It was a long 113-days for many NHL fans including those of the Winnipeg Jets. The Senators came into Winnipeg for the opening game and had to spoil the fun by beating the Jets 4-1.
In their first road game against the Boston Bruins, the Jets lost in a tough game that ended in an overtime, shoot-out loss. The next night in one of many back-to-back games saw the Jets steal a win in Washington 4-2 against the Capitals. It was their first win of the season and more importantly, their first win on the road.
Sidney Crosby was sidelined for much of last year’s season and never made it to Winnipeg. Game 4 of the shortened regular season and the Jets-Penguins game was the hottest ticket in town. After tWo quick goals by Sid the Kid in the opening period, you could hear a pin drop at MTS Centre. The Jets would roar back with Andrew Ladd scoring the game winnipeg goal. Jets won that game 4-2 and Jets fans were happy to see Crosby enjoy a true Canadian winter.
The Jets won a scrappy back and forth game against the visiting New York Islanders last Sunday at the Hanger (5-4 in overtime). Starting a short three-game road trip in Montreal, the Jets lost a tough game at the Bell Centre against the Canadiens 4-5.
The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning host the Jets in sunny Florida this week before coming back to the MTS Centre on February 5th with a rematch against the Panthers.
After the first two weeks of the season, the Jets are showing definite improvements over last year. The first line of Olli Jokinen, Blake Wheeler and Evander Kane are showing good signs and translating to goals and points. Even better, ESPN’s NHL Power Rankings had the Winnipeg Jets jump 14 spots! Let’s try not to shout Stanley Cup too soon!
Photo Credits: Ron Cantiveros, AJ Marcelino, Rob Buenaventura
