4 key takeaways from Winnipeg Jets’ gorgeous season-opening win over Oilers
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4 key takeaways from Winnipeg Jets’ gorgeous season-opening win over Oilers

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EDMONTON — Connor Hellebuyck’s voice wobbled momentarily, then caught itself in time to speak concerning the individuals who matter most to him.

“It’s been robust on the entire household however the boys performed nice for me, they usually’ve been actually supportive this complete time,” Hellebuyck mentioned at Rogers Place in Edmonton following the Winnipeg Jets’ season-opening 6-0 win. “I actually cherish these moments, and I cherish my time with household, so hope they’re doing all proper.”

Hellebuyck missed Monday’s apply, departing Winnipeg to be together with his family members throughout an undisclosed however clearly essential household matter. He returned to Winnipeg on Tuesday, simply in time to have a restricted apply after the Jets’ foremost group was finished for the day. He was a full participant in Wednesday’s morning skate, nonetheless, and took care of his teammates to the tune of a 30-save shutout towards the reigning Western Convention champions.

From lengthy earlier than the opening faceoff, Hellebuyck’s teammates did their half to care for him.

“When he obtained again from the airport yesterday, I believe everybody sort of had a bit second with him,” mentioned Jets captain Adam Lowry, who scored Winnipeg’s first aim and added an help. “Simply to verify in on him. Ensure that he’s doing OK. Ensure that (his spouse) Andrea’s doing OK. I believe that’s one of many nice issues about taking part in in these smaller markets — it’s a tight-knit group. In flip, it makes us a tight-knit staff.”

Hellebuyck’s household matter was one of some gadgets that gave the Jets’ season opener further emotional significance. Head coach Scott Arniel had already gained 15 video games behind the Jets bench, however these have been amassed whereas Arniel wore the “interim” label; his predecessor and mentor, Rick Bowness, missed 25 video games over the course of two seasons. This time, after spending greater than a decade working to re-establish himself as an NHL head coach, Arniel’s win got here with that interim tag eliminated. It’s a milestone that neither Arniel nor his gamers took evenly.

“We’re actually excited for Arnie,” Lowry mentioned. “We knew it was going to appear like, with him sort of having the interim tag final yr at sure factors when Bones was away. To see him are available in, I really feel he’s put his personal distinctive stamp on the staff.”

“They deserve it,” Hellebuyck mentioned of Arniel and the Jets’ full teaching employees. “They work so laborious, and I put lots of hours in, so you’ll be able to see issues like this. It’s, you understand, it’s simply an honour to be a part of (his first win).”

Winnipeg’s first recreation of the season taught us about greater than the staff’s emotions of closeness. The Jets went toe-to-toe with the Stanley Cup favourites and saved Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and firm on their again foot.

Listed below are a very powerful takeaways from Winnipeg’s season-opening win.

1. Why Lowry’s line begins video games — it goes effectively past matchups

On the primary shift of the season, Lowry gained the sport’s opening faceoff, resulting in a dump into Edmonton’s zone. Mason Appleton obtained a soar on the forecheck, laying successful on Ty Emberson as Nino Niederreiter took away Emberson’s outlet. The puck headed up the left wing boards as if to clear however Lowry was there, monitoring again, taking part in his function because the Jets’ third ahead to positional perfection. It was a textbook begin to a recreation that wanted a textbook begin; regardless of the 6-0 scoreline, the Oilers are an apparent menace.

“These guys are going to play the proper approach (and) get you off to a very good begin,” Arniel mentioned, “Within the sense that they’re going to run into individuals. These three play heavy, play laborious. So it simply sort of will get the remainder of the group on board and recognizing how they must go as effectively.”

Briefly, Lowry’s line is the usual bearer. Should you ever need to perceive how the Jets are supposed to forecheck, backcheck or defend their very own zone, Lowry’s line is the one you must examine. By beginning them towards the Oilers, Arniel established the Jets’ type of play for all the staff. Lowry’s line generated offensive zone time — the significant sort, with real threats to attain — on a number of shifts earlier than they opened the scoring.

“They will do all of it. They only proved that tonight,” Hellebuyck mentioned of Lowry, Niederreiter and Appleton. “The sky’s the restrict for them. Once they’re clicking and chemistry goes they’ll have a number of sides of their recreation, and it’s enjoyable to look at.”

Appleton is a participant whose ice time usually will get singled out as a training critique. It appears unusual to some that Lowry’s line is the Jets’ de facto second line — not Cole Perfetti, Vladislav Namestnikov and Nikolaj Ehlers — and Appleton’s time on ice rank tends to attract probably the most warmth.

The factor is, Appleton makes lots of the sorts of performs that coaches like. He eats checks to get pucks out. He forechecks with good positioning and goal. His offence doesn’t are likely to match his second-line function, however that’s a weak spot shared by Lowry and Niederreiter as a normal rule.

Simply not on this night time.

Winnipeg’s second aim was the product of a Neal Pionk stretch cross to Niederreiter, who promptly spun a cross to Appleton making a superbly timed reduce up the left wing boards. The play was clearly scripted, it was executed completely, and this time Appleton’s end was up there with that of Winnipeg’s high gamers.

Appleton completed the night time with three factors whereas Niederreiter and Lowry had two every. The Jets’ third line of Perfetti, Namestnikov and Ehlers had a very good first shift, whereby Perfetti discovered Josh Morrissey for a scoring likelihood within the circle, however in any other case did not create any offence and was largely hemmed in its personal zone.

We’ll be referring to Lowry’s line as Winnipeg’s second line from right here on out.

2. Winnipeg’s high forwards are all gasoline, no brakes

Mark Scheifele had the sport’s first true scoring likelihood — a breakaway made doable by an Evan Bouchard mishandle on the Jets’ blue line. He’d ultimately rating a power-play aim, arrange by a crisp Gabriel Vilardi zone entry (in Vilardi’s two hundredth NHL recreation) and an ideal Ehlers cross.

Most of Scheifele’s night time was spent matched up towards McDavid at five-on-five — a matchup the Oilers wished — and it uncovered a bother spot we’ve harped on earlier than. Regardless of their offensive brilliance, there are occasions when Scheifele and Kyle Connor merely don’t get the puck out of their very own zone. McDavid’s line outshot the Jets 6-1 with Scheifele on the ice and took 14 shot makes an attempt to the Jets’ three. McDavid is his personal animal, generally going one-on-four and successful, however Winnipeg’s high line left holes in its forecheck that the Oilers exploited for scoring possibilities.

Ultimately, it didn’t matter as a result of Connor was automated in a approach that even McDavid wasn’t.

Whereas McDavid went coast-to-coast by beating Scheifele and Vilardi up the ice on a breakout, then beating Colin Miller one-on-one, then feathering a cross to Zach Hyman for a tap-in try that didn’t work out, Connor set a aim scoring file.

Connor’s power-play aim 9:33 into the second interval was the seventh straight time he’s scored a aim in a season-opening recreation — the longest such streak in NHL historical past. The one instances he hasn’t scored within the Jets’ season opener, he wasn’t taking part in in it — he was taking part in for the Moose.

Lowry was puzzled making an attempt to elucidate it.

“I can’t even fathom that, to be trustworthy,” Lowry mentioned. “He’s one of the constant aim scorers within the NHL. He does it in quite a lot of methods, however he all the time finds a strategy to find yourself on the scoresheet and influence video games.”

The Scheifele and Namestnikov traces managed to be even when it comes to plus/minus, regardless of the Jets’ 6-0 win. I don’t assume too many individuals will complain concerning the lack of five-on-five manufacturing if the ability play retains wanting like this:

3. Morrissey can nonetheless dance with the perfect of them

Winnipeg’s Norris Trophy candidate doesn’t get sufficient credit score for the defensive a part of his recreation. He believes that the perfect defencemen on this planet can play high minutes towards high gamers along with posting eye-catching offensive numbers.

On Thursday, Morrissey had his arms full with the McDavid line however managed to outscore it because of Lowry’s first-period aim. Morrissey didn’t get an help on that play, regardless of sending the Oilers zone into chaos with a slap cross on the high of the zone.

He left the scorekeepers no alternative with this second-period cross to Rasmus Kupari.

Kupari performed 28 video games for the Jets final season and another for Manitoba; he didn’t rating in any of them, making this good one-timer Kupari’s first aim for the Jets group. The 2018 first-round choose is supposed to be greater than a fourth-line participant — he has the dimensions, velocity and arms to create extra offence — however has usually appeared one learn behind the play since arriving in Winnipeg.

Between this aim and the preseason help he picked up on Pionk’s spotlight reel aim, it appears like the sport could be slowing down for him.

“That’s one factor I observed in camp, the selections he was making on the ice,” Lowry mentioned. “There’s a maturity to his recreation that’s taken a step ahead. It’s going to be essential, getting contributions up and down our lineup. You’ve seen what he’s been in a position to do on the PK within the preseason. We see his talent on show day-after-day in apply however for him to transform and get that to go in, it’s gotta be a very good feeling for him. And we have been all actually excited for him.”

4. All-Hermantown second pair may also help Jets win video games

This season, Dylan Samberg and Pionk might be something from the explanation Winnipeg outperforms all expectations to the weak spot that different groups exploit. For Samberg, it’s his first full-season try at top-four minutes. For Pionk, he’s usually been chaotic defensively regardless of producing 5 straight 30-plus level seasons. He’s additionally going from a veteran top-four answer in Brenden Dillon to a promising, sensible, however much less skilled accomplice in Samberg.

Pionk put Winnipeg’s defensive corps this fashion in a current one-on-one.

“Somebody’s gotta step up. All of us throughout the room, in some unspecified time in the future, we got the keys. ‘All proper, it’s your flip to step up. It’s time so that you can get extra ice time. It’s time so that you can show your self,’” Pionk mentioned. “Now we have a few guys within the locker room that may try this this yr and I’m assured we will get it finished.”

Pionk, 29, has identified the 6-foot-4, 215-pound, 25-year-old Samberg since Samberg was an undersized highschool defenceman for the Hermantown Hawks. Their households know one another effectively, having introduced many a casserole to Hermantown’s out of doors rinks on a blustery day.

“I’ve watched him since he was a squirt hockey participant,” Pionk mentioned. “Since he was little, in the event you’d consider it. He’s a freak athlete. Some individuals don’t know that about him. Clearly you see his golf recreation however any recreation we play, no matter it’s, no matter he picks up, he’s often the perfect at it. I do know he can translate that onto the ice. He’ll be capable of give us a bit extra this yr and I’m positive he’ll.”

How’s this for a primary act?

Samberg’s first recreation as a top-four defenceman ended with a aim, a plus-two ranking, a key shot block and a last-second puck retrieval behind Hellebuyck that preserved Hellebuyck’s shutout. He performed 23:21 — the second-most ice time of all Jets skaters — regardless of lacking a shift after getting hit by a puck within the third interval.

“Numerous the time final yr, Arnie was harping on me: Even while you make a very good play within the defensive zone, it’s not over but,” Samberg mentioned in a current one-on-one. “You’ve obtained to make that subsequent play.”

Between Samberg’s pinch on his aim and Pionk’s stretch cross that led to Appleton’s magnificence, the Jets’ second pair had a strong night time making “that subsequent play” in Edmonton.

(Photograph of Nikolaj Ehlers, Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor: Codie McLachlan / Getty Pictures)

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