The Winnipeg Jets closed out their pre-season schedule with a 5-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday at Bell MTS Place.
Four different Devils’ players had two point nights in the win. Kyle Palmieri and Sami Vatanen each had a goal and an assist, while both Taylor Hall and Marcus Johansson chipped in with a pair of helpers.
Mathieu Perreault, Kyle Connor and Skyler McKenzie replied in the loss and Blake Wheeler recorded two assists.
“I don’t think we’ll look at it too much to be honest,” Perreault said.
“It was a good training camp. We had some great skates, played some good games, now we got to focus on what’s coming ahead now that the season is starting.”
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The Jets top forward line of Wheeler, Connor, and Mark Scheifele only appeared in two pre-season games, but still managed to combine for 10 points in those two contests.
“It’s nice to get through the pre-season here and start ramping up and get ready for the first game,” Connor said. “Obviously I would have liked to get in more and get a little nice good feeling, but I felt good and thought I took some strides from camp.”
“Mark’s line is going to be fine,” head coach Paul Maurice said.
“They’re going to be good. Whether they had played really well tonight and scored three, it wouldn’t matter til opening night, or if they were minus five, it wouldn’t have mattered. They’re going to be alright.”
Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck allowed five goals on 27 shots but is still feeling positive about his play heading into the season.
“I think I feel really good out there,” Hellebuyck said. “Granted five goals – I’m not happy with that. I’m still building. I’m really excited because I’m going to get better and If I feel good now, it’s only going to get better.”
The Jets youngsters continued to produce with McKenzie scoring his third goal of the pre-season.
“The young guys, it was just a bit of a test for back-to-back nights in the National Hockey League,” Maurice said. “I thought that they got better as the game went on. It’s a good lesson, right. It’s on those back-to-backs, usually the first 10 minutes, first 20 minutes to get’er going. So I thought that the younger guys got going a little bit in the second.”
Winnipeg’s Travis Zajac, Andy Greene, and Damon Severson had the other markers for the Devils. They outshot Winnipeg 27-24.
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The Jets opened the scoring with a little under seven minutes left in the first period. Right after a Devils penalty expired, Wheeler went down low to Perreault, and he cut out front and tucked the puck behind Devils goalie Keith Kinkaid for a nifty goal. Wheeler and Scheifele had the assists and the Jets were out in front.
The Devils got it right back less than two minutes later. Jesper Bratt made a sweet pass as he went back door to find Greene at the side of the net and he buried the one-timer. Johansson had the other assist and the game was tied.
Just 50 seconds later the Devils took their first lead on a lucky bounce. Vatanen just threw the puck towards the net and it ricocheted off Palmieri’s skate, hit the post, then bounced off his body and into the net past Hellebuyck. Nico Hischier also drew an assist and the Devils went to the dressing room with a 2-1 lead. The shots were 12-9 in favour of the Devils in the period.
Just over a minute into period number two the Devils added to their lead. From the faceoff dot Vatanen beat Hellebuyck upstairs for his first goal of the pre-season. Palmieri and Hall had the helpers as the Devils went ahead 3-1.
Midway through the period the Jets cut into the lead. Scheifele made a no-look pass to Connor and he lifted it past Kinkaid for his first exhibition goal. Wheeler picked up his second assist of the night and it was a one goal game. The Jets outshot the Devils 10-5 in the middle frame.
Just 17 seconds into the final stanza Hellebuyck made the original stop but Zajac was right there on the door step to pop in the rebound. It was his first goal of the pre-season. Miles Wood and former Wheat King John Quenneville had the assists and the Devils took a 4-2 lead.
The Jets answered back only three minutes later. Joe Morrow blasted it from the point and McKenzie parked out front, tipped it past Kinkaid. It was his third exhibition goal after notching a pair against the Edmonton Oilers last week. Seth Griffith earned an assist and the Jets were back within a single goal.
But the Devils soon restored the two goal cushion. Johansson sent the puck into the middle for Severson, and from the high slot, he picked the top corner on Hellebuyck for a 5-3 lead. Will Butcher also had an assist as the Devils skated to a 5-3 win.
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The Jets finished the pre-season with a record of 4-3.
With the end of their pre-season schedule the Jets now have to make their final cuts with all NHL teams having to get down to the 23-man limit before the start of the regular season.
The Jets kick off their regular season schedule in St. Louis next Thursday against the Blues.
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