Jets no match for Lightning

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This article was published 23/10/2014 (3471 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Well, we’ll always have Carolina.

It’s not that the Winnipeg Jets’ effort was flat Friday night at the MTS Centre but once again, against what’s considered elite NHL competition, the team was second-best in the execution and quickness departments and came out on the wrong side of a 4-2 decision against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

With only Tuesday’s win over the Carolina Hurricanes to go against the grain, the Jets have lost five of their last six and are 1-3 on the five-game homestand which wraps up Sunday afternoon against Colorado.

There hasn’t been much winning so far this season — just twice in seven games — and the Jets have not compared well on most nights when it comes to play-making swiftness.

But, before you go all negative on the Jets, they still managed to find openings against a pretty good team and put 30 shots on Ben Bishop through 40 minutes, and 42 overall, creating any number of opportunities that, on another night, could have resulted in more than two goals

“I think we feel like we play that way most nights, we’ll win our fair share of games,” said Jets right-winger Blake Wheeler, who scored in the third. “We understand this is a results deal and we’re not really going to pat ourselves on the back, but 95 per cent of that game we were in control and playing really well. Their chances were good chances and they capitalized.”

 

What hit us?

The Lightning, now 5-2-1 and 3-1 on their western road trip, were full value for their four goals on just 18 shots at Ondrej Pavelec before Jets coach Paul Maurice sent Michael Hutchinson in to play the third period.

They scored on two how-you-do-it two-on-ones, another on a power-play one-timer and another via the sheer creativity of offensive players not needing much of an opening.

“We battled hard,” said Pavelec. “We couldn’t score in the first period. We had a few chances to score goals and we didn’t and they made some plays. A few things went wrong and we couldn’t handle it.”

 

One glorious moment

There was something to crow about for the home side.

It finally managed to break through this season for a power-play goal — all the way into Game 7 — getting Bryan Little’s quick release off the rush during a second-period advantage.

It briefly gave the home side some hope, cutting Tampa Bay’s margin to 2-1.

“It’s the kind of game that gives you a sour taste in your mouth, because we made a couple of big mistakes and they took advantage, but for most of the game, I thought we outplayed them,” Little said.

Little’s goal was Winnipeg’s first in 23 advantages this season, came with the Lightning’s Radko Gudas in the penalty box for swinging his stick and hitting Dustin Byfuglien on the back.

The Jets had blown a 1:21 five-on-three earlier in the game

 

Oh, those calls

They were cautioned about playing with fire, but in the emotion of the game, crossing the line happens easier than you think.

The Jets were burned for a second-period power-play goal by Vladislav Namestnikov, making it 3-1 as the Lightning struck on their third advantage of the night.

It was a deflation moment for the home side, which had cut the visitors’ lead earlier in the period.

Ondrej Palat then scored with 1:58 left in the second on a well-executed two-on-one, making it 4-1 after two.

 

Bad to be good

Proving once again it’s better to be really bad to help you get really good, the Lightning this week are finally realizing the benefits of picking third in the 2013 draft.

Jonathan Drouin, in his third NHL game, scored his first NHL goal at 4:45 of the second period, putting Tampa Bay ahead 2-0. It was courtesy of a wonderful Nikita Kucherov pass from behind the net, catching all the Jets going the wrong way.

How does a really good team, the Lightning, get such a great player so high in the draft, you ask?

Well, you may have forgotten just how bad the Lightning were in the lockout season of 2013, third-worst overall at just 40 points in 48 games. This is the reward.

 

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca