The Winnipeg Jets kicked off the dads/mentors road trip against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, Jan. 4. The Jets barely navigated their way to a 2-1 win over the Sharks to remain in pursuit of first place in the Central Division. They improved to 6-0-1 in their last seven games and recorded their 27th consecutive game without allowing three or more goals.
The Sharks opened the scoring in the second period right after their power play expired. Alexander Barabanov got a clean look on Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck and barely beat him five-hole. The Jets were quick to answer back as Morgan Barron scored 1:22 later with a hard-fought battle in front of Mackenzie Blackwood.
The Jets got their first and only power play opportunity in the third period which led to Gabriel Vilardi’s goal. They showed patience with the puck and didn’t shoot unless they had a clear look at the net. A nice shot from Nikolaj Ehlers deflected off of Vilardi to secure the Jets’ victory against the Sharks.
Winnipeg Dominated All Three Zones in the First Period
The Jets had everything going right in the first period, the only thing they couldn’t do was score. Throughout each zone, they controlled the puck and gave little room for their opponent to gain any momentum. There wasn’t a whole lot that the Sharks could do to combat the Jets’ strong play throughout the first 20 minutes.
This dominance showcased itself most prominently around the halfway point of the first period. All five Sharks defenders were caught in the defensive zone at the end of their shift with five fresh Jets players on the ice. The Jets deployed Nino Niederreiter, Adam Lowry, and Mason Appleton at the halfway point of the period. The trio played a strong role in the Jets maintaining puck possession for over three minutes. Although they failed to score on the play, the pressure that the Sharks goaltender Blackwood faced was enough to tilt the game in Winnipeg’s favour.
The Jets Third Line Remain As The Best Line
The Jets’ third line of Neiderreiter, Lowry, and Appleton remains physically dominant and displays the confidence that the team needs for playoff hockey. With a strong performance in the Jets’ back-to-back games against the Minnesota Wild, the third line had momentum heading into Thursday’s contest against San Jose.
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Lowry was moving throughout the entire night and making his presence known. He had some really nice chances, including a strong rush after cutting through the neutral zone and drawing a penalty. He also centered a play at the midway point of the first period that looked like a power play even though San Jose had all five defenders. The highlight of his night came near the end of the game when he picked up speed and rushed into the offensive zone to create a dangerous scoring opportunity. This play drew a penalty which later led to Vilardi scoring on the power play.
Neiderreiter gave the Jets more defence than offence against the Sharks. He negated two huge opportunities for Anthony Duclair and Tomas Hertl by putting his body in the shooting lane. Additionally, he got a little bit of penalty kill time in the second period as it seemed head coach Rick Bowness was comfortable testing out new things. He didn’t look terrible on the penalty kill, but he wasn’t outstanding either. He was pulled from this experiment quickly and found his way back to the third line permanently.
Appleton had the same path as Neiderreiter, a quiet but defensively strong game. He wasn’t noticeable by any means in this game as the fourth line was also quite prominent for the team. His ability to play quietly but still be effective gives room for his teammates to shine and allows him to play up to Bowness’ expectations. They benefitted from all three of these performances as the third line was playing their usual hardworking style of hockey. The Jets need this to continue from this trio if they’re hoping to overtake first in the Central Division.
Reuniting Scheifele with Ehlers and Vilardi Was the Right Decision
Heading into this game, Vladislav Namestnikov took Mark Scheifele’s position as the first-line center. The Jets spent some significant time in their last game against the Tampa Bay Lightning getting beat at even strength. Bowness swapped the two players at the beginning of the third period against San Jose and it was the right decision.
The Jets spent less time attempting to push into the offensive zone after the line shuffling. The trio of Scheifele, Ehlers and Vilardi created seven high-danger scoring chances but were only successful on one. This reunion gave the Jets a much-needed boost as San Jose started to play up to the Jets’ level. The three players combined to score the game-winning goal to secure Winnipeg’s 2-1 victory over San Jose.
With the Jets improving their win-loss record to 24-9-4, they sit one point behind the first-place Colorado Avalanche in the Central Division. Additionally, they have two games in hand to claim sole possession of first place. The Jets face off against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday, Jan. 5 in Anaheim at 9:00 pm CST.
