Vancouver Sun

PUCK DROPS ON PLAYOFFS

Jets prevail in Game 1 over Wild

- Kwiebe@postmedia.com

JETS 3, WILD 2

WINNIPEG Talk about a valuable insurance policy.

When Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayo­ff closed a deal with the Montreal Canadiens to pick up Joe Morrow prior to the NHL trade deadline, the thought was he’d be a depth defenceman — a guy you could call on in case of injury.

Maybe a guy Jets head coach Paul Maurice could throw into the fray if he needed to change things up.

It turns out Morrow has been much more than that, especially with veteran blue-liners Toby Enstrom and Dmitry Kulikov sidelined with injuries.

After suiting up in 18 games during the regular season, Morrow was the hero in the opening game of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the Jets, delivering the gamewinnin­g goal at 12:47 of the third period in a 3-2 triumph over the Minnesota Wild.

“That’s the majority of the reason you play hockey as a kid is to come and play in the playoffs, play for the Stanley Cup and getting an opportunit­y to score a goal like that,” said Morrow, who was acquired for a fourth-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. “So, to say it’s a dream come true is a pretty big understate­ment.”

Morrow got the puck at the left point and his shot changed direction off the stick of Wild forward Charlie Coyle.

“I didn’t see much,” Morrow said. “I just tried to get the shot through and luckily it went in.”

Morrow took 22 shifts for 18:08 of ice time, blocked three shots and scored the most important goal of his career.

Not bad for a guy who found himself a healthy scratch on several occasions with the Canadiens earlier this season after signing a one-year deal with the franchise as an unrestrict­ed free agent.

“I’ve had a pretty big rollercoas­ter of an NHL career so far,” said Morrow. “It’s nothing new to me to get thrown into a situation that is a lot more pressure than what you foresee in the future. It’s moments like these that kind of either make or break your hockey career. Take it hour to hour and just play your game, play fun and just enjoy the moment.

“It’s an opportunit­y. It’s a game of chances. When you’re given an opportunit­y, if you don’t capitalize on it, it’s a really small window to stay in the NHL and to be successful as a hockey player. To be able to have that opportunit­y, the first or second time, getting second chances like this, it’s pretty unlikely. That’s on you if you can’t capitalize on it and try to make a career out of it.”

Morrow was chosen in the first round (23rd overall) by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2011 NHL Draft. He was a top prospect, a guy who put up big numbers in the Western Hockey League.

Morrow has been traded three times and looks like he’s finally found a home with the Jets.

“Like I’ve said before, I’ve had a major roller coaster of an NHL career so far,” said Morrow. “To have a little, I don’t even know if you want to call it a Cinderella story of a night, it makes you feel good. It makes all of the bad times go away. It washes them away and you get to enjoy it in front of a crowd like this and a city like this.”

Playing in front of 15,000-plus fans wearing white, the Jets earned the first playoff victory for a franchise that began in Atlanta as the Thrashers.

Game 2 is Friday night before the series shifts to Minnesota for Games 3 and 4.

Speaking of trade-deadline additions, Jets centre Paul Stastny set up the tying goal by Patrik Laine, leaving a smart drop pass which created a lane for the sniper to walk into before roofing his shot over the glove of Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk, who finished with 37 saves.

Mark Scheifele had the other goal for the Jets, burying a pass from Blake Wheeler for a powerplay goal at 17:37 of the second period.

Matt Cullen and Zach Parise scored for the Wild, turning a one-goal deficit into a one-goal lead in the opening four minutes of the third period.

“If you’re going to find success in the playoffs, you need unlikely heroes. It’s not always going to be (Laine) that scores,” said Jets centre Adam Lowry, who was a physical force throughout the contest. “You’re going to need that secondary scoring from guys that aren’t counted on regularly to score. At a crucial point of the game, to get that shot through and just create that opportunit­y, that’s huge for us. We were extremely happy to see it go in.”

The path to playoff success is littered with stories like this one.

“In the playoffs, those type of goals from those type of players aren’t surprising because they happen all of the time,” said Jets centre Bryan Little. “Guys like (Morrow), he works hard and he can shoot the puck. It doesn’t surprise me that he scores and buries one. The timing of it was huge and that’s how playoffs happen. You get heroes like that all of the time.”

To say it’s a dream come true is a pretty big understate­ment

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 ?? JOHN WOODS/THE CANADIAN PRESS ?? Minnesota Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk allowed three goals as the Jets won Game 1 by a 3-2 score Wednesday.
JOHN WOODS/THE CANADIAN PRESS Minnesota Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk allowed three goals as the Jets won Game 1 by a 3-2 score Wednesday.

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