It was the opening night for the Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames – two teams that are incredibly similar in structure and production from a season ago. While both project to be in and around the playoff line in the Western Conference, it was the Flames who got the better of the Jets in this matchup, winning by a score of 5-3.
Two goals from Andrew Mangiapane and 34 saves from Jacob Markstrom powered them to this victory. From the Jets’ side of things, there was plenty to take away from their season-opening battle.
The Winnipeg Jets Have a Deep Forward Group
A few players made their Jets debut on this night. In the Gabriel Vilardi trade, which saw him join the Jets organization along with Alex Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari, the forward group was projected to be deeper on paper. It was only game one, but the depth that Rick Bowness and his coaching staff were vying for was on full display.
Nino Niederreiter had three glorious chances to score in the first period and could not bury one, and alongside Nikolaj Ehlers and Cole Perfetti, that line seemed to show instant chemistry. They will need to produce at a high-level this season, and this game showed that they have game-breaking abilities that will shine through sooner rather than later.
The top line contributed in a big way. Mark Scheifele, fresh off of his seven-year extension, scored a huge goal late to tie the game at three. Kyle Connor opened the scoring, as he has now scored in six straight season-opening games which ties an NHL record. Weird stat, I know.
Iafallo chipped on on the scoresheet with an impressive deflection goal to tie the game at two midway through the second period. The trade that brought him to Winnipeg looks better and better by the day, and if the former Los Angeles Kings’ players can continue to produce at a high level, the Jets forward group is going to be an incredibly deep unit all season long.
The Jets forward group contributed to what looked like a dangerous power play. Despite going 0-for-4, Bowness liked what he saw from the group and stated this post-game: “The power play did what it’s supposed to do, create chances and generate momentum.”
The Jets had a middle-of-the-pack man-advantage last year, and having a top-seven unit could vault them into the contention conversation. Only time will tell if they are able to carry this momentum into actual results over the coming weeks.
The Jets Dominated the Possession & Analytics
There is an argument to be made that the Jets got “goalied” by Markstrom in this one. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Jets paced the Flames in all of the following categories: Corsi (83-45), scoring chances (49-23), and expected goals (5.08-3.77).
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Bowness was happy with the way his team played, telling reporters post-game: “If we play like that we’re going to win a lot of hockey games.” He’s right, and the recipe for success is there for the Jets to be a playoff team. They dominated this hockey game, and the puck didn’t bounce their way. Hellebuyck struggled in this game coming off of his seven-year deal, saving only 17 of 21 shots, which is something that won’t happen too often this season.
Regardless of the struggles, there were plenty of positives to take from the opening game of the season. Bowness stated “I thought we played an excellent game. I thought we played good enough to get at least a point.” The Jets were advertised as a deep team up front with excellent goaltending to fall back on, and they will be just that more often than not this season.
The Jets Must Limit Big Mistakes
The big mistakes cost them in this one, with the biggest one coming late in the third period. Nate Schmidt iced the puck with a tired group of players on the ice, and on the ensuing faceoff, the Flames took the lead courtesy of an Elias Lindholm goal.
When asked about it after the game, Bowness said: “Yeah the icing hurt. Late in the game like that, the guys are tired, yeah that hurt.”
There was the Rasmus Andersson goal, which came on the penalty kill, which was a harmless-looking play that beat Hellebuyck over the right shoulder. While there weren’t many concerns about the Jets game overall, they will need to limit their mistakes with three incredible hockey teams coming up on their schedule.
The Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, and Vegas Golden Knights are on the docket for the Jets as they will return home for a three-game home stand, beginning on Saturday, Oct. 14.