Tanner Pearson Is A Must Draft For Jets Brass

Tanner Pearson finished third in OHL scoring with a junior career high 91 points in only his second season.
(Photo courtesy of Yahoo! Sports)

Tanner Pearson was more than Winnipeg Jets first round pick Mark Scheifele's linemate with the surging Barrie Colt's of the Ontario Hockey League this past winter.

And he may not just be another name that can end up having their name on the back of both a Colts and Jets jersey before long - to follow in the likes of Bryan Little and Alexander Burmistrov.

After the Colts finished the 2010-11 OHL season with a dismal 14-49-0-4 record under first year head coach Dale Hawerchuk, Pearson took the reins with Scheifele up with the big club to begin the season and never looked back.

In his second full OHL season, Pearson's offensive totals more than doubled as the Colts found themselves in the thick of a spring playoff run that saw them bow out to in seven games to the Ottawa 67's after taking down Mississauga St. Michael's Majors in round one.

After posting 42 points in his rookie season, Pearson boosted his draft profile by collecting 91 points in 60 games - scoring at a 1.51 points per game pace - while finishing third in OHL scoring behind fellow 2012 NHL Draft classmate Michael Sgarbossa and Los Angeles Kings second round pick Tyler Toffoli.

What makes Pearson interesting on the surface is his connection to Scheifele - who finished fourth on Barrie in scoring with 63 points in 47 games at a 1.34 points per game pace - and Ivan Telegin, another Jets (former Atlanta Thrasher) draft pick.

One reason to shy away from Pearson at this point is his season ending injury that occurred in the Colts season finale against the Brampton Battalion in which the club's top winger broke his right fibula and was forced to miss the playoffs.

Despite losing their leading scorer, the Colts - led by Scheifele (12 points in 13 games) and Telegin (14 points in 13 games) - made the best run they could.

Pearson, who was ranked by Central Scouting at 22nd in their mid-way rankings, slipped to 25th overall in their rankings - still a first round player.

With the ninth overall pick, however, the Jets are faced with a problem if they do indeed show interest in another Barrie Colt prospect.

At 6'0, 192 lbs, Pearson plays not as an elite scoring winger, but more of a gritty winger that makes plays happen when he brings his lunch pail.

Despite his play, his 35 penalty minutes this past OHL season show he does not have a knack for taking a large amount of penalties.

As seen in Barrie and at times during the World Junior Championships, Pearson's play complements that of Scheifele and thus the chemistry between the Colts top line centre and winger throughout the season.

With Pearson finally finding his offensive stride in 2011-12, it is no wonder how Scheifele's points per game clip raised from 1.13 to 1.31 this past season.

Despite the attractiveness of another Colt - especially one who has played with two other Jets picks - there could be the advantage that teams may be wary of his season ending injury limiting his progress into this next OHL season.

If not, the Jets will need to trade up to acquire the pick to grab Pearson in the late first round or perhaps he would drop down into the early second round for the Jets second round pick.

Whatever may come, the case must be heard for the Jets possibility of drafting a Colt for the third straight draft year.

If Nashville is the Benchmark For Jets, Fans Need Not Wait Too Long

As the Nashville Predators have made their way into the Stanley Cup Playoffs second round for the second time in as many years, many of Jets reporters (Winnipeg Free Press' own Gary Lawless), pundits, and fans are looking to them to see what they will acheive.

Will they be able to do more than simply win one round and bow out?  Or will they rise to the occassion of a team that showed they were worthy of being a part of the last eight teams to play hockey in May?

Peering at the Predators roster, there are many players who are workhorses - players who are the backbone of the team. Players including All-Star captain and Norris Trophy candidate Shea Weber and defensive partner Ryan Suter along with others such as Mike Fisher, Martin Erat, and others. And not to forget the Predators MVP - their goalie - Pekka Rinne.

Organizational philosophy aside, the Predators makeup over the past 13 seasons has been one that has been ever evolving and ever growing. Names that have been through the Nashville lineup through the draft include the likes of Scott Hartnell, Dan Hamhuis, Cody Franson, and Scott Upshall as well as current Predators Weber, Suter, Rinne, Kevin Klein, David Legwand, Colin Wilson, and up-and-coming offensive defenseman Ryan Ellis.

Point in case: the Predators have built their team through the draft, not through free agency - a similar approach that Jets General Manger Kevin Cheveldayoff seems to be employing quite strictly.

As the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs were the first true post-season success for the Nashville franchise (13 seasons into existence), the team had thirteen full-time players who were Predator draft picks.

It is slow, successful progressions towards success that has made the Predators a model franchise as they are also a very low budget team.

According to nhlnumbers.com, Nashville has the fifth lowest payroll in the NHL through the 2011-12 season (Winnipeg is the sixth lowest) and were one of four teams in the bottom ten of league payroll to make the playoffs (Florida, Phoenix, and Ottawa the others).

What Nashville has different from Florida is the makeup of their team is mainly draft picks while Phoenix and Ottawa could be seen as similar situations to Nashville, but without the slow progress into success as both franchises have seen ebbs and flows of success having been around much longer. 

Another thing that stands out from the Nashville model is Winnipeg bred Barry Trotz - the only head coach in Predators history.

Trotz, an unassuming and humble coach who demands the most out of his players, has seen his success not only climb in his 13 season behind the bench, but has seen how to build a winner from the ground up.

His input into the team's success over his tenure has been essential to the maturation of those draft picks that the organization has given him to help along.

In his 13 season as head coach, he has only had five losing seasons (the first five from 1998-99 to 2002-03) and has not seen his winning percentage in a season dip below .537 (in 2008-09 the only season the Preds did not make the playoffs since 2002-03).

Translating into the Winnipeg situation - there are the similarities from Nashville to take into Winnipeg's current lineup.

Seven full time players in the Jets lineup this season are Atlanta/Winnipeg draft picks including Evander Kane, Ondrej Pavelec, Tobias Enstrom, Zach Bogosian, and Bryan Little.

Despite the quick transition over the summer from Atlanta to Winnipeg, the Jets have not made any big moves to bring in any big names to bolster any part of their lineups - but have made trades that addressed needs they may need down the road.

All in all, both franchises have not gone for the classic "band-aid solution" when it comes to equipping their core group of players for a long Stanley Cup run.

You will never see either franchise going after a Marian Hossa type deadline deal to bolster their lineup.

If winning is going to happen in Nashville or Winnipeg, it will start and ultimately end with the players that have been drafted, matured, and successful within the system.

And thanks to poor finishes in their 11 seasons in Atlanta, the Jets have a solid foundation of young talent highlighted by names above and by pieces frugally added to the lineup that are still early in their careers and luckily already with Stanley Cup experience - namely Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien.

Unlike Trotz, the Jets ownership had a prior history with the head coach before the season started. But not unlike Trotz, Claude Noel is being looked to to be the coach that helps to mature the Bryan Little's and Evander Kane's of the Jets young core.

Noel's longevity will depend on his ability to have a Trotzesque type of coaching style - calm, quiet, and patient. If the 2011-12 season was any indication, Noel is well on his way as of now.

If Nashville is the benchmark for the Jets, then Jets fans need not worry.

And if they're lucky, it won't take 13 years.

Jets Off Season Needs & Wants Part 1

As a former Canadiens fan of the late 1990s and early 200s, I know what early April usually brings - watching other teams play in the playoffs instead of my favourites playing themselves.

Now as a newly converted Jets fan this season, the whole rigamarole starts over again (although the Habs did finish worse than the Jets) but it's not exactly the same as with my former team.

The Jets - albeit young and needing depth - are on the up slope to becoming a better team and the organizational philosophies that Kevin Cheveldayoff has installed in the Jets organization can begin to take root more effectively with the good graces coming down from owners Mark Chipman and David Thomson.

This meaning the Jets will not over pursue any big name free agents in an attempt to find the quick fix solution to the Jets finishing eight points out of the playoff picture.

Let's assess the Jets needs and the possible wants they could also be looking for to shore up the roster for the 2012-13 regular season.


Need #1: First Line Centre
This is in no way directed as a hit against Bryan Little, the Jets default first line centre this season. Little's goal output rebounded above the 20 goal plateau this season after it dipped to a career low 13 in 2009-10 and only bettered itself to 18 last season in Atlanta.

With 24 goals as a first line centre, Little ranks tied for 13th in centres for goals along with the likes of Eric Staal, David Backes, and Mike Fisher. That's some good company when it comes to the goal scoring department, but Little's meager 22 assists was a drop from 30 a year before which kicked Little out of the top 30 in points by centres altogether.

What the Jets need is a centre who can score 20-30 goals a season and be responsible for being the setup man for his wingers as well. To be brutally honest, the combination of Little centring Andrew Ladd and Blake Wheeler is not a first line on any other NHL team. But that just points out the fact the Jets have some depth issues going forward.

If the first line is to be a force, Bryan Little cannot be that first line centre. Little should be counted on as a second line centre and play the role of secondary scoring in years to come, but as for now, he is making due with the situation he has been handed and shown improvement this past season.


Want #1: A 50 Goal Scorer
I've heard many Jets fans on either Twitter or my own friends who obsess over the team that we should make a bold move for possible pending free agent Zach Parise.

"Why not?" they ask, "He's a 50 goal scorer waiting to happen," after which they salivate over the possibility of Parise and Kane together on the Jets first line.

Let's stop that drooling for a minute and look at this with brutal honesty.

Firstly, Parise is currently in a playoff run with the Devils as they face off against the Florida Panthers. Who's to say he would want to come to a team that is trying to make the playoffs versus a team he is already on - and captaining - that is a legitimate playoff team every season?

Secondly, how much will Parise demand if he was to go to a non-playoff team to be a catalyst for building a winner? The Jets do have alot of cap room, but is it worth the risk? The Jersey captain made $6 million this past season on a one-year deal only to get himself into becoming an unrestricted free agent, so chances are he is looking north of $6 million as a payday.

And thirdly, Parise - though a very tantalizingly great thought of dawning a Jets jersey - is not a viable option for Jets management if they wish to continue the route they are on. Of course, if Parise does get to July 1st without signing back with the Devils, the Jets should undoubtedly go after him, but they will not be alone and possibly not one of the teams willing to go north of $6 million.


Need #2: Stronger Back End Defensemen
Lately, I've also heard alot of chatter on Twitter about the possibility and the need to trade top end defensemen Tobias Enstrom. As a big fan of Enstrom, I was not sure why fans would even consider it.

Enstrom was an All-Star defenseman last season - though he didn't play due to injury - and he was also hurt for significant stretches during the season and seemed to be caught up in the hype of the NHL's return to Winnipeg.

Though his points per game decreased from his last two season in Atlanta, Enstrom is only due for a rebound in 2012-13. Despite size issues, his first pass and deft stick handling make him a defenseman that any other team would jump at to get a puck moving defenseman.

That moves me to telling fans - let's not worry about our top defensemen, but our secondary defensmen. The likes of Ron Hainsey, Mark Stuart, Mark Flood, and others.

It wouldn't be an overly big surprise to see Randy Jones not re-signed and the Mark Flood situation is tentatively odd and perplexing at best.

Mark Stuart is a shot blocking expert and heart and soul guy, while Zach Bogosian continues to improve every game, and Grant Clitsome has found a niche in Winnipeg though his defensive play could use some work at times.

As for Hainsey, the Jets could do better. Much, much better.

Despite Hainsey's +9 being second on the team behind leading goal scorer Evander Kane, Hainsey's point production dropped immensely from 19 points a year ago to only 10 assists this season and his stock continues to drop the past three seasons after a career year in 2008-09 - his first in Atlanta.

Injuries did plague Hainsey, but his inconsistent play was the biggest weakness on the Jets back end. Granted, Hainsey was not the only Jets defender with problems in his own zone, but his veteran play did not equal up to his paycheck that he has been receiving - $5 million this season with $3 million on the way next season.

If the Jets could deal Hainsey out of the lineup, his $4.5 million cap hit would free up room to get a steadier, more reliable fifth or sixth defenseman that could cost in the range of $1-$2.5 million and be more responsible in the Jets end - a desperately needed thing for such a young club.


Want #2: Top 5 Pick
I'm not entirely sure what's going through my mind as I write this second and final want for now.

The Jets already have a top 10 pick, but what if they were able to trade up for a top 5 pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft?

Last season, taking Mark Scheifele seventh overall proved to be a decent pick, although eighth overall pick Sean Couturier is lighting it up with the Philadelphia Flyers this season.

But what if the Jets could have the likes of a Nail Yakupov or a Mikhail Grigorenko on their team? Or even an Alex Galchenyuk on the team?

It would cost the team dearly, but may be worth it. With the Jets depth on the back end, there could be a possibility to trade up in the draft, especially since the Oilers hold the first overall pick and are in desperate need for defensive help. Could a Ron Hainsey along with a few prospects and picks work? My first reaction is: No.

I've heard ideas tossed around about shipping Enstrom to Edmonton and getting the pick or others but not the likes of Byfuglien, Bogosian, or Stuart or even Paul Postma or Zach Redmond.

But with the two latter young, AHL All-Star talents upcoming from the playoff bound St. John's Ice Caps what would the Jets be losing if they were to trade an Enstrom or a Hainsey for a very NHL ready Yakupov?

Yet again, Yakupov has expressed his want and excitement to play in Edmonton should he be picked first overall by the Oilers. (Marcy Di Michele, The Hockey Writers, 04/17/2012)

Interesting idea, but still a want.

Jets All Out 2011-12 Point Prediction Recap: Forwards

As did back in early October, I made out a list of point projections for the 2011-12 campaign based on the players past experiences, point productions, and the change of scenery coming from not-so-crazy-about-hockey Atlanta to hockey mad Winnipeg.

First were the forwards, followed by the defensemen and goaltenders. In analysis of the projections are the initial predicitions (marked in italics) and the actual end of season stats (marked in bold) and then the difference in each category (if player has more than projected, it is marked as a +).

Let's see how I did..

#26 Blake Wheeler [Right Wing]
2011-12 Projected Stats: 80 GP, 23 G, 30 A, 55 PTS, 56 PIMs, +11
2011-12 Actual Stats: 80 GP, 17 G, 47 A, 64 PTS, 55 PIMs, +3
Difference: Goals (-6), Assists (+17), Points (+9), PIMs (-1), +/- (-8)


#9 Evander Kane [Right Wing]
2011-12 Projected Stats: 79 GP, 26 G, 33 A, 59 PTS, 70 PIMs, +7
2011-12 Actual Stats: 74 GP, 30 G, 27 A, 57 PTS, 53 PIMs, +11
Difference: Goals (+4), Assists (-6), Points (-2), PIMs (-17), +/- (+4)


#16 Andrew Ladd [Left Wing]
2011-12 Projected Stats: 81 GP, 31 G, 29 A, 60 PTS, 44 PIMs, +4
2011-12 Actual Stats: 82 GP, 28 G, 22 A, 50 PTS, 64 PIMs, -8
Difference: Goals (-3), Assists (-7), Points (-10), PIMs (+20), +/- (-12)


#13 Kyle Wellwood [Right Wing]
2011-12 Projected Stats: 68 GP, 10 G, 20 A, 30 PTS, 10 PIMs, -2
2011-12 Actual Stats: 77 GP, 18 G, 29 A, 47 PTS, 4 PIMs, +3
Difference: Goals (+8), Assists (+9), Points (+17), PIMs (-6), +/- (+5)


#18 Bryan Little [Centre]
2011-12 Projected Stats: 80 GP, 27 G, 35 A, 62 PTS, 40 PIMs, +15
2011-12 Actual Stats: 74 GP, 24 G, 22 A, 46 PTS, 26 PIMs, -11
Difference: Goals (-3), Assists (-13), Points (-16), PIMs (-14), +/- (-26)


#80 Nik Antropov [Centre]
2011-12 Projected Stats: 74 GP, 19 G, 31 A, 50 PTS, 50 PIMs, +2
2011-12 Actual Stats: 69 GP, 15 G, 20 A, 35 PTS, 42 PIMs, 0
Difference: Goals (-4), Assists (-11), Points (-15), PIMs (-8), +/- (-2)


#8 Alex Burmistrov [Centre/Right Wing]
2011-12 Projected Stats: 77 GP, 20 G, 21 A, 41 PTS, 28 PIMs, +3
2011-12 Actual Stats: 76 GP, 13 G, 15 A, 28 PTS, 42 PIMs, +4
Difference: Goals (-7), Assists (-6), Points (-13), PIMs (+14), +/- (+1)


#14 Tim Stapleton [Right Wing/Centre]
2011-12 Projected Stats: 60 GP, 9 G, 12 A, 21 PTS, 16 PIMs, -4
2011-12 Actual Stats: 63 GP, 11 G, 16 A, 27 PTS, 10 PIMs, -2
Difference: Goals (+2), Assists (+4), Points (+6), PIMs (-6), +/- (+2)


#19 Jim Slater [Centre]
2011-12 Projected Stats: 78 GP, 11 G, 12 A, 23 PTS, 22 PIMs, +1
2011-12 Actual Stats: 78 GP, 13 G, 8 A, 21 PTS, 42 PIMs, -9
Difference: Goals (+2), Assists (-4), Points (-2), PIMs (+20), +/- (-10)


#15 Tanner Glass [Left Wing]
2011-12 Projected Stats: 78 GP, 5 G, 8 A, 13 PTS, 92 PIMs, -3
2011-12 Actual Stats: 78 GP, 5 G, 11 A, 16 PTS, 73 PIMs, -12
Difference: Goals (0), Assists (+3), Points (+3), PIMs (-19), +/- (-9)


#22 Chris Thorburn [Right Wing]
2011-12 Projected Stats: 82 GP, 10 G, 11 A, 21 PTS, 85 PIMs, -1
2011-12 Actual Stats: 72 GP, 4 G, 7 A, 11 PTS, 83 PIMs, -6
Difference: Goals (-6), Assists (-4), Points (-10), PIMs (-2), +/- (-5)


#17 Eric Fehr [Right Wing]
2011-12 Projected Stats: 40 GP, 11 G, 14 A, 25 PTS, 14 PIMs, +10
2011-12 Actual Stats: 35 GP, 2 G, 1 A, 3 PTS, 12 PIMs, -6
Difference: Goals (-9), Assists (-13), Points (-21), PIMs (-2), +/- (-16)


Throughout the season, I didn't manage to quip back to these projections much but I did see some shortcomings that would eventually make the predictions come up short.

First of all, Eric Fehr's injury plagued season did more than keep him out of the lineup - it kept his point production at a career low - even when he was playing junior hockey. To say that 2011-12 was Fehr's worst season ever would be a good approximation of his play. But to his disadvantage, he was injured when traded from Washington. It is unclear whether the Jets will risk taking him on again if he can begin a season completely healthy and ready to go from day one. However, it may be unlikely as he did have a stretch of healthy games where he did not produce either.

Other shortcomings were overestimating Alex Burmistrov's year, as he progressed into his sophomore season. Believing he would find the goal scorers touch, the young Russian found scoring early in the year (enough for me to pick him up in my fantasy pool for a stretch), but the reverted into playing a more two-way game as the year progressed - possibly because of the emergence of Kyle Wellwood's play - another shortcoming.

Wellwood exceeded expectations of all Jets fans and if the Jets are to resign him it will come at a price. The speedy and versatile forward set career highs in points (47) and tied his career high in goals (18) while pitching in 10 power play points on the secondary unit. It was Wellwood's versatility and hockey sense that gave way to a big boost from predictions in Evander Kane.

Kane's third season proved to be a breakout one - but the best is still yet to come I believe. Kane surpassed career highs in goals (30), assists (27), points (57), power play goals (6), power play points (10), and game winning goals (4). He was also a team high +11 rating at season's end. Despite a rough start and possible off ice happenings that led to a concussion in the early part of 2012, Kane is one of the key cogs in the Jets this season as is Blake Wheeler.

Wheeler rejoined Bryan Little and Andrew Ladd on the Jets top line and had a career year as well playing the role of power forward as best as anyone else in the league. The Minnesotan's career highs came in assists (47), points (64), power play goals (6), power play points (15), shots on goal (208), and hits (113). Add to that Bryan Little resurfaced as a 20 goal scorer and Ladd followed his 29 goal season a year ago in Atlanta with 28 goals and the top line produced the majority of the Jets offense between them.

To complete the evaluation of my 2011-12 point projections for the forwards, the Jets have alot of room to make up for offensive production as their top point producer finished tied for 41st in the league in points - and every other NHL team except Columbus, Florida, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis, and Colorado had a leading scorer with more points - including non-playoff teams such as Tampa Bay, Edmonton, Carolina, and Montreal.

Confidence & Consistency Reforming Jets Lineup

With his 15th goal on the season last night, Blake Wheeler extended his career point total to 54 - good enough to tie him for 33rd in league scoring.

Maybe it's not that significant that Wheeler is 33rd in the league, but the fact that he is tied with the likes of Corey Perry (33 goals, 21 assists) and Henrik Zetterberg (15 goals, 39 assists) puts him into some very highly esteemed company (not to mention Wheeler's 39 assists is good enough for 12th place tie with Martin St. Louis, Ray Whitney, Eric Staal, and Zetterberg)

Even if he stumbles in an interview with TSN's Sara Orlesky after the game, Wheeler has shown on-ice maturity that has started to take hold in the Jets room.

"I like the fact we didn’t get demoralized when we gave up a goal with thirty-five (35) seconds left in the second period." Claude Noel said in his post-game press conference last night.

"That was good. We were very resilient coming back into the third period and just playing." (Winnipeg Free Press, 03/05/2012)

Ask any Jet earlier in the season what the room and mood was like after a late period goal or any late deflating goal and the answer would probably be more negative than positive.

Not to be outdone, the maturity reforming the Jets lineup has let to consistency.

Now to take the consistency out onto the road.

"We did a great job of taking advantage of this homestand." stated Bryan Little, who collected three assists Monday night.

"We did a great job of getting points we needed. We didn’t play easy teams. Tonight was an especially hard game and we found a way to get the two points. Hopefully we can take that on the road with us." (Winnipeg Free Press, 03/05/2012)

Handfuls of Jets are having career seasons - showing the maturing process first hand.

Evander Kane has posted a career high in goals so far with 26, Wheeler keeps on adding to his career year point total, while Dustin Byfuglien is operating around a .80 point per game clip this season.

Not to be outdone, Andrew Ladd is showing that last year's 29 goals was not a mistake, Ondrej Pavelec has been solid with a career year in wins, and Little is finally showing signs of the player who scored 31 goals three seasons ago.

"They did a really good job of pouring everything into the game and to me it's evident, the passion that they are playing with and we're getting rewarded for that." commented Noel about the Jets resurgence in the third period and throughout the latter half of the season. (WinnipegJets.com, 03/05/2012)

As for the recent young teams to capture Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh and Chicago, the growing years were the most painful - as evidenced in Atlanta.

Now, in Winnipeg, in their first year in the MTS Centre, that youth and raw skill is slowly turning into confidence and consistency that shows great signs and paths for the future.

Division Lead In Sight, But Not So Fast

Winnipeg Jets fans are in the midst of something that has happened to the majority of Canadian NHL teams in the past 20 years - they're in the middle of a playoff run that has as much possibility of the team making the playoffs as it does them not making the post season.

Having covered and watched the Montreal Canadiens before the return of the Jets, I know very well how playoff runs that come down to the wire can go - sometimes great as when the Canadiens finished sixth last season and sometimes not so great as when the Canadiens were bounced out of the playoffs with a loss to rival Toronto in their last game of the season in 2006-07.

As any hockey fan of any team that lives on the periphery of the playoff picture year in and year out - excluding Detroit for the last 20 years, Vancouver the last 10 years, and Pittsburgh the last five years - it is nerve wracking to even watch a single game because so much hangs in the balance.

For the Jets this season, there have been the customary ups and downs of a young, yet talented NHL team.

Not since the Quebec Nordiques shuffle to Denver have NHL fans been able to see just how difficult it is to relocate and produce winning ways.

Though, the newly relocated Avalanche were stacked with some of the league's best talents - Peter Forsberg, Joe Sakic, Patrick Roy, Adam Foote - who went on to win the Stanley Cup in their first year of relocation, the Jets are not as favoured to win it as that talented group in Denver.

Making the playoffs in their first season in Manitoba would be more than enough for Jets fans. Already the ticket drive for the playoffs has opened up to season ticket holders and if the season ticket drive was any indication, there will be no hesitation from fans to fill the MTS Centre with 15,004 for a guaranteed two playoff games if the Jets were to get to the second season.

But hold on a second.

It's nice to talk all cheery and positive about how nice it would be if they did make the playoffs. Let's look at the facts.

As of February 21st, the Jets sit tied in the final playoff spot with Toronto. They sit one point in front of third place in the Southeast Division Washington Capitals and one point behind the Division leading Florida Panthers.

Both teams have two games in hand on the Jets.

Both teams will making a trip to MTS Centre before the end of the regular season (Florida - March 1st, Washington - March 16th).

Both teams will also host the Jets once each before the season is out (Washington - March 23rd, Florida - April 3rd).

For the tangibles, Blake Wheeler is on fire with nine points in his last three games, including a four assist effort against Colorado and a three point performance against his former squad the Boston Bruins.

Wheeler is finally living up to his fifth overall draft pick status in Winnipeg and has elevated everyone else's game around him.

Bryan Little has two consecutive two goal games and is inching closer to the 20 goal mark for the first time since he had 31 in 2008-09.

Evander Kane has 22 on the season, three more than his career high.

Ondrej Pavelec has surpassed his career high in wins with 22 this season already (previous career high was 21 last season).

Alexander Burmistrov has 12 goals, twice as many as his rookie season.

And believe it or not, Ron Hainsey is even doing well - with a team high +10 rating.

It's the right time for the Jets to have a home stand and for their top players to start getting hot.

The playoff push is always an indication of what a team is made of - are Jets playoff material?

I think they are even if they don't make the playoffs.

This year proves how far this team has come since tanking it last season in Atlanta.

And once this season is over, no one will remember Atlanta but for a distant memory.

How Sweet Home Ice Is

At MTS Centre last night, 15,004 fans welcomed back their Jets with open arms and they were treated to a hard fought 2-1 win.

Now if only they could translate the success on home ice to the road somehow.

Bryan Little's goal in the second period off a great drive by Blake Wheeler was the difference in the Jets second win over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs this season as the teams split the season series.

Not only was it the Jets first home game since a 4-3 shootout loss January 21st, it was a breath of relief for the team collectively as they grabbed another important two points.

But how long is this going to keep going?

The Jets have not scored more than two goals in a game since that January 21st game and went 2-4-0 on their six game road trip that eclipsed the All-Star Break.

They return quickly for a few games on the road in Washington Thursday and then in Pittsburgh Saturday as part of Hockey Day In Canada, but the Jets are looking towards an eight game home stand to end off February and bring in March as the deciding factor for their season.

Their 12 home games in December catapulted them into the playoff picture, now with the schedule turning towards a home friendly atmosphere to close out February, the Jets momentum from last night's win may be greater than it appears.

The Jets will play eight home games in February and seven in March.

They have 12 road games remaining this season, including one more tour of the Southeast Division in late March and a western Canadian road trip in mid-March.

To their advantage, they have 15 home games remaining, including the eight game stretch from February 17th to March 5th.

Not only is the trade deadline on February 27th the day of their last game of the month, but the Jets will have a clearer picture of how successful their home ice advantage was and home sweet home ice has been to them this season at MTS Centre.

Urgency Fuels Jets In Second Half Start

Bryan Little's goal in the third round of the shootout Tuesday night capped off a hard earned two points on the road.

Not only was it a hard earned point in a building other than MTS Centre - which has been the achilles heel of the team thus far this season - but it was a moral victory to come out of the All-Star break with a win to start things off.

Chris Thorburn netted his first goal as a Jet and it couldn't come at a better time - when the Jets were down 1-0.

Urgency fuelled all four lines to play a tight checking game against the run-and-gun offense of the powerful Philadelphia Flyers.

Add to that the notable absence's of Evander Kane, Dustin Byfulgien, Tim Stapleton, and Alexander Burmistrov and the Jets not only won a hard road game but they won it with a very real and palpable determination.

Call-ups Spencer Machacek and Aaron Gagnon provided fourth line checking, hustle, and grit while the GST line provided what they always provide - a solid performance shift after shift of being matched against the other team's top lines.

Ondrej Pavelec redeemed himself in the final January contest after a dismal month record wise.

He finishes January with a 3-5-1 record along with a 2.75 goals against average and a .896 save percentage.

Limping out of January, urgency needs to fuel the 23-22-6 Jets, who after the win in Philly sit in 10th three points back of Florida - who is in action Wednesday night and four points back of division leaders the Washington Capitals.

It's a real predicament that the Jets are on the outside at this point, but also a blessing that they are only four points out of the division lead at the same time.

With a few healthy bodies back in the lineup - most notably Byfuglien - the Jets urgency can be jacked up a notch as the trade deadline is now only 26 days away.

Here's to forgetting any history in Atlanta and making new strides in Winnipeg.

Let's hope a 8-14-4 road record improves again Thursday in Tampa Bay.

Lightning Doesn't Strike MTS Centre

Call it what you will, but the Winnipeg Jets brought their "A" game to the hangar on Monday night against a very difficult and stingy opponent.

At the end of the night, they had their sixth win of the season and two points in the bag.

The best part of the game was not the fact that the Jets had goals from five different players, but that it was a complete 60 minute effort from start to finish.

As a sort of reward, the Jets Skills Competition added to a seemingly relaxed and calmed team - a team that has finally shown what it is capable of on it's best days.

To that point is the emergence and necessity of a good game via defenseman Dustin Byfuglien.

Without his "A" game, the Jets are not a good team.

With it, they are almost unstoppable.

Every team has that lightning rod that sparks the offense and drives a team to win and the Jets lighting rod is #33 on the blueline.

The upstart of Evander Kane, who leads the team with six goals this season - the sixth one coming Monday night - is another positive step.

Watching the Skills Competition gave fans and possibly coaches and players a possibility to take a step back and really see what we have here in Winnipeg.

The Jets have a young core that needs to stay intact for the long haul if they are to be competitive.

This is a team of the future, not the present (as of yet), and the fans and organization is and must continue to treat the team as such.

From Kane, Bryan Little, and Byfuglien to Alexander Burmistrov, Andrew Ladd, Zach Bogosian, and Ondrej Pavelec, this team has the essentials to create a winning franchise that is capable of winning in the season and the playoffs once there.

Experience and leadership comes from the likes of Ladd and Byfulgien (two Stanley Cup rings), while the speed, skill, and size comes from the crew supporting the rest - Bogosian, Burmistrov, Little, etc.

If the Skills Competition showed Jets fans and brass anything it's this: We have one good hockey team.


Photo Courtesy of Yahoo! Sports & Getty Images

Jets Fall To Lowly Jackets

The Winnipeg Jets' struggles continue as they fell to the lowliest team in the NHL as Ryan Johansen, a healthy scratch for their last game, scored twice as the Jets lost 2-1.

Mark Stuart responded with the only tally for the Jets shorthanded for his second with under five minutes left.

Despite the 36 shots on goal by the Jets, none could make it past Steve Mason.

Evander Kane led the team in shots with five, while Alexander Burmistrov had four.

Dustin Byfuglien led the team in ice time with 26:19, Zach Bogosian had 25:41 of ice time, Bryan Little had 20:45, Andrew Ladd had 20:36, and Nik Antropov had 20:16.

The Jets power play went 0-for-5 on the night while losing the faceoff battle and the hitting game.

Ondrej Pavelec stopped 25 of 27 shots on the night.

Jets play next on Monday against the Tampa Bay Lightning at home.


Photo Courtesy of Yahoo! Sports & Getty Images

Jets Return Home After Confidence Building Road Trip

Not only did Bryan Little finally bulge the twine or Ondrej Pavelec collect his first shutout, but the Winnipeg Jets were able to have a winning record on the road trip (3-2-2) and collect eight out of a possible 14 points.

Another positive from the Jets two week road trip are the emergence of Mark Flood as he fills in for the indefinitely injured Tobias Enstrom.

It seems that once Ron Hainsey, Derek Meech, and Randy Jones are back and healthy, Flood may become the seventh defensemen, if the Jets decide to continue with seven with Enstrom on the shelf.

Flood has far outshone the other two defensive call ups - Brett Festerling and Paul Postma - collecting three points (two goals, one assist) and registering a plus two rating in the latter four games of the road trip.

In Buffalo, the Charlottetown, PEI native logged 17:00 minutes of ice time and was up to 19:44 in New Jersey two games prior.

Festerling, on the other hand, has been held pointless in four games, with an even rating and has seen his ice time drop since he logged 19:05 on Long Island to around the 10:00 mark of ice time in the previous two games.

The Jets finally saw some production from their "supposed" top line of Blake Wheeler, Bryan Little, and Andrew Ladd - albeit on the final game of the trip.

But nonetheless, Little finally marked himself onto the scoresheets, now it's Wheeler's turn. Once all three are firing into the net, goals may come easier for the team as they have scored 40 goals to the 51 they have allowed.

Despite the minus eleven differential between goals for and goals against, the Jets have massively improved since the start, which saw them outscored in their first three games by a combined score of 13-5, which accounts for eight of the minus eleven against the Jets.

Improvement in net has been huge to on the road trip as Pavelec recorded very solid numbers as the road trip progressed. And some can say that they saw the huge 6-5 overtime loss on Tuesday coming because of Pavelec's seventh consecutive start.

Throughout the road trip, Pavelec managed to have a 3-2-2 record with a 3.22 goals against average and a 0.916 save percentage.

Take away the blowout win in Philadelphia at the start of the trip, Pavelec is 2-2-2 with a 2.40 goals against average and a 0.929 save percentage.

Looking at the numbers, their number one netminder has been coming into his own, especially during the road swing, and has put the inconsistent play of October behind him.

Now if the Jets defense is healthy and playing well in front of him and the offense is firing on all cylinders heading into the latter part of November, the Jets could be a dark horse team in the Southeast Division and Eastern Conference.

Now the Jets look to improve possibly their worst stat - their home record.

So far this season, the Jets have played an NHL low four games at home.

Time to shake the dust and rust off the MTS Centre as the Jets prepare for a Thursday night meeting with the Florida Panthers - game time is 7:30 PM in downtown Winnipeg.

Good news for the team is, they play 17 of their next 23 games at home, including two stretches - one of five games from October 29th (vs. Ottawa) until December 9th (vs. Carolina) and one of six games from December 13th (vs. Minnesota) until December 23rd (vs. Pittsburgh).

The Jets longest homestand of the season won't be around until late February/early March, when they are at home for eight consecutive games, starting on February 17th against the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins.

With their next few games coming at home, there are a number of very important inter-divisional matchups that could shape the second half of the Jets season.

First up is the Thursday game against Florida, followed by the Tampa Bay Lightning coming to town on November 14th and the Washington Capitals on November 17th.

Two inter-dividional road games follow in Washington (November 23rd) and Carolina (November 25th) followed by two home games against Carolina (December 9th) and Washington (December 15th).

In their next 16 games, the Jets play a Southeast Division opponent seven times.


Photos Courtesy of Yahoo! Sports & Getty Images

Jets Shoot Down Panthers in Shootout 4-3

The Winnipeg Jets squeaked out a thriller of a win Monday night in Florida on Halloween night no less.

Andrew Ladd and Kyle Wellwood would both score in the shootout en route to a 4-3 win for the Jets, their fourth of the season and first in a shootout this year.

With the shootout win, they better their shootout record to 1-1.

Despite the win, the Jets lost defenseman Tobias Enstrom due to a vicious check by Jack Skille on a play in the boards. Dustin Byfuglien tried to settle the score.

Later on in the game, captain Andrew Ladd dropped the flippers with Skille looking to send a message to both Skille and the Panther teams.

Evander Kane came out with his first two goal performance of the season, scoring his third and fourth goals of the season.

The Jets would have a 2-0 lead slip away from them and were able to tie the game late on Kane's second goal with 50 seconds left in the third period.

Wellwood also had a big night, scoring his team leading fifth of the season and added his third assist.

Zach Bogosian also was in on the scoring, collecting two assists while leading the team with 26:42 of ice time, and a +2 rating.

The top line of Ladd-Wellwood-Bryan Little was a combined +2 on the night. Little won eleven of 20 faceoffs on the night.

Ondrej Pavelec was a monster, stopping 39 of 42 shots during the regulation and overtime periods. He stopped both Kris Versteeg and Mike Santorelli in the shootout to help the Jets win in the shootout.


Sources & Photos:
Yahoo! Sports

Game #11: Jets @ Panthers

Winnipeg Jets fans hope that Halloween won't scare away a win as the Jets (3-6-1) take on the upstart Florida Panthers (6-4-0) in another Southeast Divisional matchup at BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise.

The Jets still only have one win on the road - a 9-8 shootout with the Philadelphia Flyers last week - and they are also at a 1-1 record versus divisional opponents.

Last year's Atlanta version of the Jets went 6-6-8 versus Southeast Division teams last year, including a 4-1-1 record against the Panthers last season.

The Panthers are coached by rookie head coach and former NHLer of 1188 games Kevin Dineen. Dineen stepped into the role of head coach after spending five season as head coach of the AHL's Portland Pirates - a team that never missed the playoffs with Dineen behind the bench.

Claude Noel is likely to start with Ondrej Pavelec in goal for the Jets again after a 26 save performance in the Jets 1-0 loss to Tampa Bay on Saturday.

Pavelec redeemed himself after allowing those seven goals on 43 shots against the Flyers last Thursday.

For the season, Pavelec's stats are not stellar - a 3.75 goals against average combined with a .876 save percentage.

However, during his career, the young goalie is 4-1-0 with a 2.04 goals against average against Florida, including a 3-0-0 mark in Sunrise. With October finally ending tonight, the Jets starter may finally be getting back on track after a slow October start.

Though Alexander Burmistrov had his six game point streak snapped Saturday night, the young Russian still co-leads the Jets in points with nine in ten games.

He and Nik Antropov are still showing great chemistry early in the season. Along with Evander Kane, they have unofficially become the Jets second line and have been much more effective and successful thus far this season than the Jets top line of Blake Wheeler-Bryan Little-Andrew Ladd.

Jets are still without the services of defenseman Ron Hainsey and forward Eric Fehr, who is slowly on his way to recovery.

Fehr's timetable for return is starting to open up as he was originally speculated to be back in late November/early December at the very earliest.

The 6'4 winger's return would be a welcome addition to the offense, as Fehr is a former 20 goal scorer in Washington, but struggled mightily with injuries the past two seasons.

Game time is 6:30 PM CT and available on TSN Jets and Fox Sports Florida.


Sources & Pictures

Yahoo! Sports

Jets A Model of Inconsistency

One night the Winnipeg Jets were able to outscore the highly talented Philadelphia Flyers 9-8 in an old school, gun-slinggin' shootout in the city of brotherly love.

Last night, that same Jets team managed 28 shots against Dwayne Roloson and the Tampa Bay Lightning and could not find the net behind him.

Did the southern Florida sun get to the Jets?

One big positive is the Jets let in only one goal.

One big negative is that the Jets managed to score enough goals to win Saturday night's game 4 times over the game before and thus were out of offensive muscle.

However, 28 shots isn't anything to spit at.

Evander Kane had a glorious chance on a partial breakaway, only to see Roloson rob Kane with his right pad - on the goal line no less.

And give Ondrej Pavelec his due. After letting in seven goals on 43 shots against the Flyers, only one goal on 27 shots is a good bounce back game.

Saturday night's game was not Pavelec's fault - this time.

But with a season 3.75 goals against average, Pavelec has been the leader in the model of inconsistency.

In four games out of the eight games he has played in, his goals against average has been above 4.00. In only three has his goals against average been under 3.00.

Inconsistency follows us up front to the likes of Bryan Little, Blake Wheeler, and Andrew Ladd - and through Kane in the mix for good measure.

Nothing against their known offensive prowess and skills, but these four players are the core of the Jets offensive machine and they have, for the most part, being firing blanks.

Thank goodness for Nik Antropov and Alexander Burmistrov - both just under point per game players this season.

Pointing out the inconsistent players may show cause for concern that they will get going eventually - but when that eventually finally occurs is anyone's guess.

A model of inconsistency has finally finished its first month back in the NHL in Winnipeg.

Let's hope for the opposite of that in November.


Photo Courtesy of Yahoo! Sports & Getty Images

Rangers 2, Jets 1

Despite outshooting the Rangers 28-17, the Jets were not able to come back Monday night at the MTS Centre.

Ruslan Fedotenko would open the scoring at 5:51 of the second period on the power play.

The Jets would be able to tie the game with a nifty wrist shot short side by Nik Antropov at 14:29.

The Rangers would get the go-ahead and winning goal at 8:41 of the third period on a power play goal by Ryan Callahan that careened off Zach Bogosian's skate and behind Chris Mason.

Besides the two power play goals the Rangers had, the Rangers had five power play chances while the Jets had only one chance on the power play for the night.

Mason stopped 15 of 17 shots on the night in goal.

Tobias Enstrom led all Jets in ice time with 26:14, Dustin Byfuglien 23:32, Bogosian 22:14, Burmistrov 21:44, and Bryan Little 20:52.

Little won 12 of 19 faceoffs, Antropov won 11 of 20 faceoffs, and Tim Stapleton won two of six faceoffs.

The Jets will now embark on a seven game road trip starting Thursday in Philadelphia.


Photo Courtesy Yahoo! Sports & Getty Images

Game #8: Jets vs. Rangers

Winnipeg Jets (2-4-1) vs. New York Rangers (2-2-2)
Monday, October 24, 2011
MTS Centre 7:30 PM CT
TV: TSN-Jets, MSG
Radio: TSN 1290 (Winnipeg)

So far in 2011-12, the Jets have had the upper hand on home ice.

After a 5-3 win against the Carolina Hurricanes Saturday night, the Jets improved their record at the MTS Centre to 2-1-0. In those three games, the Jets have been outscored 8-9, but have seen increases in their offensive output last week.

After scoring only five goals in the first three games, the Jets had 11 goals in their last four games. While giving up 12 at the same time, the Jets have found their go-to offensive players throughout the first two weeks of the season.

Sophomore Alexander Burmistrov leads the team with six points (two goals, four assists) through the first seven games, while Kyle Wellwood (five points), Nik Antropov (five points), and Tobias Enstrom (four points) have all been great surprises chipping in on offense.

Saturday night saw Evander Kane notch his first goal as a Jet as he has had a rough start, with a -3 rating through six games. Also figuring into the scoring was captain Andrew Ladd with his second of the season and Jim Slater, who has also been a surprise offensively, with three goals in six games.

The Jets will need more out of their top line of Blake Wheeler-Bryan Little-Ladd however tonight if they are to beat the Rangers and their quick transition game.

Wheeler has only two assists in seven games, while Little has only one assist in seven games. Both are minus players as well.

According to Jets head coach Claude Noel, he may be giving Chris Mason the benefit of the doubt when it comes to starts coming up after he held the fort as the Jets came back Saturday night.

However, according to Yahoo! Sports, Ondrej Pavelec has an impressive 2-0-1 record against the Rangers with a 1.30 goals against average while Mason is 3-0-0 with a 2.46 goals against average.

May the best goalie win, but as for now, look for Mason to get the nod after his eighteen save performance against Carolina in his first win as a Jet on the weekend.

Monday night will be the first game we will not see Mark Scheifele in the lineup as the Jets sent him back to the Barrie Colts of the OHL. Scheifele had one goal through seven games.

Game is available on TSN-Jets and the MSG Network in New York.


Photo Courtesy Yahoo! Sports & Getty Images

The Kid Is Still Alright

Despite watching their 3-1 lead in Toronto evaporate faster than you could blink, the Winnipeg Jets can take away alot of positives from the game against the Leafs Wednesday night.

First of all, they came out of the gate and took the play for the most part to the Leafs for the most of the game until the final 11 minutes of the third.

They also did take it pretty hard to the Leafs at times in overtime, but their first shootout was not a success as both Kyle Wellwood and Bryan Little could not cash in on James Reimer.

Positives include another spectacular game by Ondrej Pavelec, who was on top of his game once again and needs to continue his stellar play in order for the Jets to contend deep into the season.

Positives include the Jets first two power play goals of the season - the first by Tobias Enstrom at 9:49 of the first as the Jets finally capitalized on their size in front of the opposing team's net.

Positives also include Mark Scheifele finally potting his first career NHL goal as close as he could to his hometown of Kitchener with family and friends in attendance.

His power play marker at 7:53 of the second put the Jets up 3-1 at that point and it was a trademark Scheifele goal - waiting with his stick on the ice for a big, juicy rebound.

It was very reminiscent of Scheifele during the pre-season and it may be an indication that he may have finally gotten over being starstruck for his first five games of the season and may make a rally in the next four games to make the case to stay long term this season.

Whatever happens, the kid is still alright. Never have Jets fans lost their zeal for him and his play.

He is this generation's Dale Hawerchuk, despite not having the numbers in junior or the number of years to develop as the former Jets captain "Ducky".

If he sticks, he's still alright.

If he goes back to Barrie for the year, he's still alright.

Jets fans can wait, but let's just make sure everyone knows that the kid is still alright.

Game #4: Jets vs. Pens

Winnipeg Jets (0-3-0) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (3-1-2)
Monday, October 17, 2011
MTS Centre 7:30 PM CT
TV: TSN Jets, ROOT(HD)
Radio: TSN 1290
After a road trip that saw the Winnipeg Jets fall 4-3 and 4-1 in Chicago and Phoenix respectively, the team now returns home for a rare home game in the first two months of the season when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight at MTS Centre.

The Jets are coming off that loss in Glendale where Andrew Ladd scored the lone tally - his first of the season - and the team, once again, was hemmed in their own zone for the majority of the game.

To make matters worse, consistency has been an issue for the young Jets, who were setback 34 seconds into Saturday night's game only to have three power plays on which they did not cash in on after the Coyotes opening goal.

Head coach Claude Noel took apart the Jets top line of Andrew Ladd-Bryan Little-Blake Wheeler last game and inserted rookie Mark Scheifele between Ladd and Wheeler.

The newly created line had the Jets only goal.

Little still remains pointless this season, with a -4 rating so far.

"We had a lot of build-up before the season, being excited about being back in Winnipeg and all that, and I think maybe the hockey got overshadowed a little bit and we’re kind of finding out the hard way right now." Claude Noel told the Winnipeg Free Press' Tim Campbell.

"Obviously there are all the turnovers and then there's big shifts in every game -- after goals, first shift of the game, first shift of the period -- that we need to be stronger at and better at." Jets captain Andrew Ladd told Ed Tait of the Winnipeg Free Press.

Now the Jets prepare to face the Pittsburgh Penguins, who started the season with a string of Western Canadian home openers, winning the ones in Vancouver and Calgary before losing to Edmonton in a shootout.

So far, the Sidney Crosby-less Penguins have been led by winger James Neal, who has five goals and one assist in six games, and Kris Letang who has one goal and five assists in six games.

The Penguins lost their Saturday night tilt to the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 and will head to Minnesota to play the Wild on Tuesday night following the game at MTS Centre.

You can watch the game on TSN-Jets with Dennis Beyak in Canada and on ROOT in the US.

The game is also available on TSN 1290 in Winnipeg with Brian Munz and Shane Hnidy.

Coyotes Score Early, Often; Down Jets 4-1

Once again, the Winnipeg Jets came up on the wrong end of a home opener.

This time, it was the home opener of the team that was formerly the Winnipeg Jets.

It didn't take long for the Phoenix Coyotes to get on the board, as former Calgary Flame Daymond Langkow found the back of the net only 34 seconds into the game.

To make matters worse, Oliver Ekman-Larsson found the back of the net nine minutes later to put the 'Yotes up 2-0 after one.

Larsson would add his second of the game and third of the season with under five to play in the second before captain Andrew Ladd would respond with his first of the season with 19 seconds left to play in the period from Tobias Enstrom and Blake Wheeler.

But Ray Whitney would dash the Jets hope of a comeback with a power play goal at 6:43 of the third period as the 'Yotes cruised to a 4-1 win in their home opener.

Not only are the Jets now 0-3 to start the season, but two of those losses have been at home openers, in Winnipeg and now Phoenix.

Chris Mason started the game, allowing four goals on 34 shots.

Mark Scheifele saw his ice time increase from Thursday night in Chicago, playing 16:22 and ending the game as a +1, having been paired with Ladd and Wheeler.

Randy Jones, who was in the lineup for Johnny Oduya was an awful -3 on the night, not making anything better as the Jets sixth defenseman.

Dustin Byfuglien, who was Jones' partner, was also a -3, which has him now at an even rating so far this season. He was +2 Thursday in Chicago.

Bryan Little was taken away from Ladd and Wheeler and found himself ending the night as a -2.

Byfuglien led the team in ice time with 23:24, Enstrom had 23:08, and Ron Hainsey had 22:17.

Zach Bogosian had a alright night, with 19:25 of ice time, five hits, four blocked shots during 22 shifts.

The Jets now come back home for a Monday night tilt against the still Sidney Crosby-less Pittsburgh Penguins

Habs Spoil Jets Return With 5-1 Win

It was the biggest night in recent Winnipeg sports history as well as for Canadian hockey in a long time.

But the most storied franchise in hockey history came out with the win.

Mike Cammalleri opened the scoring for Montreal with his first of the season at 3:05 of the first frame.

Tomas Plekanec made it 2-0 with the lone tally in the second period.

Nikolai Antropov would score the first goal in new Winnipeg Jets history when he knocked home a loose puck in a goal-mouth scramble in front of Carey Price 2:27 into the third period to narrow the score to 2-1.

However, Yannick Weber restored Montreal's two goal lead on a 5-on-3 powerplay goal at 4:51 and Travis Moen and Max Pacioretty added the insurance as the Jets fell 5-1 to the Canadiens to set their record at 0-1 to start the season.

Despite the loss, the 15,004 at the MTS Centre Sunday afternoon gave the home team a standing ovation during the final minute of the game and as they made their way off the ice without a salute.

The Jets outshot the Canadiens by a 31-22 margin; if it were not for Carey Price the game may have been different for the Jets as they were not able to get enough traffic in front of the Habs netminder.

Tobias Enstrom led in ice time for the Jets, playing 25:23, while Zach Bogosian played 22:58, and Dustin Byfuglien 21:26.

Rookie Mark Scheifele logged 13:44 of ice time while centering Kyle Wellwood and Evander Kane on the Jets second line.

The line of Antropov-Alexander Burmistrov-Brett MacLean ended the game with an even rating despite scoring the Jets lone goal.

Byfuglien and Kane led the Jets with four shots a piece.

Johnny Oduya finished the night as a -3, while Bryan Little, Jim Slater, Blake Wheeler, and Byfuglien finished the night with -2 ratings.

Despite outshooting the Canadiens 14-6 in the third period, the Jets were outscored 3-1.

The Jets now go on the road to face the 2010 Stanley Cup champions Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday and then travel to Phoenix to meet the former Jets on Saturday.

Next home game is Monday, October 17th when the Sidney Crosby-less Pittsburgh Penguins invade the MTS Centre.