Jets Nation Recap: Jets young guns outscore Bruins

It was not pretty, but it’s a tick in the win column. The Winnipeg Jets start off the season right with a win, getting goals from the top to the bottom of their lineup. They won’t have long to wait as the Jets continue their travels with another game tomorrow against the New Jersey Devils.

Let’s break the game down.

To say the first period was mostly the Boston Bruins would be an understatement. While the Jets were not dominated at evens, they were still out played. To top it off, the Jets gave two bad penalties, preventing any sort of momentum regain.

David Krejci opened up the scoring in the first with a backhand, capitalizing on a possession loss by Ben Chiarot. It was the only goal in the first, but not for lack of chances. The Bruins produced quite a few, but Ondrej Pavelec kept the door shut.

Whether it be nerves disappearing, something Paul Maurice said, Tuuka Rask getting a cold, or just the ebs and flows of hockey, the Jets were a much different team for the remainder of the game.

The scoring chances at 5v5 were even, but the Jets were the only ones to find the back of the net. A smart pinch by Dustin Byfuglien cut off a pass, and then Mark Scheifele shot off a rocket for his first of the season. A sneaky pickpocket move by Andrew Ladd behind the net created the Jets next chance, as Ladd passed one out to Blake Wheeler for his first of the season. The prettiest goal may have been though Drew Stafford’s first of the season. An Alexander Burmistrov, to Chiarot, to Adam Lowry, to Stafford tic-tac-toe play gave the Jets their third goal of the period.

The Jets had all three top lines scoring that frame.

Jets did not slow down in the third, out chancing the Bruins 13-9 in the final frame.

David Pastarnak got his first of the season on a sweet shot, although the angle was quite clean, to bring the game within one. Not to be outdone, Chris Thorburn scored a beauty from a spin-o-rama pass by Stafford. Nic Petan also received his first NHL goal when a shot from Andrew Copp bounced off his skates and into the net.

The Bruins then proceeded to pull Rask for the extra attacker. Burmistrov fell back in the defensive zone to cover for Tyler Myers. The puck fell to Burmistrov who chipped it high off the glass, only for the puck to trickle into the empty net for Burmistrov’s first of the season.

You cannot complain much about 6 goals, nor can you complain about all four lines producing. The Jets picked up goals from Scheifele, Wheeler, Stafford, Thorburn, Petan, and Burmistrov. Only five Jets were without points. Not every game will be like this, especially as the Jets settle into Maurice’s more defensive system, but it was fun.

While the Jets were excellent offensively, there were quite a few things that left a lot to be desired. The Jets started off weak, their positioning was sometimes downright terrible, Pavelec had moments of flopping around, they had two bad penalties at the start, and there were some scary breakout moments. A lot will need to be cleaned up as the Jets face tougher opponents.

Jets Individual 5v5 individual statistics:

Shot attempt chart for all minutes:

Shot location chart for all minutes:

Some things to work on, but Jets are one win closer to the playoffs.