‘That’s just not us’
Jets-avs playoff opener could drive a coach to drink
A 50-millilitre bottle of Crown Royal was at each media seat in the press box for the playoff opener between the Winnipeg Jets and Colorado on Sunday.
The mini booze sample was one of the promotional trinkets they typically hand out at the start of the NHL postseason.
I hope they left a few for the coaches, too.
Because what Rick Bowness and Jared Bednar witnessed was enough to send even the most buttoned-down bench boss reaching for a few swigs of the hard stuff.
Giveaways in their own zones, some iffy goaltending and defence fit for an all-star game produced 13 goals in a dizzying display of fireworks that was worth even the hefty price of a playoff admission.
Final score: 7-6 Jets on a night that felt like three games in one.
“What a hockey game,” Jets defenceman Brendan Dillon said, exhaling a breath so heavy it caused his lips to vibrate. “We were riding the same roller-coaster everybody else was. Crazy. I guess we proved that we can score goals, too. But man oh man, that’s just not us.”
Out-shot 11-1 at one point and out-hustled at most points, the Jets escaped the first period in a 3-3 deadlock only because the Avalanche and goalie Alexandar Georgiev were just as ragged.
The Jets weren’t going to get into a run-and-gun affair, they’d vowed going into the series. That game was for the visitors.
In Winnipeg, boring is boss. Smother the opponent, and cash in on the turnovers and breaks that result.
The stingiest team in hockey was suddenly wielding a loose wallet, and the highest-scoring team in hockey was happy to make them pay.
“It wasn’t exactly how we drew it up,” Bowness said. “There was too much going on, at both ends. Listen, they’ve got some elite players over there and they are fun to watch. But you can’t get caught up in that. Not in these games. Maybe in October, but not now.”