During a season of teachable moments, the Blue Jackets got a cold one Tuesday night in Winnipeg.
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Matched up against the NHL’s top team, the Jackets got a firsthand look at what coach Pascal Vincent wants them to become in a 5-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre.
The Jets (27-9-4), whom Vincent worked with for 10 years for as both an NHL assistant and AHL head coach, made life difficult for the Jackets in numerous ways. They forced key turnovers, controlled the puck for stretches that led to goals and played strong defensively in front of goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who made 29 saves for his second shutout of the season and first against Columbus in his career.
“They’re No. 1 in the league, and there’s a reason for it,” Vincent said. “They don’t give anything. They’re patient with their offensive game, really intense with their defensive game and they have an elite goaltender. So, they can play any style. That’s what we faced tonight.”
Columbus outshot Winnipeg 29-23 overall, but the Jets’ effort was a clinical takedown of the youthful Blue Jackets (13-20-9), who are missing injured captain Boone Jenner (jaw), star defenseman Zach Werenski (ankle), former Jets star Patrik Laine (collarbone), veteran center Sean Kuraly (abdominal injury) and defenseman Nick Blankenburg (upper body).
After taking a 1-0 lead in the first period on a goal by Brenden Dillon, Winnipeg tacked on two more in the second on goals by Cole Perfetti and Josh Morrissey for a 3-0 lead starting the third. That was more than enough for Hellebuyck and the Jets’ defense.
Perfetti, who finished with three points on two goals and one assist, added his second goal early in the third for a 4-0 lead. Gabe Vilardi tacked another one on the board during a Winnipeg power play before the final horn mercifully sounded for the Jackets, who started goalie Daniil Tarasov for the third straight game.
“They’re predictable in how they play the game,” Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson said. “They know exactly where it’s going before the play’s made, and there’s a reason why they’re at the top of the league right now.”
Here are three takeaways:
Winnipeg Jets are what Columbus Blue Jackets strive to become
The game’s underlying advanced metrics mostly favored Winnipeg, but they were split fairly even.
The main reasons the Jets put away the Blue Jackets by a lopsided score were…