Jets at Wild
Youth, patience and process were words used commonly to describe the Winnipeg Jets entering the season, but heading into Saturday’s road contest against the Minnesota Wild, there is another adjective being applied - resiliency. The Jets take to the road riding the momentum of a stirring comeback in Thursday’s season opener versus Carolina, scoring three times in the final 15 minutes of regulation to force overtime before Mark Scheifele netted the game-winner for a 5-4 triumph.
“If this is a veteran team, we’d be talking about their resilience and their know-how and their character and their grit and they never quit,” Jets coach Paul Maurice told reporters after the victory, one in which four rookies played and one – Patrik Laine – recorded a goal and an assist. The Wild lamented plenty of missed opportunities after opening their season Thursday with a 3-2 loss at St. Louis, failing to score on three breakaway opportunities. “We were a step behind all night,” Minnesota coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters. “The passing and turnovers were much to be desired.” Devan Dubnyk made 28 saves, including several difficult stops in a solid season-opening performance.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet (Winnipeg), FSN North FSN Wisconsin (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE JETS (1-0-0): Laine, the second overall selection in this summer’s draft, pulled the Jets within one with 6:27 left in the third period and assisted on Mathieu Perreault’s game-tying tally with 1:29 remaining. Blake Wheeler, who tied for sixth in the NHL in points last season, scored a goal and set up two others in his first game as Winnipeg’s captain. Bryan Little left the opener in the first period with a lower-body injury and is out indefinitely, according to Maurice.
ABOUT THE WILD (0-1-0): Minnesota shook off a slow start in which it was outshot by the Blues 14-2 in the opening period, pulling within one on Charlie Coyle’s tally with 7:11 to play. Defenseman Ryan Suter, coming off a career-best 51-point season, scored Minnesota’s first goal and finished with five shots in 28:11 of ice time. But Zach Parise was stopped on two excellent scoring chances in the second period and the Wild failed to score on five power plays, as Boudreau spent most of the third session juggling his lines to try and jump-start the offense.
OVERTIME
1. The Jets went 4-1-0 against Minnesota last season, scoring three or more goals four times.
2. Winnipeg F Kyle Connor, the team's top draft pick in 2015 who led the NCAA in scoring at Michigan last season, assisted on Laine’s goal in his NHL debut.
3. The Jets became the third team in NHL history to rally from a three-goal deficit in the third period to win a season opener and first since Minnesota accomplished the feat last campaign.