Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down: The Jets Can’t Solve Rinne
By KB
5 years agoThe Winnipeg Jets lost a close game four as the Nashville Predators got a lead early and held on all game. In a series that has had many ups and downs, it was rare for one team to be leading all game with almost no swings of momentum. The Jets seemed slower during game four as they were missing passes and had difficulty getting clean entries into the offensive zone. They couldn’t seem to get any bounces to go their way as the puck routinely hopped over their sticks on routine plays. The Jets were searching for a goal to gain momentum, but there were no goals until it was too late to come back. This time the thumbs up and down are broken down by period for a different look at the game. Here are the ups and downs for game four.
First period
Thumbs up to the butt end of Rinne’s stick. One of the first scoring chances of the game came from a rebound off Rinne’s pad that squirted right to Josh Morrissey as he was rounding the net on the forecheck. Morrissey took a swipe at the puck and sent it sliding towards the empty cage and Rinne dropped his stick out of desperation to try and get across the crease. The stick flipped upside down as Rinne threw it and the butt end of Rinne’s stick happened to stop Morrissey’s shot mere inches away from the goal line. It was an unbelievable stroke of luck from a desperate goaltender looking to stop the puck by any means necessary.
Thumbs down to turnovers. The Winnipeg Jets got off to a decent start in the first period with some good puck possession and a few scoring chances. While most of the play was solid, the Jets struggled with turning the puck over. There were a few turnovers in the defensive end while trying to break out of the zone, but there were even more turnovers in the neutral zone. The Jets couldn’t get any clean entries and they also gave up multiple 2 on 1 chances because they kept turning the puck over through neutral ice.
Second period
Thumbs up to Andrew Copp. While the fourth line for the Winnipeg Jets doesn’t play many minutes, Copp found the time for a funny encounter with Rinne. While Nashville was setting up their breakout, Copp blatantly ran into Rinne and almost knocked him backward. Copp didn’t get a penalty on the play but he definitely got the fans engaged and gave the Jets a bit of jump in their step. Sometimes playing on the edge can pay off, and Copp took a risk with ‘accidentally’ running into Rinne while he was alone in the crease. Copp ended the play by getting an earful from the referee, but that is exactly what needs to be done when trailing in the game.
Thumbs down to special teams. The Jets had a great opportunity at the beginning of the second period to tie the game. Nashville ended the 1st period with a penalty so the Jets had an entire two minute power play on clean ice. Instead of scoring the tying goal, they gave away all momentum as they could not muster any chances and found difficulty even gaining the zone. Later on in the period the Jets took a few undisciplined penalties which led to some chances the other way. Nashville made no mistake on their second power play of the game as they doubled their lead mid-way through the second period. The lackluster effort on both sides of the special teams cost the Jets at least one goal and gave away any momentum they had during the second period.
Third Period
Thumbs up to Connor Hellebuyck. In a third period where the Jets were pressing for more chances, Hellebuyck needed to stop every shot to give the Jets any chance of coming back. Hellebuyck was sharp as the Jets defense were continually pinching throughout the third period. The loss was definitely not the fault of Hellebuyck as allowing two goals is usually enough for the Winnipeg Jets to come out on top.
Thumbs down to the entire period. In a game that could swing the entire series one way or the other, the Jets came out with a very poor effort. They were completely dumbfounded by the Nashville’s shift in neutral zone pressure as there were virtually no clean zone entries. The Jets repeatedly dumped the puck in with no results as Nashville would easily clear the zone and allow more time to tick off the clock. The Jets were a step too slow all night as they routinely lost puck battles and missed simple passes up the ice.
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