|
Jets and Preds have a battle for the ages! |
|
|
|
|
|
When you see a game with that much action, that many events, that level of skill it's hard to know where to start. Frankly, most people would look down on a game that had 10 goals total between two teams but as much as that was a scoring fiesta it was also a battle royale, but mainly due to Francois St Laurent.
Let's get this out of the way now. This game had all the makings of a classic and in many ways it was but referee St. Laurent had other ideas and they weren't biased. There was an atrocious amount of calls missed on both teams and at one point I thought the Predators fans were doing the wave during the game when they were up standing protesting!
This was not your garden variety level of missed calls it was a version of 'let them play' that Terry Gregson and Mick McGeogh could not even imagine in their respectively inept careers. Stephen Walkom should be having fits when shown video of this game but knowing the head official's past he'll double down on his former brethren and add it to the pile of filth served by the NHL as qualified stewards of officiating.
Let it go right? Not until the NHL cleans up it;s goal of what it wants games to be all the time not because some 'crew' has decided they want it to be certain way. How is any player on Nashville or Winnipeg supposed to know what interference is after tonight let alone a stick infraction? Guess what they won't the next game they play and everything gets called. That's not a player problem it's an officiating problem, and the NHL needs to see this for what it is...finally.
As for the game what more could you ask for? One team gets the lead and then the other counters, then takes the lead before surrendering it. You'd have to see Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the Whitehouse press corps to see a better back and forth. What stood out though is the despite surrendering a total 10 goals this game was still as much a goalie's battle as it was a scoring one.
For the Jets it was a score by committee effort but with young stars Ehlers and Laine contributing three goals between them. Laine with a gorgeous puck coral and then deke before writing one by Rinne that had the Jet pull the goalie wide before ripping it past him on the far post. Ehlers on the other hand was Johnny on the spot for a nice flip rebound goal and then in the right spot again to jam in another rebound to tie the game at 3.
The drama came after Yannik Weber score :30 into the third period to tie the game... and then the rodeo began. The Jets and Preds traded chances, rushes and shots. Subban ripped one bar down and almost into the net and the Jets put some wide, and into Rinne from point blank. No one was playing for the tie and that's when it happened. Late in the game with the Jets getting possession in their own end Tanev took a pass at his own blue line and worked to handle it taking his stride and time to get to the blue line. With an unexpected amount of room Tanev cut a bit wide and flew by Josi before cutting to the net and sliding the puck between Rinne's legs.
Shocked is what you would describe the crowd inside the Bridgestone Arena.
The Preds gained possession soon after the face off and pulled Rinne. The third line was out but Tanev was on the bench with Jets' captain Blake Wheeler filling in. Not only did Wheeler block two shots during the melee he also managed to get possession of the puck and fire it nearly 200 feet to get the empty net and game tying goal. Oh captain my captain.
This was a different Jets team than the one that visited last November 20th. While the team then mustered some resistance after the game was 4-1 and made it closer at a final of 5-3 this version of the Jets was not ready to settle. In previous years they would have folded like a cheap suit when the Preds tied the game at one and then quickly took a 2-1 lead soon after. After the games against St. Louis this team looked the Preds straight in the eye and declared 'not this time'.
They simply did not care. They played their game and battled back doing what they needed to in an attempt to win a game they believed they could win. If you were one of the many fans watching at home or within establishments across the city you had to feel something was different maybe not perfect but this team is not the same one that finished last season. It's not even the same as the one who finished the month of October. This one is sending messages and the Predators got served, just like the Blues did this past weekend.
Winnipeg Jets Blogger •Winnipeg Jets Writer • 
Join the Discussion:
»