Winnipeg Jets Loose Game 3 to Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild dominated Game 3 of the first round playoffs against the Winnipeg Jets leaving the team to regroup after a dismal performance and 6-2 loss. Team Captain Blake Wheeler failed to generate the same level of play he got from his team during Games 1 and 2 as the Wild put forth last night.

That failure cost the Jets big time as Minnesota scored four goals in the second period and reducing the Jets lead in the series, which now stands 2-1.

Commenting on the game, Team Captain Blake Wheeler said,

“It’s one game in a seven-game series. We didn’t play anywhere near our level tonight, and it’s a fine line for us,” said the Jets captain. “We need to play with team speed, like we were able to accomplish the second half of both Games 1 and 2.”

Wheeler added that he felt the Wild came out hard, and by the second period, the team was unable to match the speed of the Minnesota Wild and that changed the game. He added that Minnesota carried on pushing hard and the Jets just were unable to match the speed they needed to play at.

Paul Maurice, the coach for Winnipeg shared Wheelers thoughts stating,

“Our game is based on some speed and some quickness and that was pretty much lacking in our game. We didn’t move the puck well. Didn’t skate as well as we need to, to defend and we also didn’t generate.”

Minnesoata Wild

Last night’s win at home was the first for Minnesota in the series and denied the Jets their first on-road win during the playoffs. Minnesota’s Marcus Foligno, Matt Dumba, Jordan Greenway and Eric Stall each scored a goal in the second period and Mikael Granlund and Zack Parise scored during the first.

As for the Jets, Tyler Myers and Blake Wheeler scored. However, Myers exited the game after colliding with the boards awkwardly and remains absent for the rest of the game. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck had sixteen saves for the night but was pulled after forty minutes of play.

Last night’s game was a record breaker for the Wild as they set a new record for the most goals scored during a home game in the playoffs. Minnesota’s Devan Dubnyk had twenty-nine saves on the night, and the Wild showed strong ambition with their offense after having less than twenty shots on goal in each of the first two games.

Winnipeg were faced with travel advisories due to the storm sweeping across the U.S and Canada and had to divert to Duluth, Minnesota before returning Winnipeg and did not make it to Minnesota until the morning of Game 3. The pressure from Minnesota was immediate and the opening 60 seconds of play saw Nino Niederreiter getting levelled by Dustin Byfugilien near the Jets net.

Blake Wheeler got the scoring underway for the Jets during a power play that saw tapping in a bouncing puck past the glove of Devan Dubnyk to give the Jets a 1-0 lead. Sadly, it was the beginning of the end for the Jets as they faced trouble during a penalty play for Minnesota that saw the Wild tie up the game after Mikael Granlund responded to a rebound and scored. Minnesota’s Zack Parise made it 2-1 as the first period was coming to a close.

Said Granlund on his goal,

“We needed a win. That’s the bottom line,” Granlund said. “I mean, it really doesn’t matter if it’s 1-0 or 6-2, there’s a whole new game on Tuesday and only the wins matter.”

Minnesota made it 3-1 in the second when Matt Dumba scored after Hellebuyck was blocked by the crowd in front of the net, the rest of the second period was a disaster for Winnipeg as they watch their chances for a Game 3 victory disappear after Marcus Foligno made it 4-1

Talking about the series, Hellbuyck said,

“I don’t really want to get into details because I’m putting this one behind me. We’ve got a long series ahead of us and I really want to look forward to the next one because this is a fun time of year.”

Game 4 will see Minnesota place host to the Jets and then the series will return to Winnipeg for games 5 and 6. The Jets, who are playing their second playoff series in six years, have yet to advance beyond the first round are looking to advance in the playoffs. Whether this is the year that will see them challenging for the Cup is to be seen.