"We had some chances," defenceman Brenden Dillon said post-game. "Their goalie made some good saves. Ultimately we didn’t get enough.”
The game ended up 4-1 for Minnesota, but it was Winnipeg that held the shot advantage on the night. Some quality goaltending from Filip Gustavsson made the difference, as Connor Hellebuyck's mediocre performance wasn't quite up to his Vezina Trophy-winning standards.
“I don’t think we played up to the standard we expect out of everyone in terms of execution," Adam Lowry said. "Our passing wasn’t very crisp, decision making, reads off faceoffs, reads in and on them. I think we can play fast and be more aggressive on the forecheck. We can create more turnovers that will lead to extended zone time... It’s on the guys to find our game in practice tomorrow and bring a better effort for Vancouver.”
Whether it did have something to do with the various missing pieces, or just the effects of Christmas dinners weighing heavily in the stomachs of the Jets' roster, Tuesday marked Winnipeg's first three-game losing streak of the season, in a 'so-so' game that just didn't provide fans with the typical excitement that this team has been known to deliver as of late.
"Their goalie made some timely saves for them, there's no question about that," head coach Rick Bowness said. "I still think we're passing up way too many chances to shoot the puck on the net. It just goes back to our details, a little more urgency, and the fact that we fell behind 2-0, that hurt us. If we had tied it up, we could have gotten another goal, that would have helped us. Clearly, we didn't."
It took just 6:33 for the Wild to jump ahead by two goals. With Dylan Samberg in the box for high-sticking, Minnesota captain Jared Spurgeon got his club on the board.
Moments after Adam Lowry threw a massive check after having a shorthanded breakaway chance denied by Filip Gustavsson, the play returned back into the Jets’ zone. Wild forward Ryan Hartman found Spurgeon net-side, who tucked the puck past Connor Hellebuyck for the early 1-0 lead with just nine seconds remaining in the visitors’ power play.
“I think I opened him up a little bit, unfortunately just too sharp of an angle and it slides past him and grazes the post," Lowry said of his chance. "It would have been nice to see that one go in, but instead we go down 1-0 the other way. I’ve got to keep my composure there, I probably shouldn’t haven’t have gone in for that hit on Gaudreau to give them numbers coming back.”
Then, just 1:04 later, Hellebuyck gave up a bad goal on a beauty of a drop pass from star Kirill Kaprizov. Mats Zuccarello’s shot beat the goaltender cleanly, putting the Wild up 2-0 before seven minutes had even ticked off the clock.
But Winnipeg struck back, and did so with authority. It was Pierre-Luc Dubois who finished off a beautiful solo effort, dangling his way past Jonas Brodin before tucking the puck past Gustavsson to make it 2-1 at the midway mark of the frame.
Despite the incredible goal from Dubois, the Jets did finish the frame down 2-1 through 20 mintues of play. They were outshot 11-8 in the period.
Moments after stepping out of the sin bin, Zuccarello picked up the puck, wheeled past Neal Pionk and set up Freddy Gaudreau with an easy tap-in on the Jets’ doorstep. The goal 6:44 into the frame was the only marker by either team in the middle stanza, even though Winnipeg outshot the Wild 13-7 in the period. The Jets actually took over the overall shot lead in the game, pulling ahead 21-18 through 40 minutes of play.
The most excitement of the period came just 44 seconds in. With Dubois and Joel Eriksson-Ek in the box on coincidental roughing minors, each team had chances on the ensuing four-on-four situation. Ryan Hartman came the closest to scoring, rattling the puck off the post as time on the penalties ticked down.
Minnesota added an empty netter as Samuel Walker found his first career tally with 2:05 to go, sealing the deal for the visitors.
"It’s nice to know that’s our first three-game losing streak of the year," Dillon said. "But every team, the rest of the way, we’re a measuring stick for teams with the way we’ve played these first 35 games. We can’t expect to surprise teams anymore. They’re coming here knowing what to expect. Playing their best hockey. We just can’t be surprised at that, especially come next game.”
Three Manitobans made their way to Winnipeg for the game as members of the Wild. Brandon's Calen Addison, The Pas' Connor Dewar and Winnipeg's Ryan Reaves each suited up for Minny, each managing to finish the night as 'even' or 'plus' players in the plus/minus department.
A shaky Connor Hellebuyck made 24 saves on the night, giving up three goals and taking his ninth loss of the season (16-9-1). Gustavsson was fantastic for Minnesota, turning aside 31 of 32 Jets shots while picking up his eighth win of the year. For Winnipeg (21-13-1), it was the team's third-straight loss, cutting their lead to just one point over the Wild and Colorado Avalanche for second place in the Central Division.
Next up for the Jets is the second of two games in the short homestand, as the visiting Vancouver Canucks make their first of two stops in town on Thursday night. Winnipeg then travels to Alberta for games against the Oilers (Saturday) and Flames (Tuesday). Thursday's contest can be viewed live on TSN at 7:00 PM central time.
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