It was a memorable day in Winnipeg. It was announced earlier in the day that the Jets would host an outdoor game on October 23 against the Edmonton Oilers at Investors Group Field. To top that, there will be an alumni game the day before featuring legends Wayne Gretzky, Dale Hawerchuk and Teemu Selanne.

There was also a hockey game played as well. While the score wasn’t very 1980s, the result was as the Oilers edged the Jets 2-1 before a very quiet crowd at the MTS Centre. While there was no Michael Jackson or Duran Duran to listen to, many Jet fans from the 1.0 era had many bad flashbacks to the days when the Oilers broke the Jets hearts in the playoffs. This result may actually benefit the Jets as this game may end up improving their chances in landing Auston Matthews at the draft.

For the second straight night, the first period was a dull affair as both teams slept-walked through the opening 20 minutes. No goals were scored with the best chance saw Connor McDavid dance through the Jets defence, only to be thwarted by Ondrej Pavelec.

The Oilers opened the scoring early in the second as Patrick Maroon finished off a lovely feed from Taylor Hall. It was eerily similar to Gretzky to Jari Kurri circa 1984.

The Jets tied it 51 seconds later as Mark Scheifele snapped home his 21st of the season, his 9th goal in 9 games.

The Oilers took the lead for good late in the second as Lauri Korpikoski banged home a loose puck while Jet defenders looked on with bewilderment.

The third period was a snoozefest for the most part until the final minute when the Jets pressed for an equalizer. Scheifele had the best chance with about 30 seconds left as his wrist shot beat Oilers goalie Cam Talbot, but not the crossbar.

Three Keys:

Talbot Shines: Full credit to the former New York Rangers keeper who stopped 39 out of 40 Jets shots for a .975 save percentage. Talbot did to the 2.0 Jets what Grant Fuhr used to do to the 1.0 Jets. Frustrate them at every turn.

No Depth: Other than the Scheifele-Blake Wheeler-Drew Stafford combo, the Jets weren’t really a threat to score with their other forward units. Looking ahead to next season, the Jets must address the issue that is lack of depth with forwards. Chris Thorburn tries hard, but he’s not a third-line winger. He’s not even a fourth-line NHL winger. Yet he’s under contract for one more year at $1.3 million! Sigh.

No McDavid Points: A bright spot for the Jets, they held Connor McDavid off the scoresheet. Something the 1.0 Jets never did with The Great One.