DUSTIN’ OFF THE PREDATORS
Winnipeg Jets erase a 3-0 first period deficit, then rally twice to knock off Nashville in Game 3
WINNIPEG — It was the type of play that could have been a defining moment of this series — and in the end, it still might be.
But not for the same reason you may have expected.
The Winnipeg Jets had scored an early goal in the second period and were about to be given a power play after Austin Watson caught Blake Wheeler with a high check.
Jets centre Mark Scheifele took exception to the hit and took a minor penalty for roughing, his retaliatory action negating the power play and putting the teams into a four-on-four situation.
But after scoring twice in a span of 18 seconds, the Jets had turned a 3-1 deficit into a tie game and brought the crowd inside Bell MTS Place alive. It also brought the Jets together.
Instead of folding and getting blown out, the Jets found their footing and held serve on home ice, earning a 7-4 victory and taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Game 4 is set for Thursday night, with puck drop set for just past 6:40 p.m.
“I was mad at him at first because I thought we had a power play,” said Wheeler, who added an assist for a three-point night.
“It’s one of those things that you hate to see (Scheifele) go to the box with anyone. I’d rather have him on the ice. I’m OK, I can take that (hit). But I would do the same for him. That’s what teammates do for each other.
“If you see a guy take a bit of a liberty on one of your guys, you step right in there for him. Obviously, I appreciate that. When you see one of your better players, who typically doesn’t do that type of stuff step in there and get his nose dirty, it sends a message to everyone and it got us going a little bit.”
Wheeler had been snake-bitten for most of the contest, creating plenty of glorious opportunities — including one he fired over a wide-open net on the same shift he was hit by Watson.
But with the Jets on the power play late in the third period and P.K. Subban in the box serving a high-sticking minor, Wheeler buried a rebound with 4:59 to go in the third period for what turned out to be the game-winning goal.
“It was one of those nights where I knew it was coming — whether it was tonight or next game,” Wheeler said. “When you get that many chances, I just felt like it was going to go (in). It’s a crazy sport. The worst shot I had all night hits off his hip and goes in.”
Wheeler added an empty-netter with 50.8 seconds to go, with Brandon Tanev completing the scoring with another empty-netter with 30.7 seconds remaining.
The Predators jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the opening 20 minutes of play, scoring three times on 12 shots against Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck.
The first goal was a result of a nifty redirection from Ryan Hartman, allowing Predators centre to pounce on the loose puck and bang it home at 4:53.
The next two goals definitely fell into the soft goal category — a one-timer from the left point from P.K. Subban during a power play at 10:06 and a long wrister from Austin Watson at 17:35.
“We got kicked in the teeth a little bit in the first and our team has always responded well this year, whether it be a bad game or a bad period,” Wheeler said. “Our goal was just to win the second period and give ourselves a chance.
“There was no yelling and screaming. It was more or less just ‘That wasn’t our game. Let’s just get our game going, try to win a period. Win a period, get within one or two and we’ve got a chance.”