Jets Nation Recap: Chicago Is The Jets Kind Of Town

Game Notes:

• Let’s start with goaltending. Connor Hellebuyck has been the brunt of some criticism by Jet fans recently for his perceived inconsistent play. But the 23-year-old netminder stood tall in the city of broad shoulders tonight, stopping 34 out of 35 shots for a .971 save percentage. Has Hellebuyck been inconsistent? Sure. But let’s remember he is in his first full NHL season with a very high ceiling. He’s going to be a good one.
• A very strong first period by the Jets set the tone for this game. Goals by Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele gave the Jets the early cushion while taking the rabid United Centre crowd out of the game. The Jets also got their mojo in gear and those early goals helped them move the game plan forward. That isn’t easy to do in Chicago but the Jets should be commended in achieving that.
• My man crush is back and I’m eternally grateful. Oh, how I’ve missed Joel Armia! Sure, he didn’t register a point but his 200 ft game was excellent as he was very noticeable on every shift he took. Please hockey gods, I beg you, keep Armia healthy forever! My heart can’t take another injury.
• Drew Stafford has been the subject of much criticism by many observers (including yours truly) but his goal early in the third period was a beautiful thing to watch. It does help that Nic Petan has terrific vision. Petan’s flip pass was dead-letter perfect while Stafford showed off some speed he rarely displays and a sweet move around Corey Crawford before tucking it home. There are still many faults to Stafford’s game and his long-term future with the club is uncertain at best. (Stafford becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1.) But for one brief glimpse, Stafford had a moment to shine and he took advantage.
• We need to say more nice things about Jacob Trouba. He was excellent again on the blue line, even contributing an assist on Scheifele’s goal. Trouba is arguably the best defenceman on the Jets and we offer this advice to Kevin Cheveldayoff: PAY THE MAN HIS MONEY!!

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