As the Montreal Canadiens are out of the playoffs, and this blog has a considerably large Jets fan readership, I will be covering the Jets for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. At this rate, I may need to find another team to cover.
Patrik Laine, all your sins have been forgiven.
You have escaped the eternal damnation that is trade rumours and being a persona non grata in a Canadian hockey market.
The radio call-ins on the Jets TSN radio station suggesting potential trades for Laine seem so distant. Instead, there are new suggestions. Suggestions that Laine may be my new favourite Jets player, and that I might buy his jersey.
For those of you who have not followed the Jets’ playoff run, and are therefore bamboozled as to why I am forgiving Patrik Laine, here is an explanation. After a season where he got only 50 points, and was mired in a scoring slump, Patrik Laine has now scored in each of the Jets’ three playoff games, and has added an assist for 4 points. In three games. That’s 1.33 points per game, which is 0.72 more points per game than he had all season. He definitely showed up at the right time. However, the rest of the Jets team were a tad late, only showing up to really play hockey in game 3, where they won 6-3. The Jets had held their own in games 1 and 2, but were unable to solve Jordan Binnington, except for Patrik Laine. In game 3, however, the Jets found Binnington’s weaknesses, and were able to get 6 goals by him, shaking his confidence. The game started with a St. Louis Blues goal, by David Perron in the first period. Perron found a clear lane to shoot off the rush, and then fired a wrist shot off Dustin Byfuglien’s leg into the net. The Jets dominated, however. Finally, after many chances and saves by Jordan Binnington, Kevin Hayes tied the game for Winnipeg in the second period. Hayes shot a wrist shot from the blue line that was just meant to get a rebound, but the puck bounced off a few legs and ended up in the net. The Jets kept pushing, and they got a 2-1 lead later in the second period. Jacob Trouba, at the point, passed to Patrik laine in front of the net, who flipped the puck over Jordan Binnington to continue his torrid playoff pace. After a bit of a scrum, the referees awarded a lot of penalties, and when all was said and done, the Jets found themselves with a 4-on-3 power play. They are not the Montreal Canadiens, so they were able to capitalize on a power play. Kyle Connor, after passing back and forth with Blake Wheeler, fired a wicked wrist shot past Binnington to make it 3-1. The Blues actually bothered to show up for the third period, and proved they were still in the game when Vladimir Tarasenko scored on the power play to cut the lead in half. Brandon Tanev restored the two-goal lead later on in the third, followed by Dustin Byfuglien from behind the goal line. Byfuglien shot the puck-intentionally-off Binnington’s mask and in the net. This was very similar to Joel Armia’s goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning a few weeks ago. Alex Steen scored for St. Louis to make it 5-3, and then Kyle Connor scored his second of the game to round out the score at 6-3.
Thoughts:
· This was the first time all season that Jordan Binnington let in more than 4 goals in one game. That’s a good sign for the Jets.
· I like Kyle Connor. He likes to get into those dirty areas, and he works his butt off every shift. He has the points to show for it, getting two goals last night. He’s Winnipeg’s Brendan Gallagher. He really complements Scheifele and Wheeler well.
· I was not a fan of Winnipeg’s defensive coverage in game 3. David Perron and Vladimir Tarasenko were given too much space on their respective goals. However, they say that the best defence is a good offence, and if the Jets continue to ensure that the puck never leaves the offensive zone, they won’t get scored on.
· Being a Canadiens fan, there were two elements of game 3 that I was not used to: heavy hitting, and productive power plays. The Canadiens can hit, but they can’t rock opposing players like Byfuglien and Co. can. Don’t even get me started on the difference between the two teams’ power plays.
· This is do or die time for the Jets. They cannot afford to lose another game in this series. If they allow Jordan Binnington to get his confidence back in game 4, they might as well dig out the ol’ golf clubs. Binnington is unstoppable when he is on top of his mental game. If the Jets continue to score from the dirty areas and get into Binnington’s head, they could pull ahead in this series. If they continue to play like they did in game 3, they will win this entire thing.
· Should I buy a Patrik Laine jersey? I found one on Amazon for just under $100.
· Side note: The Columbus Blue Jackets, after just sneaking into the playoffs (at the expense of my beloved Canadiens), are on the verge of sweeping the Presidents-Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lightning. The Presidents Trophy winner has never been swept in the first round before. I know the Presidents Trophy is supposed to have a curse, but this is just ridiculous. I picked the Lightning to win the Stanley Cup, along with the rest of the hockey world. I don’t see that happening now.
· In case you missed it: Canadiens have the #15 pick in the upcoming draft.
I hope I did not write anything that exposed me as an inexperienced Jets fan who can barely name the roster.
If the Jets get eliminated, I’m done writing until the KHL free agency on May 30th, because the only other team I’d be willing to cover is the Calgary Flames, and their games are too late for me to watch. In the name of BoKnowsHabs.com, Winnipeg, beat the St. Louis Blues.
Go Habs/Jets Go,
Signed, Le Bo