Jets at Wild
The Minnesota Wild aim to draw even in their first-round playoff series against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday at home, bolstered by a resounding 6-2 triumph in Sunday’s Game 3 to pull within two games to one. Outplayed in two losses at Winnipeg and facing a must-win situation in Game 3, Zach Parise scored for the third consecutive game and, after goaltender Devan Dubnyk held off the Jets through most of the second period, the Wild broke it open with three goals in 3:43.
“That’s the way the playoffs go,” Parise told reporters after five players finished with multi-point games in chasing Winnipeg netminder Connor Hellebuyck after two periods. “You go from losing two, thinking it’s the end of the world, and all of a sudden we’ve got some life.” The Wild took it to the Jets from the beginning with a physical brand of play Minnesota lacked in the opening two games, and Winnipeg - which did not make it to town until Sunday morning due to a blizzard - mustered no response after Tyler Myers pulled the Jets within 3-2 in the second period. “It’s all about how you respond,” Jets center Adam Lowry told the media after Winnipeg’s first defeat since March 29, snapping a seven-game winning streak. “We’ve done a good job of responding and finding our game for the next one.” Clearly the Jets still hold the upper-hand in the series but face the prospect of playing the pivotal Game 4 without Myers, a standout defenseman with two goals in the series who left with a leg injury in the second period.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CNBC, TVA2, Sportsnet (Winnipeg), FS North (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE JETS: Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice did not offer an update after Monday’s practice on Myers, who has three points in the series while helping the Jets defense provide a spark in the first two games. Captain Blake Wheeler scored a power-play goal to give Winnipeg a short-lived 1-0 lead, but the NHL co-leader in assists in the regular season is a minus-3 in the series. The Jets played outstanding defense in the opening two games in Winnipeg but were victimized by undisciplined play at times in Game 3, as defenseman Ben Chiarot finished minus-2 and drew two minor penalties.
ABOUT THE WILD: The heroes were plenty in Game 3 but a pair of rookies - defenseman Nick Seeler (two assists and strong play on the penalty kill) and forward Jordan Greenway (first career goal) - helped set the tone in the decisive second period. Captain Mikko Koivu notched a pair of assists to give him four in the series, while fellow forward Mikael Granlund rebounded from a quiet opening two games with a goal and an assist. Dubnyk, who was pounded by 84 shots in the opening two games, denied several high-quality chances while the game was close and finished with 29 saves.
OVERTIME
1. The Jets are 1-for-8 on the power play in the past two games, while Minnesota is 3-for-7 after netting two power-play goals in Game 3.
2. Seeler, who totaled four points in 22 regular-season games as a rookie, is a plus-2 with 10 blocked shots to go with his two assists in the series.
3. Winnipeg’s depth at the blueline will be tested if Myers cannot play, but D Toby Enstrom - who has not seen action since March 23 with a lower-body injury -could be an option along with rookie D Tucker Poolman.