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Laine shines in 5-2 win over Wild |
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The home opener for any team is a special time, yes the formalities can be a bit long and tiresome but there is always optimism, even if you have already played four games. Last night's affair at Bell MTS Centre was no different except the excitement was tempered due to injuries and a gutted defense yet the offense seems to be picking up right where it should.
Adding to the intrigue building up to the game was the sitting of Sami Niku after returning from the Moose on a conditioning stint. Adding to that it seemed the coach desired a preference for Bitetto in terms of physical play over Niku.
The play did become physical and the Wild used all sorts of tricks and bait to draw Winnipeg into trouble, especially as the game wore on. The opening goal was simply a case of a rookie (Heinola) not getting an obvious call as he was held and dropped as Hartman stole the puck and put it past Hellebuyck.
Eventually the Jets tied the game on a nice give and go with Wheeler and Scheifele and took the lead as Laine took a Scheifele pass across the ice on the rush and one-timed it past Dubnyk. It's amazing what kind of contortions Laine can put himself into when he has to make a shot- this goal was no different. After the Wild tied the game early in the second period was when things started to become nasty and as usual the team with less talent led the way.
The turning point was the joint penalties to Ehlers and Sourcy. After that the Jets came alive at 4v4 and it was Laine who led the way with a spectacular deke before feeding Connor for his second of the year. The old Laine would have tried and extra move and a shot but this maturing, motivated Laine pushed the puck over after the Wild were drawn in and Connor had a clear shot that Dubnyk got a piece of in a solid but futile effort.
Finally the returning Josh Morrissey got in the act when he and Roslovic found themselves in front of the net together with the latter cleaning up the garbage and getting the goal. At that point the Wild tried upping the physical play and there again was Laine, playing mean and backing down from nothing. Laine even said in his post game comments that 'he's not backing down from anyone'. This is a changing, developing and maturing young man. He even mentioned that he's 'capable of more' and the captain Blake Wheeler talked about leaving a legacy of helping to 'make Laine one of the best players in the league'.
This is a surprising yet revealing look at this group. Have hatchets been buried? Has the moment of unity come just five games in?
Whatever the case the Jets seem to have found a taste of what needs to be done but don't let that mask the underlying issues. The Jets were caved in on shot volume, scoring chances and high dangers scoring chances. These last two game have Connor Hellebuyck with a .961 save percentage having stopped 75 of 78 shots vs the Penguins and Wild- two teams not playing their best hockey.
The Jets are winning because they are a highly skilled team and are having efforts from their best players in particular Hellebuyck but this is not sustainable. There has to be improvements in structure, system and tactics to slow the shot rate against. Do so is not unattainable but it requires time and awareness from the coaches and players. Don't let false positives mask the problems.
Now this is not to say winning isn't good and certainly not all wins are pretty. There are good things happening here and it's building on strengths. That's the good news because there are more than a few issues that will be solved due to health and the Byfuglien variable. In fact the Jets could be a very dangerous team but they are not there yet.
Winnipeg Jets Blogger •Winnipeg Jets Writer • 
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