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JNGD.S8.G14 Recap: Penalties Kill Jets Chances Of Sweeping Finland Set
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Photo credit: © Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Art Middleton
Nov 2, 2018, 17:16 EDT
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The failure to be able to play a full sixty minutes continues to haunt the Jets. Today, it was a poor penalty kill effort that was fed by consistently bad, lazy penalties that did the Jets in as the Panthers scored three times on their first three power plays to skate away with a 4-2 victory in game two of the two game Finland Global Series.

FIRST PERIOD

The Jets easily had their best period of the year, starting off the game with a 5-0 edge in shots. The Panthers though got a couple of great chances of their own that Connor Hellebuyck had to stay sharp on.
The Jets strong start leads to an early lead as Nik Ehlers gets a partial breakaway and scored an absolute beauty.
Almost predictably though, the Jets took the first penalty of the game (ninth game in a row for them to take the game’s first penalty) and it resulted in a Panthers goal as the Jets penalty kill struggled to defend.
But the Jets got a power play of their own and of course Patrik Laine took center stage yet again with his fourth goal in the last two games.
The first period ends with the Jets holding a 14-10 edge in shots as Florida did well to even up play in the second half of the first period, but the Jets had to feel pretty good with a much better effort than they had 24 hours earlier. It was a sign of things to come as the Jets almost seemingly taking their foot off the gas once Laine scored.

SECOND PERIOD

Let’s talk a moment about Brendan Lemieux.
I honestly believe that Lemieux would be a serviceable if not pretty good depth player for the Jets if he didn’t focus on so much garbage play in the name of being a chippy agitator.
The Jets came out rather poorly in the second period and it was compounded by a really careless high stick penalty by Lemieux that resulted in the Panthers evening up the game at 2-2.
Then near the end of the period he pasted Vincent Trocheck with a blind-side shoulder hit that got him a match penalty and game misconduct which not only means he was kicked out of the game and will likely hear from NHL Player Safety when they get back to North America, it gave the Panthers a three minute power play that they of course took advantage of.
As mentioned, Lemieux is an ok player, but he clearly doesn’t have the talent level to justify putting up with 1980’s throwback goon antics, especially on a team that at times does struggle to stay out of the box as a whole.
The shots in the second period was 12-3 for the Panthers which of course tells you that the issues the Jets had in the second were much more than just a bad PK, but it is a major symptom.

THIRD PERIOD

Thinking the Jets would stage a comeback here? Nope.
The Jets held a 17-5 edge in shots in that third period, but this is also why you’re starting to see people who are involved with hockey analytics lean more towards defining shots more as scoring chances – both high and low – and “expected goals”
The Jets may have led in registered shots on goal, but high danger scoring chances were only listed as 5-1 in favor of the Jets and I feel like two of those five chances were maybe being generous.
Of course the one chance the Panthers did have, they scored…
Everything is so bad about that play, from the poor passing decision by Myers, to Wheelers lack of hustle from the center ice line and on, to the positioning and attempt by Connor Hellebuyck to save it.
And even though the Jets were down two late in the third, they still pressed to get something going, even pulling Hellebuyck for an extra attacker, but almost true to form on the night, Dustin Byfuglien took a hooking penalty with less than a minute left in the game to rather appropriately seal the Jets fate
This isn’t to take away from the returning Roberto Luongo who had a fine 32 save effort and really changes things for the Panthers as a serious upgrade in goaltending, but the Jets just didn’t generate anything that dangerous after the first period of play.

THE BOX SCORE

PLAYERS OF THE GAME

For Winnipeg: Patrik Laine – It certainly wasn’t for lack of him trying. The trip to Finland may not have been perfect, but if it gets Laine feeling better about his game and takes some pressure off his shoulders, then perhaps it was worth it.
For Florida: Keith Yandle – A goal and assist for the Panthers defenseman who was a steady presence all night for Florida.

NEXT FLIGHT

The Jets get to head home now and will get a week to get their bodies reset to North American time zones as they will host the Colorado Avalanche on Friday November 9. Game time is 7 PM CST.

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