|
Helle and the Jets Frustrate Canucks |
|
|
|
|
|
Follow me on Twitter
The Set Up
With the Jets entering the night winless in their last 6 games at home, but also amid a 9-game win streak against the Vancouver Canucks, something had to give. That something would not be Hellebuyck, who stopped all 41 Canuck shots to become the franchise leader in shutouts with his 18th.
Against the only other team with four forwards who have accrued 40 points or more this season, Helle stood his ground and summoned his posts. How did it all go down? Glad you asked.
1st Period
This one began like most against the Canucks, with exciting transition plays and lackadaisical defense. And, it was exactly that defending which allowed Ehlers to swoop in and get a pretty decent shot off on Markstrom. Keeping the pressure on, Scheifele sped in and slid a puck into the net off the wrap-around. Thing was, Tyler Myers stick had propped up the net and the puck got in through the lifted side. Oops!
We wouldn’t have to wait long for something legit though, as right off the draw Niku threaded a beauty of a pass through two or three Canucks, right to Kyle effing Connor for the one-timed red lighter. KFC!
Seconds later it appeared as though Tony Bitetto had scored, but you know, offsides are just too riveting a part of the game to allow one to pass without being examined. Good thing too, because had that offside been missed, we would have had to celebrate his first as a Jet. Boring!
Alright, I did the sarcastic offside thing in another recap, so let’s just do this. “Sometimes that challenge just takes the fun out of the game.” said Dennis Beyak. He went on to lament Carl Dahlstrom’s disallowed first goal as a result of an offside challenge. Does anyone actually think the spirit of the rule is infringed upon when a skate lifts off the ice one fraction of a second before the rubber disc slides across it?
Not long after, Pettersson sprung Miller in all alone with a crisp, stretch pass, but Hellebuyck wasn’t having any of that shit today. The man had records to break.
On the other end, Scheifele was doing all kinds of shifty skating, culminating in a spin around backhand pass to KFC that he deflected dangerously on net. Turns out, Markstrom is pretty good too. Not good enough to stop the recently demoted third liner Jack Roslovic though, who took an absolute beauty of a stretch pass from Adam Lowry, and shelfed one on the All-Star goalie. I guess less is more, eh Jacky-boy?
The Canucks golden child Elias Pettersson attempted to get one back, but missed on the wide-open net, and then wired one off of the post. Is silver child a thing?
2nd Period
The Jets started the second period on the powerplay and were moving the puck exceptionally well. Laine got a couple one-timers in, and Wheeler blasted one that Markstrom had to fight off. Still working the same PP, KFC stick handled like a dandy into the zone and then fed Pionk at the point, who siphoned it over to Wheeler for the pass… uh, goal. Nice screen?
Matthieu Perreault took a dirty elbow from Virtanen that he wasn’t too pleased about. The result; Wheeler challenging the Abbottsford native to a bout of fisticuffs that was politely declined. They call him a power forward over there.
The Canucks wouldn’t stop coming and Tyler Motte would get the next chance, taking a pass a half step ahead of the D, he managed to get a good shot off, but the soon-to-be franchise leader had stuff to do. Horvat would be the next failure, after Boeser zipped him a pass that he couldn’t quite get to go. And just to complete the trilogy, Pettersson with a clapper couldn’t phase the franchise.
3rd Period
Right off the hop, the Canucks got in on a 2 on 1 with Horvat taking a shot that Hellebuyck kicked out with the right pad. The rebound went to Miller on the backhand, but Copp was right there to take care of, He who takes care.
Bo Horvat and his Canucks just could not do anything right on the night, as evidenced by the rocket he would put off the crossbar. Evidently, Bo does not know. Next it was Myers firing one off the rush and creating a rebound for silver child Elias Pettersson to put off the post. You gotta be lucky to be good, they say. But, do you have to be bad to be unlucky?
Just for fun, Hellebuyck would give us an insane around the world glove save. Show off or showman? Either way, he’s the franchise freaking leader in shutouts, not to mention, team MVP.
To cap it all off, we would get to see another endearing empty net goal giveaway. This time from the captain-in-training Mark Scheifele, to the most delicious acronym on the team.
And for some more fun, Franchise would try to trip the red light on his record setting day. It wouldn’t happen though. Thanks, Horvat! (read sarcastically)
With the win, the Jets and Canucks have identical records and share the two wild card spots. No telling how long that will last in these days of NHL parity. Jets play again Friday at 7:00 PM, but this time it’ll be against the marauding Tampa Bay Lightning. That gives them two days to learn how to play defense, I mean, rest Hellebuyck. Should be fun.
Winnipeg Jets Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»