Jets Nation Recap: Jets Feast On Wings Night At MTS Centre

Winning is fun. Beating good teams are fun. The Winnipeg Jets are experiencing this phenomenon called winning and it’s a good time had by all. Two goals from Jacob Trouba plus a 33-save performance from Connor Hellebuyck gave the Jets a 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings helping the sold out crowd at the MTS Centre get over their post Christmas blahs.

It could have been disaster for the Jets early on. Adam Lowry took a four-minute high sticking penalty just 50 seconds into the opening frame. However, the Jets turned a negative into a positive, scoring a shorthanded goal as Trouba found the top corner to open the scoring. 

The power play took over midway through the period as Andrew Ladd finished off a nice feed from Blake Wheeler as the Jets enjoyed a 5-on-3 advantage.

The Jets good fortune continued in the middle frame as Alexander Burmistrov ended a 23-game goalless drought, after his wrist shot went off Jakub Kindl’s skate and into the net. Trouba’s second of the game, a bomb from the point chased Jimmy Howard from the Detroit net.

The only blemish on the scoreboard was Pavel Datsyuk’s power play marker early in the third, spoiling Hellebuyck’s bid for back-to-back shutouts. 

1. Special teams, a persistent thorn for the Jets this season, were a bright spot tonight. Lowry’s double minor was erased by Trouba’s shorthanded goal while the Jets took advantage of a 5-on-3 opportunity. While the Wings did score on the power play, they were shut down early on despite the penalty problems the Jets were in. 

2. Hellebuyck was excellent for the second straight game, stopping 33 out of 34 shots, including dazzling breakaway stops off Darren Helm and Datsyuk. This kid is going to be special and the Jets should be thrilled that they have a young, very good goalie like Hellebuyck in the organization.

3. After a slow start to the season, Trouba is starting to round into form. The University of Michigan product has been excellent since being paired up with Dustin Byfuglien on the blue line. Trouba was all over the ice, getting involved at both ends. Perhaps he smells the money that awaits him in the offseason when he is set to become a restricted free agent. 

All charts courtesy of war-on-ice.com

It’s the holidays and the Jets won. Time to dance.