Brutal Second Period Sinks Jets in Battle With Ovechkin, Capitals

A hockey game is three periods in length for a reason. On Sunday evening, the Winnipeg Jets showed up for two of those three periods. Whether it was too many Sunday morning mimosas, or just plain and simply a lack of focus in the middle stanza, the Jets couldn't find a way to beat an Eastern Conference opponent making their lone trip to Canada Life Centre. It wasn't the result that the team currently holding down first place in the Central Division was looking for in its battle with Alexander Ovechkin and the visiting Washington Capitals. A four-goal second period sunk the Jets, as Washington found a way to beat one of the league's top goaltenders multiple ways, including that of even strength, on the power play, while shorthanded and on a penalty shot. The Jets managed to find a couple early in the third period, but it was too little, too late.

The first period was highlighted by some quality goaltending on both ends of the ice. Connor Hellebuyck put on a clinic during an early-period offensive outburst, to which the Capitals pulled ahead 8-1 in the shot chart.

Then, it was Charlie Lindgren’s turn to stand on his head.

After Hellebuyck made a few point-blank stops opposite him, Lindgren denied Pierre-Luc Dubois right on the doorstep, while also shutting down a first period power play. Winnipeg got the next nine shot, before Washington got one back, making it 10-9 for the Jets through a scoreless opening 20 minutes.

Trevor van Riemsdyk got the game-opener 3:25 into the second, firing a long-range wrist shot that got past a screened Connor Hellebuyck, before the Jets ran into penalty problems. With Blake Wheeler already in the box for hooking, David Gustafson was handed a minor of his own, sending Ovechkin's Capitals to an extended five-on-three. The Jets killed off the two-man advantage, only to give up a goal with 21 seconds left in Gustafsson's minor. It was Evgeny Kuznetsov of buried his fourth of the year off the top of the doorstep, giving Washington a 2-0 lead with just 8:21 having ticked off the clock. The Jets were handed a gift in the form of a four-minute, high-sticking, double-minor. But thanks to a puck bobble and what appeared to be a very gentle tap of the stick, Marcus Johansson was granted a penalty shot following a breakaway chance that resulted following a diving Evgeny Kuznetsov pass and a discombobulated Josh Morrissey. “I saw the D coming with me, something came to my mind," Kuznetsov said. "I knew I needed just a little touch because I felt that their defenceman didn’t see that Johansson was coming and with the speed. Sometimes those ideas come to my head and I’m glad that it worked out so well.” Amid a chorus of heavy boos, Johansson potted his seventh of the season on the ensuing breakaway gift. Then, with 4:36 to go, Lars Eller put the game seemingly out of reach. Anthony Mantha carried the disc into the Jets' zone and dangled his man before putting the puck on net. Eller was right there to bat the rebound past Hellebuyck and into the net, bringing the tally up to 4-0. But with a full period of work left to complete, Winnipeg came out guns blazing. Needing just 35 seconds to score, Adam Lowry potted his seventh on the season on a Josh Morrissey point shot, bringing the fans at Canada Life Centre to their collective feet for the very first time. Then, just three minutes later, Pierre-Luc Dubois capitalized on a three-on-one up-ice, with all of Mikey Eyssimont, Kyle Connor and PLD touching the puck, before Dubois' 14th found its way past Lindgren, cutting the deficit in half. Dubois actually pulled a page out of former Jet, Toby Enstrom's book by choking down on his stick in order to find the perfect angle on the tough pass reception before one-timing it into the cage. The goal certainly brought some extra life into a crowd that had just seen the Carolina Hurricanes come back from three goals down to send the game to overtime earlier in the season. This comeback, however, fell short. With the help of some poor officiating and an exclamation mark in the form of Alexander Ovechkin's 797th career goal (into an empty net albeit), the Jets were unable to get all the way back into this one, falling 5-2 on the night.

Save for a brutal second period, the Jets did show up to play. But it was in that middle frame to which the damage was done. Even the two third period goals couldn't buy the Jets a point.

Connor Hellebuyck turned aside 35 shots on the night, while Charlie Lindgren made 28 stops on 30 Jets shots, earning his sixth win of the season, helping improve his team to 14-12-4 on the year. Winnipeg now sits at 18-8-1, while maintaining its share of first place in the Central Division.

“We had a pretty solid first period, I thought, and then our power play came up big," Lindgren said. "Obviously (Johansson) with a big penalty-shot goal. To score four goals, as a goalie you love it... It’s just a credit to our guys again for competing tonight, working hard, putting the puck in the net. Winnipeg obviously pushed back towards the end of the second. They pushed in the third, we hung tough so good win for us.”

The Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights will be Winnipeg’s next test, as they travel to Manitoba for a Tuesday evening showdown with the Jets. The Nashville Predators roll into Winnipeg on Thursday for the third test of the three-game homestand. Both events will be aired live on TSN.