Jets Fall Flat Back At Home To Panthers 5-2

It was another former Chicago Blackhawk that had the big night on the scoresheet Thursday night at MTS Centre as the Florida Panthers came into Winnipeg and took two points away from the hometown Jets.

Kris Versteeg scored the game's opening two goals and added an empty netter for his first hat trick of his NHL career as the Panthers came away with a 5-2 victory when it was all said and done.

The game featured a number of players from the now dismantled 2010 Stanley Cup champions, including Jets captain Andrew Ladd, Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien, Panthers forwards Tomas Kopecky and Versteeg, as well as Panther defenseman Brian Campbell.

Also scoring for the road team was Jason Garrison and Mike Santorelli.

On the board for the hometown Jets were Tim Stapleton with his first as a Jet on the power play and Andrew Ladd with his fourth of the campaign.

The Panthers had leads of 2-0 after one and 4-0 after two before the Jets forced their way back into the game in the third with two quick goals by Stapleton and Ladd in the first six minutes of the final frame.

Ondrej Pavelec made eleven saves on 15 shots and was sat for the final frame as Peter Mannino made his Jets debut, stopping all four shots he faced in the third period.

The Jets outshot the Panthers in the final period by a 17-4 margin, but Jose Theodore ended up stopping 25 of 27 on the night for the win.

The Panthers went two-for-five on the powerplay while the Jets went one-for-three on the man advantage.

Mark Stuart was the only Jet who finished with a plus rating (plus one) over 18:16 of ice time.

Dustin Byfuglien logged 24:44 of ice time to lead the Jets. Zach Bogosian logged 24:22, Johnny Oduya logged 22:29, Alexander Burmistrov logged 19:46, and Evander Kane logged 18:55.

Bryan Little was excellent in the faceoff circle, winning 15 of 20 draws on the night, while Jim Slater won seven of fourteen and Burmistrov won eight of fifteen.

Slater had a game high six shots on net, while Byfuglien had four.

The Jets now go back on the road for a meeting with the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets and former Jet and Jacket head coach Scott Arniel Saturday night.


Photo Courtesy of Yahoo! Sports & Getty Images

Jets Shutout Islanders on the Island 3-0

Ondrej Pavelec stopped 34 shots and the Winnipeg Jets and their starting goalie captured their first shutout of the season as the Jets blanked the New York Islanders 3-0 Thursday night.

Evander Kane continued his great play, scoring his fifth of the season at 4:21 of the first period on a great second and third effort which resulted in the puck finally eluding Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro.

Kane's goal would hold up as the only goal until Johnny Oduya would score his first goal on a shot from the right side that careened off an Islanders defender and behind DiPietro for a 2-0 Jets lead at 16:04.

Alexander Burmistrov would ice the game with an empty netter at 17:44.

Kane would finish the night with a goal and an assist - which puts him at eight points in eleven games this season, with all of those points coming in the last six games.

It was Kane's third multi-point night of the season.

Johnny Oduya was also figuring into the scoring with a goal and an assist as he was thrust into more action with the absence of Tobias Enstrom.

Oduya had 22:07 of ice time last night. His points in the game were his first since October 13th against Chicago. He finished a season-high +2.

Kyle Wellwood continued his consistent play with his fourth assist of the season. He now has nine points (five goals, four assists) in twelve games.

Nik Antropov, Burmistrov, and Kane all finished with +3 ratings, while Dustin Byfuglien and Oduya finished as +2.

Byfuglien played a team high 23:40 of ice time, while Zach Bogosian played 22:54, Oduya 22:07, and Brett Festerling 19:05.

Randy Jones had played a team high 18:55 before taking a slapshot off the leg early in the third period.

Mark Flood played 13:41.

Bryan Little won 12 of 18 faceoffs, Burmistrov three of three, Antropov two of six, and Jim Slater five of fourteen.

Jets are back in action Saturday night against the New Jersey Devils.


Photo Courtesy of Yahoo! Sports & Getty Images

Jets Defensive Injuries Cues First AHL Re-Call

While Tobias Enstrom is back in Winnipeg amidst the Jets longest road trip of the season, the Jets have gone to the bullpen to help their ailing defensive core.

With Ron Hainsey and Derek Meech already on the shelf for a while now, there is the potential that Mark Stuart will not suit up Thursday night in Long Island due to an undisclosed upper body injury.

Knowing Stuart's defensive style - the shot blocking, hard nosed type - a game off would do his body good in recovering for the remainder of the Jets seven game road trip.

Having four of their top seven defenseman out of the lineup now, the Jets have their first AHL call ups from the rock in Newfoundland - Brett Festerling and Mark Flood.

Flood is the first ex-Manitoba Moose to return to Winnipeg in the NHL.

The former sixth round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2003 has played in eleven games for the Jets affiliate Ice Caps, collecting one goal and six assists, along with a +4 rating.

Festerling has also played in eleven games, with four points (one goal, three assists) with a +1 rating.

The Jets defensive core that may start in Long Island now stands with Dustin Byfuglien, Zach Bogosian, Johnny Oduya, Randy Jones, Festerling, and Flood.

Stuart is listed as day-to-day and is possibly a game time decision.

Head coach Claude Noel said that there is a possibility that Hainsey would be back by the weekend or after the weekend when asked about his veteran defenseman.

Enstrom will likely miss the remainder of the road trip, but Noel did disclose that his injury was not concussion related.


Sources:
TSN1290.ca

Photos Courtesy of Yahoo! Sports & Getty Images

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

Hawks Down Former Teammates Ladd, Byfulgien 4-3

The Jets and Blackhawks both returned to action for the first time in almost a week at the United Center Thursday night.

It was the Jets that came out firing on all cylinders as Jim Slater deflected a Johnny Oduya point shot 4:24 into the opening frame. Slater would add his second of the game off a Ron Hainsey point shot just over three minutes later.

It wouldn't hold up long as after the Hawks called a timeout, Andrew Brunette cashed on a Hawks powerplay over two minutes later.

Patrick Kane would tie the game up 2-2 on a great cross-ice feed by Marian Hossa.

Hossa would make it 3-2 early in the second with his 389th goal in his 900th career game.

Dave Bolland would open a two goal lead for the Hawks 6:45 into the second period when his shot squeezed through Ondrej Pavelec and across the goal line.

After tripping on a breakaway earlier in the period out of the penalty box, Kyle Wellwood redeemed himself scoring at 14:13 of the second through his legs to make it 4-3.

An uneventful third period saw the Jets almost tie it late on a last ditch try by Nik Antropov, but Ray Emery shut the door late.

However, the Hawks held on for the 4-3 win as the Jets fall to 0-2 on the season so far.

Pavelec kept the Jets in the game for most of the game, making 28 saves on 32 shots, making eight in the final period, many of them on an odd-man rush.

Mark Scheifele only played 9:25 and one shift in the third period, ending the game as a -1 on only 13 shifts.

Jim Slater scored his first two goal period in his career, finishing with a +1 rating, seven hits, and 13:56 of ice time.

Dustin Byfuglien finished his return to Chicago with a +2 rating, five hits, and five shots with 22:48 ice time, only two seconds less than Ron Hainsey.

Zach Bogosian ended the game with a -2 rating, including a barrage of giveaways.

The Jets (0-2) now head to Phoenix to face the Coyotoes (1-1-1) on Saturday night.

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.

Game #1: Jets vs. Habs

Sunday, October 9, 2011
MTS Centre 4:00 PM CT
TV: CBC, RDS, NHL-US
Radio: TSN 1290
One more night's sleep until the Jets are back in the NHL - officially.

Fifteen years and now only that one sleep is all that is between Winnipeg and seeing their Jets legitimately compete in the greatets hockey league in the world.

The Jets take to the ice in their first regular season game since the 1995-96 season at MTS Centre Sunday at 4 o'clock to a raucous crowd of 15,004.

Up front, the Jets are likely to go with the combination of Bryan Little centering Andrew Ladd and Blake Wheeler. It is likely also that Alexander Burmistrov will center the second line with Nik Antropov and Evander Kane, but there could be the chance Mark Scheifele may start as high up as the second line.

The Jets defensive unit to start the season is the same as ended last season in Atlanta - Dustin Byfuglien, Tobias Enstrom, Zach Bogosian, Ron Hainsey, Johnny Oduya, and Mark Stuart.

On the scale of significance, this game is the biggest since the AHL's Manitoba Moose were in the 2009 Calder Cup Finals or even the Avco Cup Championships of the WHA era Jets.

Despite the 15,004 in the MTS Centre tomorrow afternoon, there will be tens of thousands more pouring onto the streets of downtown Winnipeg and many others watching this historic game on TV.

The Jets are back and we only have mere hours before the dream becomes a reality.

Jets All Out Top 25: Top 5 Review

The countdown to the Jets first pre-season game in a split-club game against the Columbus Blue Jackets is down to four days and a few hours.

However, Jets All Out had started the countdown to September 20th long ago when on August 25th, we started counting down the Top 25 Jets in the current lineup with the honourable mentions that Thursday.

Now, we have come down to the Top 5 Jets in their current lineup.

Before we list the Top 5, let's take a look back at rankings from spot #25 to spot #6.

#25: Paul Postma, 22, D, 6’3, 184 lbs
Tall, smooth skating, young defenseman who still has alot of room to grow with the new Jets. Size and skill will only improve.

#24: Carl Klingberg, 20, LW, 6’3, 205 lbs
Big, bulky, and young power forward likened himself to Alex Ovehckin; showed size in YoungStars tourney

#23: Tim Stapleton, 29, RW, 5’9, 180 lbs
Small, undersized center; scored last goal in Thrashers history; has to work hard to get a full-time spot in Winnipeg

#22: Jason Jaffray, 30, LW, 6’1, 195 lbs
Ex-Moose playoff hero Jaffray wants to make an impression in the NHL and hopefully stick full-time in familiar setting

#21: Randy Jones, 30, D, 6’2, 205 lbs
Mid-sized defenseman has been shipped around the NHL, hopes fourth stop in Winnipeg will be his last

#20: Ben Maxwell, 23, C, 6'1, 195 lbs
Young, two-way center looks to finally get into a full-time NHL spot after trade to Jets from Montreal last spring

#19: Patrice Cormier, 21, C, 6'2, 205 lbs
After an ugly incident in QMJHL, Cormier is looking to put it behind him in the NHL with the Jets

#18: Tanner Glass, 27, Left Wing, 6’1, 210 lbs
Ex-Canuck looks to make an impact as an enforcer after trip to 2010 Stanley Cup Finals

#17: Chris Thorburn, 28, Right Wing, 6’3, 225 lbs
Lifetime Thrasher enforcer looks to keep up his job in Winnipeg as the go-to enforcer

#16: Jim Slater, 28, Center, 6’0, 200 lbs
Two-way center looks to cement spot as third-line center and make an impression quick in new city

#15: Mark Stuart, 27, Defense, 6’2, 218 lbs
Former first-round pick of the Bruins looks to take a leadership role on the Jets young and talented blueline

#14: Zach Bogosian, 21, Defense, 6'3, 215 lbs
Young, talented, and now signed, former third overall pick looks to bounce back in Winnipeg

#13: Alexander Burmistrov, 19, Centre, 6'1, 180 lbs
Very talented center jumped to the NHL quickly last season, looks to improve and avoid sophomore slump

#12: Johnny Oduya, 29, Defense, 6'0, 200 lbs
Veteran defenseman has seen his share of NHL experience in New Jersey, looked to be a leader on the Jets blueline

#11: Chris Mason, 35, Goalie, 6'0, 200 lbs
Well-seasoned backup will look to mentor starter Ondrej Pavelec more it this year with the best of his NHL days behind him

#10: Ron Hainsey, 30, Defense, 6'3, 211 lbs
One of the biggest leaders and the old man on the Jets blueline will look to mentor a young Bogosian as a Jet

#9: Eric Fehr, 26, Right Wing, 6'4, 210 lbs
Hometown player will look to be the hometown hero with the Jets, already received well by hometown family, friends, and fans

#8: Nik Antropov, 31, Right Wing, 6'6, 240 lbs
Veteran winger makes another stop in Canada and looks to rebound after two subpar seasons in Atlanta

#7: Blake Wheeler, 25, Right Wing, 6'5, 214 lbs
Young, big, and talented winger looks to continue his hot play with the Jets organization fresh off a new two-year deal

#6: Bryan Little, 23, Center, 5'10, 190 lbs
Another young center looks to rebound after two seasons removed from 31 goals, tremendous upside and potential


Jets All Out Top 25 - Top 5 will begin this evening; watch for it!

Jets All Out Top 25: #12 Johnny Oduya & #11 Chris Mason

Johnny Oduya, 29, Defense, 6'0, 200 lbs
Last Year's Rating: N/A This Year's Rating: #12 Difference: N/A

Chris Mason, 35, Goalie, 6'0, 200 lbs
Last Year's Rating: N/A This Year's Rating: #11 Difference: N/A

After a successful junior career in the QMJHL with both the Victoriaville Tigres and Moncton Wildcats in 2000-01, defenseman Johnny Oduya decided to spend more time back in his native Sweden, playing in the Swedish Elite League from 2003-04 until the 2005-06 season.

Despite being drafted 221st overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, Oduya did not debut in the NHL until the 2006-07 season with the New Jersey Devils - the team who selected him in the seventh round.

Oduya made an immediate impact, playing 76 games in his rookie season collecting 11 points (two goals, nine assists).

He would spend three full seasons in New Jersey, playing in all 82 games in 2008-09, scoring a career high 29 points (seven goals, 22 assists).

Known as a two-way defenseman, Oduya can chip in with five-ten goals per season, around 25 points and bring a solid defensive game to the ice. His leadership has shown through in his career. Though only in the league for five seasons, Oduya has become a leader on the Jets blueline while in Atlanta along with veteran Ron Hainsey.

Look for Oduya to help in aiding the development of young defenders such as Zach Bogosian, Paul Postma, Andrey Zubarev, Zach Redmond, and Cody Sol in the future.

Behind Oduya and the defense is veteran backup goalie Chris Mason.

Though situated as the Jets backup since his time in Atlanta, Mason did end up starting 33 games last season, taking over main duties early in the season with starter Ondrej Pavelec was out with injury issues.

Though he had a mediocre 13-13-3 record and subpar numbers: 3.39 goals against average and a .892 save percentage, his leadership and experience is what is keeping him in a Jets uniform as a mentor for the young Pavelec.

Mason has seen many different cities and been the starter for other clubs, including St. Louis, where he won a career high 30 games in 2009-10. He has also won 20 games during two other seasons, with the Blues and Nashville Predators.

For Mason, his main duty is the supportive, mentor-like backup goalie. But his enthusiasm and his knack for having one of the sharpest masks in the NHL will help a young Jets team be even more exuberant about coming to a hockey mad city in Winnipeg.

2011-12 Predictions: Jets Defense

With Zach Bogosian on the way to being signed as an RFA, the Winnipeg Jets defense could be touted as one of the best young core with a hint of veteran presence in the NHL.

First Pairing: Dustin Byfuglien - Tobias Enstrom
Out of the top three scorers on team, Dustin Byfuglien and Tobias Enstrom finished one-two in scoring last season. Byfuglien led all defensemen with 20 goals and finished with 33 assists for 53 points in 81 games. Byfuglien's experience with being a contributing factor to the Chicago Blackhawks 2010 Stanley Cup championship is a big boost for the Jets in both the experience and the versatility department as Byfuglien can play both forward and defense. But don't expect the 2011 NHL All-Star to be jumping up to forward anytime soon.

Enstrom continues his strong play as a young player at 26. Entrom was to go to the 2011 NHL All-Star Game along with Byfuglien last season until an injury forced him to miss the game. His 51 points from the blueline can be promising as the Jets have weapons from the back end to help with their forwards up front. His 41 assists were the best on the team last season.

Second Pairing: Ron Hainsey - Zach Bogosian
Ron Hainsey is a seasoned veteran at only 30 years of age. His +3 rating on the team last year proves how much of a stalwart, stay at home defenseman he is. With only 19 points in all 82 games last year, Hainsey shows true grit and a tendency to not be injured as he has only missed nine games in his past five seasons with the Thrashers and Columbus Blue Jackets. He would be a great mentor for a young Zach Bogosian.

Bogosian, though unsigned, provides great upside at 21 years of age. With 17 points in 71 games last season, he goes into his fourth NHL season with a new city, new coach, and a new start. Jets brass are hoping the former third overall pick finally begins to show the potential that he was drafted for.


Third Pairing: Johnny Oduya - Mark Stuart
The third pairing includes two journeymen defensemen who are solid defensively and offensively. Johnny Oduya, 29, can provide a small bit of offensive output with 17 points in 82 games last season. The Swedish defenseman has 96 points in 382 career games.

Mark Stuart is a prototypical stay-at-home defenseman having more blocked shots than attempted shot on goal. Stuart, 27, only has 41 points in 306 career games with the Boston Bruins and Thrashers but did have a career year in 2008-09, scoring 17 points, including five goals with the Bruins. The former 21st overall pick in 2003 will be relied on to be a shutdown defenseman with his size at 6'2", 213 pounds.


Next In Line
Andrey Zubarev, 24, shows promise for a young defenseman when he played four games last season for the Thrashers in the late season. He collected 13 points (three goals, ten assists) in 51 games with the AHL's Chicago Wolves last season after playing five seasons in the KHL.

Randy Jones, 30, has 326 games of NHL experience that could make him the seventh defenseman on the team. His training camp this September could tell the story of where he fits into the Jets scheme.

Derek Meech, 27, is a native of Winnipeg and has 126 games of NHL experience over parts of four seasons with the Detroit Red Wings. Known for a great offensive upside in the AHL, Meech hopes to show that in his hometown. He also has a Stanley Cup championship to his credit too.

Mark Flood, 26, was a Manitoba Moose last year and was one of the players the Jets brought over to add to their depth. Flood has only six games of NHL experience with the NY Islanders in 2008-09 but looks to be more than just a top AHL defenseman

Paul Postma, 22, adds just another great young defenseman to the depth of the Jets defense. He played one game last season for the Thrashers and has collected 74 points (27 goals, 47 assists) in 132 games with the Chicago Wolves the last two seasons. He may be able to crack the roster in the next two years.