JetsNation Recap – Jets Bury Avalanche In 4-1 Win
7 years ago
The Jets didn’t do anything extraordinary to win today’s contest against the Avalanche and they didn’t need to. The Avalanche are a bad team and all the Jets had to do was just play a simple game, stay out of the penalty box and hope Calvin Pickard didn’t turn into the second coming of Patrick Roy and “the rest” as they say, “should take care of itself.”
It did, and the Jets skated away with a 4-1 win.
GAME THOUGHTS
- Many times we’ve stated how exciting these Jets have been to watch even during losses. This wasn’t one of those games. This was a fairly sleepy contest with the Jets controlling play for the most part but missing the net a bunch of times, especialy early on in the first period. The Jets did let off a bit late in the third period, because ya know… “score effects.”
- Laine blasted his 18th goal of the season to open scoring in the second period after finishing off a two on one break with Mark Scheifele. The laine of Laine, Scheifele and Ehlers was reunited today and really, it needs to be kept together. Paul Maurice can line blender everything else right now if needed, but your top line is 55-29-27.
- Yes, your eyes do not deceive you… That was a pretty good second period the Jets played. They out-shot the Avs in the second, they also out-scored them for good measure.
- Any thoughts of a Colorado comeback ended quickly with Blake Wheeler scoring a little under three minutes into the final frame and then Nik Ehlers sniping a much needed (hopefully slump busting) goal a minute after that to put the Jets up 3-0. After that whatever jump the Avs may have had to get back in the game vanished. There was your typical chippy intra-divisional play, including a brutal cross-check by Gabriel Landeskog to the neck of Mathieu Perreault that went uncalled and will likely go unpunished because ya know.. “star player.”
- The Avalanche have been noted this season for being very poor on offense and even the Jets with their poor zone exits – which still happened today – didn’t seem to suffer too much from turnovers or missed passes. As nice as this win was, it’s important to note that the Jets continue to make getting the puck out of their defensive zone a harrowing adventure that one never knows how it will turn out.
- Connor Hellebuyck had a “quietly effective” 27 save effort that almost earned him a shutout if not for a late Chris Thorburn penalty that allowed the Avs to score late with a 6 on 4 man advantage. As much as we want to be annoyed at Thorburn for the penalty that put the Jets in that position, two things to consider: 1, why is Thorburn out on the ice with less than five minutes to go in a game, even with the team leading by three goals, and 2, how can four on-ice officials miss a cross-check to the next but pick out when a player has his “hands around a puck” which didn’t even need to be called sicne it’s not like Thorburn advanced the puck or gained a territory advantage on the play? Bah, whatever.. Not a huge deal. Just possibly cost Hellebuyck a shutout is all.
- And as for Nik Ehlers, he finally got that goal as I mentioned.. Two in fact as he added the empty netter. The kid is gonna be alright, here is hoping this is the start of a flood of goals he is well over-due on.
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