WINNIPEG – The Winnipeg Jets suffered a third straight loss, but after the game it was the body check that everyone was talking about.
The Ottawa Senators defeated the Jets 2-1 on Wednesday at MTS Centre, but the Senators win was overshadowed by Dustin Byfuglien’s monstrous second period body check on Mark Stone.
“You just don’t see those very often.” Jets head coach Paul Maurice said. “It was clean. It’s so hard you’re wondering how a guy can come back from it.”
“One of the nicest hits I’ve seen in a long, long time.” said Mark Stuart. “With his size and strength, it was clean though. Just a good body check.”
Stone left the game with a chest injury, returned for one shift and then left the game for good.
Mark Scheifele scored the Jets only goal in their third straight defeat. Zack Smith and Alex Chiasson scored goals for the Senators. Sens goalie Andrew Hammond made 20 saves while Michael Hutchinson stopped 17 of 19 shots.
The Sens got right down to business in the opening period. Just 3:16 into the contest, the Winnipeg born Stone sent the puck in front for Smith. He lifted the shot past Hutchinson for his 22nd goal of the season. Cody Ceci had the other assist and it was a 1-0 Ottawa lead.
Midway through the first, Matt Puempel was sent in all alone on the breakaway, but he ripped the shot wide of the goal.
There was just one goal in the first period with the shots six aside in the opening 20 minutes.
With eight minutes remaining in the middle period, Stone grabbed the puck in the neutral zone along the boards and Byfuglien caught him with his head down in a massive collision. Stone stayed down on the ice and when he eventually got up, he headed straight to the dressing room. It was a completely clean hit and Byfuglien was not given a penalty on the play.
In the latter stages of the second, Mika Zibanejad while shorthanded, fired the shot past Hutchinson. But the puck hit the inside of the goal post and the second period would end with the Senators still in a 1-0 lead.
The two teams combined for just nine shots in the second stanza as Ottawa outshot Winnipeg 5-4.
The Jets evened up the score seven minutes in the third period. Blake Wheeler sped into the Sens zone. He slammed on the brakes and spotted Scheifele who buried the shot behind Hammond. It was Scheifele’s team leading 26th goal of the season. Drew Stafford also picked up an assist and it was 1-1.
The Sens almost immediately re-took the lead though. Less than two minutes later, Chiarot mishandled the puck behind the net. Ryan Dzingel pounced on the loose puck and sent a centring pass in front of the goal. The puck bounced off Scheifele’s skate, right to Chiasson. He picked the top corner on Hutchinson for the go ahead goal. His eighth goal of the season had Ottawa back in the drivers seat.
“It’s frustrating.” Chiarot said. “It’s something that might happen once every 20-30 games and you just hope that it doesn’t result in a goal and tonight it did and it cost us the game. It’s a tough one to swallow but you take it on the chin and move on and learn from it.”
Moments later Stafford found himself wide open in front of the Sens net. But Hammond robbed him with his glove. Andrew Copp also had a chance to tie it up but Hammond denied him as well and the Sens skated away with a 2-1 triumph.
The Jets have just two home games remaining. The Chicago Blackhawks are at MTS Centre on Friday night.
WATCH: The Jets react to Byfuglien’s monstrous second period body check on Mark Stone
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