A game the Jets will want to forget

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This article was published 01/06/2021 (1304 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It began as an evening unlike any other in Winnipeg Jets history, and ended as a night they’ll soon want to forget.

In what was the first playoff series between the Jets and Montreal Canadiens, it was the Canadiens who would ultimately rise to the occasion, outplaying and outclassing Winnipeg en route to a 5-3 Game 1 win Wednesday night.

If not for a memorable opening, which included the admittance of 500 front-line workers in the stands — the first fans allowed in Bell MTS Place in 450 days — followed by a touching tribute for the 215 children whose remains were found at the former Kamloops residential school in B.C., it would have been mostly forgettable.

What will be hard to erase, though, and what will inevitably linger for as long as the series is played, are the events that unfolded near the end. With seconds on the clock, the Jets down 4-3 and their net empty, Montreal’s Jake Evans retrieved the puck from behind the net and just as he wrapped it into the open cage he was delivered a crushing blow to the head by Mark Scheifele. Scheifele was assessed a five-minute major for charging and a game-misconduct. There’s been no word from the NHL’s department of player safety, so it’s unclear whether Scheifele will face any supplementary discipline.

“Just hope he’s OK. That’s the concern,” Jets captain Blake Wheeler said. “It’s never good to see a guy on the ice for that amount of time and the stretcher out is scary.”

A predictable rage-filled melee ensued, with punches thrown in all directions while Evans lay motionless on the ice. Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers became a human wall to prevent any further damage and after a number of minutes, Evans, who turned 25 on Wednesday, was stretchered off the ice as the two teams continued to exchange verbal jousts.

“When something like that happens there tends to be a scrum,” Ehlers said. “So I was just trying to keep everyone away from him. In a situation like that, you don’t want anyone falling on top of him.”

The Canadiens were less diplomatic in their response. Earlier in the day, players had praised the Jets. The tone afterwards, though, was far less complimentary.

“Yeah, it was a dirty hit but the league’s going to take care of it,” Canadiens defenceman Joel Edmundson said. “If (Scheifele) gets back in the series, we’re going to make his life miserable, but I think the league’s going to do a good job with that.”

Scheifele was assessed a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. There was no update by the NHL’s department of player safety by press time, so it’s unclear if Scheifele will face any supplementary discipline.

After dominating the Edmonton Oilers in the first round, the Jets are likely to have a much more challenging time toppling the Canadiens. The two clubs play a similar game, but it was Montreal that did it much better on this night.

The Canadiens led for much of the evening, often controlled long stretches of play and were able to goad the Jets into physical affairs after the whistle that Winnipeg just isn’t built for.

Few would have predicted a combined eight goals on the night, not with the likes of Connor Hellebuyck and Carey Price between the pipes. Each goalie played a pivotal role in the first round, and while they each allowed a few goals, they both put forth strong efforts.

Hellebuyck finished with 28 saves, while Price had one fewer, at 27.

“I’m gonna refrain from answering those questions,” Hellebuyck said when asked about Price’s night. “This is going to be a hard series and I don’t really care about what’s going on down there. I care about my game and how we’re playing.”

While it’s a fool’s game to put too much stock in a series-opener, it’s hard not to look at this defeat as a missed opportunity for the Jets — and, perhaps, a defining game for the Canadiens.

Winnipeg hadn’t played a game in nine days, since eliminating the Oilers on May 24, while the Canadiens had a much quicker turnover. They got just one day off after going the full seven games against the Toronto Maple Leafs, which included loading up their luggage and travelling to Winnipeg.

It should also be noted there was a significant mental cost to Montreal’s first-series triumph, the strain that goes with rallying back down three games to one. While there is a benefit to rolling with a consistent game, there’s no doubt the added miles put on Montreal were rough.

If the Canadiens were drained — physically or mentally — they certainly didn’t show it come puck drop. Montreal dictated much of the opening 20 minutes, taking a 3-1 lead into intermission.

“We just lacked a little sharpness early,” Jets forward Adam Lowry said. “A couple of mental mistakes. Dug ourselves a hole but didn’t quit.”

Montreal opened the scoring 3:30 into the game with Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s team-leading fourth goal of the playoffs and 110 seconds later Eric Staal deposited a cross-crease pass from Corey Perry to put the visitors up 2-0. Hellebuyck had no chance on either, with Kotkaniemi’s marker coming from a redirection off a nifty slap pass from Jeff Petry.

Lowry would create some life for the home side, while also giving the small but energetic crowd something to cheer for, in the most unlikely of scenarios: shorthanded. Lowry wrestled the puck away from Montreal defenceman Erik Gustafsson near his own blue line before racing down the ice and beating Price five-hole with a nice backhand deke.

Whatever momentum the goal created was extinguished minutes later, as Nick Suzuki turned a two-on-one into an individual effort that will be seen all over the highlight reels for the next couple days. Suzuki drove up the left side and instead of passing, pulled back the puck enough to make Derek Forbort commit to the other shooter and Hellebuyck to freeze momentarily, providing just enough room to shove the puck into an open net.

The Jets understood their long layoff might create a few hurdles. Although it was a short series against Edmonton, they, too, went on an emotional ride through four games. Three of those wins were in overtime, including a marathon Game 4 that required three additional periods, lasting 106 minutes and 52 seconds.

“We were itching around 10 (days) and you just kind of lose that bite a little bit of what a playoff series is like. But, you know, in some ways it’s a great reminder,” Wheeler said. “We can take a lot of positives from tonight, no question.”

Because of the lengthy layoff between series, the Jets were peppered with questions about what was key to succeeding in Round 2. The focus was on getting back to an intensity level needed to perform in the post-season, and the difficulties manufacturing those feelings.

When it was finally determined the Canadiens would be their opponent, players preached the need to be patient. With Winnipeg playing a similar game to Montreal — hard forecheck, sustained pressure, quick transition game — they understood their key to victory was to wait out their opponent, create occasional chaos and then make good on their chances.

By the second period, though, it was clear the Canadiens were playing chess, and Winnipeg checkers.

It didn’t help Dylan DeMelo was injured just 29 seconds into his first shift, forcing the Jets to juggle their defensive pairings right from the beginning. But that hardly excuses the number of odd-man rushes the Canadiens were able to generate. Nor does it provide an explanation for how much better Montreal was at puck control. There were times  Montreal was more than happy to work the puck around in their own end, almost daring the Jets to come get it.

“It was challenging in tonight’s game,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said of DeMelo’s absence. “But in some ways I’m thinking it can be a positive because you’ve almost got to run those guys hard to get them back into that game pace. So all those guys got lots of minutes and they’ll be quite a bit sharper I think in the next game.”

The Jets showed some life in the third period, but it proved all for naught.

Derek Forbort cut the lead to 3-2, sniping a shot over Price’s glove after a pass to the slot from Pierre-Luc Dubois.

Fewer than two minutes later, Brendan Gallagher put the Canadiens back up by two, slamming home a rebound off a Shea Weber, of all players, breakaway.

Kyle Connor would score to make it 4-3 with 1:42 remaining, making up for a glorious missed opportunity earlier in the frame that Price just got a piece of. It was that kind of night.

The Jets will get a chance to even the series at home in Game 2 Friday night. Puck drop is 6:30 p.m.

 

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton