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Fred Greenslade \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS<\/p>\n
Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros makes a save on Winnipeg Jets\u2019 Brad Lambert during the third period of the Predators 4-3 shootout win, Tuesday in Winnipeg.<\/p>\n
Second, the Jets rallied to tie the game with exactly one minute left in regulation and carried that momentum into three-on-three overtime. They had multiple glorious chances but were unable to beat Predators goaltender Juuse Saros.<\/p>\n
Third \u2014 and most importantly \u2014 Nashville is one of the teams Winnipeg must leapfrog to secure the final Western Conference wild-card spot. The Jets began the night one point back of the Predators with a chance to put them in the rear-view mirror. Now, that deficit has doubled.<\/p>\n
Add it all up, and this was a tough one to swallow, even as the Jets closed out a season-long eight-game homestand with a 5-2-1 record.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been winning and picking up points, so it\u2019s been pretty good,\u201d said forward Gabe Vilardi.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, we got to keep going though. Every game\u2019s playoff mode right now for us. That\u2019s the position we put ourselves in because of our earlier in the season trouble. Right now we\u2019re in playoff mode obviously, and we got to preferably get two points but what are you going to do?\u201d<\/p>\n
Winnipeg is now 28-28-11, leaving them temporarily four points back of Seattle and Los Angeles for the final playoff spot, and three behind San Jose. However, the Kraken were still playing the Tampa Bay Lightning at press time, meaning that gap could grow.<\/p>\n
Nashville improves to 30-28-9 and were, at least for the time being, within two points of the Kraken and the Kings.<\/p>\n
Getting goalied<\/p>\n
Tip your cap to Saros.<\/p>\n
Consider this: According to Natural Stat Trick, the Jets were expected to score 5.26 goals in this game based on the quality of their overall chances. That means Saros stopped 2.26 above average.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Fred Greenslade \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets\u2019 Gabriel Vilardi celebrates his goal against the Nashville Predators with Mark Scheifele during the second period.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had 70 to 80 shot attempts. Their goaltender was outstanding,\u201d said Jets coach Scott Arniel.<\/p>\n \u201cIn that second period, some shots he didn\u2019t see. We hit a couple of crossbars and posts and missed the net a few times. We had tons of opportunities and Saros made some big stops.\u201d<\/p>\n He really had no chance on the three goals that beat him.<\/p>\n The first came off the stick of defenceman Josh Morrissey with 40 seconds left in the first period, tying the game 1-1. Vilardi found his teammate all alone in the slot, and Morrissey ripped a shot past Saros for his 12th of the year.<\/p>\n Vilardi gave the Jets a 2-1 lead early in the second period when he pounced on a loose puck in front of the net with his team on the power play. His 26th of the year is just one short of the career high he set last season.<\/p>\n Jonathan Toews scored his eighth of the season \u2014 snapping a 20-game drought in the process \u2014 with Connor Hellebuyck out for the extra attacker. His shot from in tight beat a screened Saros.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s nice to score in a situation like that,\u201d said Toews.<\/p>\n \u201cGoing down the stretch, you\u2019re going to be in some tight games. So it\u2019s nice to have some confidence when you go out there, whether it\u2019s a power play or a six-man unit to score one late and get back in a game like that.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Fred Greenslade \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Nashville Predators\u2019 Erik Haula tips the puck past Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck as Haydn Fleury defends during the first period.<\/p>\n Saros stopped all four shots he faced in overtime, then had a clean sheet during the shootout.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of shots, a lot of opportunities to score,\u201d said Vilardi. \u201cI thought we did a good job with our O-zone play, getting pucks to the D. Guys were moving, had a guy in front a lot of the time. Yeah, we had a lot of chances.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Hellebuyck wasn\u2019t at his best in this game. Nashville had an expected goals rate of 2.02, meaning they outscored their chances.<\/p>\n Hellebuyck had no chance on Eric Haula\u2019s perfect power play tip to open the scoring, but he\u2019d probably say he could have stopped Filip Forsberg\u2019s wicked wrister midway through the second which tied the game 2-2, and he definitely would want Matthew Wood\u2019s 3-2 go-ahead goal back that came with just under six minutes left in regulation.<\/p>\n Ryan O\u2019Reilly then scored the only goal of the shootout.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve proven that it doesn\u2019t matter who our opponent is, we can find ways to win games, especially when the points are big for both teams,\u201d said Toews.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, we didn\u2019t find a way to get the second one, but we\u2019re showing that resolve. It\u2019s not always going to be pretty. We\u2019ve just got to find ways and we believe that we\u2019ve got the guys to be able to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n Stranded stripes<\/p>\n The game had a bit of an unusual feel as it was officiated by just one referee.<\/p>\n Chris Lee was unable to make it from Minneapolis to Winnipeg due to weather, so Brandon Schrader really got his cardio in as he had to cover both ends of the ice.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Fred Greenslade \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS<\/p>\n Nashville Predators\u2019 Reid Schaefer reaches for the puck around Winnipeg Jets\u2019 Jacob Bryson during the first period.<\/p>\n Schrader whistled Nashville for four minor penalties, and the Jets were only able to convert once. That\u2019s been an issue lately for the club, which went just 2-for-18 on the power play during this eight-game homestand.<\/p>\n \u201cSpecial teams can be difference makers,\u201d Morrissey said following the morning skate. \u201cWe have done a lot of good things but we have another gear as a group.\u201d<\/p>\n Winnipeg took one penalty, which the Predators were able to score on.<\/p>\n Key play<\/p>\n Jonathan Toews game-tying goal with 60 seconds left in the third period at least salvaged something for the Jets.<\/p>\n THREE STARS:<\/p>\n 1. NSH G Juuse Saros: 36 saves<\/p>\n 2. WPG LW Kyle Connor: 3 assists<\/p>\n 3. WPG RW Gabe Vilardi: 1 goal, 1 assist<\/p>\n Extra, extra<\/p>\n A crowd of 13,559 \u2014 one of the smallest of the season \u2014 took in the game.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Fred Greenslade \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets\u2019 Gabriel Vilardi breaks his stick taking a shot on the Nashville Predators during the second period.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n \t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t Winnipeg went 2-0-1 against Nashville in their season series.<\/p>\n Ville Heinola was once again the lone healthy scratch for the Jets.<\/p>\n The club is likely to call up a forward from the Manitoba Moose on Wednesday as they head out on a three-game road trip which begins Thursday in Boston.<\/p>\n They\u2019ll also face the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers in a pair of weekend matinees.<\/p>\n www.winnipegfreepress.com\/mikemcintyre<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Mike McIntyre Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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