It seemed like everything was going the Winnipeg Jets way. Prior to the All-Star break, the Jets had won five straight games and were hot on the heels of their Central Division rivals in the standings. However, the All-Star break that usually serves as a chance for teams to recharge their batteries for the second half of the season might have killed the Jets momentum. Winnipeg’s pursuit has not stopped but the mini slump they are currently in has them looking closer attention to the teams in their rearview mirror.
Winnipeg headed to the Keystone State for a pair of road games against the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers. Penguin star forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin missed the All-Star game and were forced to miss their first game back due to league policy. Winnipeg took a 3-2 lead over the Pens early in the third period with Evander Kane assisting on all three goals. Lack of discipline by the Jets gave Pittsburgh a pair of powerplays that they would convert on. Pittsburgh would add an empty net goal and give the Jets their first loss in two weeks. Kris Letang provided the spark for the Penguins assisting on all five goals in the 5-3 win.
Two nights later, the Philiadelphia Flyers welcomed the Jets to the Wells Fargo Centre. It was a fast paced opening period with both teams scoring twice. Mathieu Perreault continued his great play scoring twice for Winnipeg in the opening frame. Philadelphia took the lead for good in the second period when Nick Schultz pounced on a puck during a scramble in front of Hutchinson. The Flyers added two more to beat the Jets 5-2.
Lack of discipline has been an issue for Winnipeg all season long. The Jets lead all teams in the NHL in penalty minutes and the Dallas Stars looked to exploit this. Stars forward Patrick Eaves scored on a powerplay just over five minutes in to give his team a 1-0 lead. Jets captain Andrew Ladd would capitalize beating netminder Kari Lehtonen on sustained pressure to the delight of the fans at the MTS Centre. Winnipeg found themselves in penalty trouble and Shawn Horcoff and Jason Spezza scored with the man advantage and the Stars never looked back dominating the Jets 5-2. Andrew Ladd talked about the Jets penalty troubles after the game.
“I think it’s tough when you’re building momentum,” the captain said. “It’s something we have to get better at walking that line and being more disciplined.”
The Jets headed to Calgary to take on the Flames on a mini two game West coast road trip with only three points separating the two clubs. Blake Wheeler got the Jets off to a great start scoring 1:09 into the game. Calgary scored four unanswered goals including a powerplay goal from Raphael Diaz that held up to be the game winner. Bryan Little added a late goal but the Flames added an empty netter to seal the troubles after the game.
