him, that was a pretty nifty little play from his stomach or his back or wherever he was,” said Brossoit.

The rout, it seemed, was on.

“It was like eating a sand sandwich on toast,” is how Jets head coach Paul Maurice described the start by his team. 

Kulikov gave the Jets their first sign of life when he beat Devils netminder Cory Schneider with 10 seconds left in the period. That’s his first goal since Feb. 6, 2018, a span of 71 games. And it couldn’t have come at a better time.

“Came back in the room with a little bit of momentum. We knew if we could just pour it on a little bit, maybe get a bounce to go our way early on in the third, we had a chance. But it didn’t matter about the win, ultimately it was about staying right, staying together. Pretty proud of that group for sure,” said Wheeler.

Jack Roslovic buried a rebound 2:41 into the third off Neal Pionk’s initial shot to cut the deficit to 4-2. Schneider, coming off two straight miserable injury-riddled seasons for New Jersey, was hurt on the play and forced to leave the game after stopping 19 shots. Backup Mackenzie Blackwood had to come in.

“A cold goalie going in probably gave us a little bit more hope and a little bit more energy,” said Brossoit.

Perreault made it a one-goal game with 12:43 left after Andrew Copp fed him in the slot. Pionk tied it with 7:25 remaining following a terrific shift in which the Jets had sustained offensive-zone time and the exhausted New Jersey skaters couldn’t clear the puck. Patrik Laine made a great play earlier in the shift to keep the puck alive for Winnipeg.

“We moved the puck around, we had them hemmed around in their zone for a while. I figured at some point a puck had to go to the net. Honestly, I think it went in because Scheifele went to the net. Big net-front presence and we get a goal because the goalie probably didn’t see it,” said Pionk.

“What made the goal happen is Patty stayed hard on the puck, forced their guy into a turnover, kept it in the corner, we were patient with it and snapped it around, finally found a hole there. Just a great job by those guys working hard and getting rewarded,” added Wheeler.

The Devils, playing before a full house in their season opener, were celebrating the debuts of several players, including No. 1 overall pick Jack Hughes, rugged winger Wayne Simmonds and defenceman P.K. Subban, who came over in an off-season trade from the Nashville Predators.

Subban had two assists and Simmonds had one, but they were certainly overshadowed by what the visitors ended up doing.

“You handle your day and you handle where you are. We got ourselves behind it for sure. It was a big goal by Kulikov to put a little bit of a spin on that going into the third. Most times when you’re in a situation like that, you never give yourself a chance. The opposite was true,” said Maurice.

“The bench was right, we put pucks in the net, we got a few breaks that we hadn’t gotten earlier and maybe even last night, when we felt we had some pretty good offence and we couldn’t capitalize.”

As for the Jets, Brossoit held down the fort and finished with 35 saves, one night after starter Connor Hellebuyck had a tough debut by giving up five goals on 31 shots.

Winnipeg returns to action Sunday night against the New York Islanders before wrapping up the trip Tuesday night in Pittsburgh.

“You bond, instantly. You share that memory together and to say you come back from four goals down is something we’ll share throughout the rest of the year. It gives us confidence as a group going forward,” said Pionk, who finished the night with a goal and assist. 

 

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg