The Winnipeg Jets really need to figure out what is wrong with their power play.
Facing off against the worst team in the NHL in Columbus, the Jets went only 1-for-7 with the man advantage, whiffing three different 5-on-3s, defeating the Blue Jackets 3–1 in the four-game opener. fallen. -Game Road Trip.
“The power play has to go through there,” Jets head coach Rick Bowness said. “You get 5-on-3, that’s the difference in the game. It doesn’t have any message.
“You don’t get 5-on-3s very often and when you’re given them like that, you have to take advantage of them and score some goals, and we weren’t that easy.”
The Jets now have just three for their last 33 chances and have the man advantage in their last eight games.
Kyle Connor notched the Jets’ only goal on the power play at the end of the first period which was completely dominated by the Jets. With a chance to move into the top spot in the Western Conference, they outscored the Jackets 12–2, but only had one goal to show for it.
“I thought we came out really strong,” said Connor. “The doubles penalty ruins the flow a little bit. Obviously, more so in the second period. I thought our 5-on-5 play was great, it’s just unfortunate we didn’t get to see more of it.”
Former Jet Patrick Laine ended a seven-game drought by scoring against his former team.
The loss ended a three-game win streak for the Jets as the Blue Jackets swept a two-game season series.
The Jets fired 38 shots on Joonas Korpisalo, but often missed or failed to get traffic in front of Korpisalo.
“We had some grade-A passes at times where we missed the net,” Bowness said. “And there were times that he saw the puck. So, there weren’t going to be sleek goals in that period. But it was a really good period and the penalty again took our steam off.
The Jets gave Connor Hellebuyck some extra time off to recover from his illness as he backed up David Ritich, who was making his second straight start. He stopped 21 of 23 shots.
Sam Gagner returned to the lineup after two games from scratch, and he replaced a healthy Carson Kuhlmann.
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The Jets came out of the gate strong, dominating the first round but struggling to defeat Corpisalo.
Winnipeg’s slumping power play late in the period gave hope for a turnaround when they took a 5-on-3 lead at intermission, and with only 1.8 seconds left, they finally got on the board.
Blake Wheeler collected the puck in the corner as time expired and threw a cross-ice pass to Connor. The sniper caught it with his skate, kicked it on his stick and fired a blistering shot over Corpisalo’s wrist to open the scoring moments later as it finished 5-on-3.
The Jets held a 12–2 lead in shots on goal through 20 minutes, but Columbus responded in the second, thanks to a pair of penalties taken by former Blue Jacket Pierre-Luc Dubois.
The Jackets did not score on their first power play opportunity, but on their second, Lane made a rip over Hrithik’s left shoulder to tie the game exactly ten minutes into the second.
Winnipeg earned its second 5-on-3 of the game in the latter period, which lasted just over a minute, but could not hold the advantage as Columbus finished with shots 14 seconds to Winnipeg’s 12.
Early in the third, the Jets found themselves with another 5-on-3, and again they could not cash in as Corpisalo was playing well but Winnipeg was hesitant to shoot, as they missed three of their 5-on-3s. A total of four shots were fired at -3. Chances in the game.
Columbus also missed a couple of power plays as the third period progressed, but with just ten seconds left off a Neil Pionek penalty, the Jackets grabbed their first lead of the game.
Kent Johnson took a pass from Jack Roslovic at the half wall and spun quickly to send the puck through a screen toward an unsuspecting Hrithik. It wasn’t a difficult shot, but Rittich didn’t pick it up until it was too late as it squeezed past Columbus for a forward.
Winnipeg still had half the period to try and retake, and even got another power play look, but again could not get past Corpisalo.
Columbus captain Boone Jenner made one final push with the net empty before ending the game with just three seconds remaining.
Corpisalo was named the first star of the game after making 37 saves.
With the loss, Winnipeg falls to 10–12 against Eastern Conference teams, not a good omen as they have back-to-back upcomings against the Devils and Rangers, both ahead of the Jets in the league standings.
Read more: Analysis: Jets need to find ways to win against Eastern Conference opponents
Their meeting with New Jersey is on Sunday, with puck drop just after 6 p.m. Pregame coverage on 680 CJOB begins at 4 p.m.
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