LAS VEGAS — Winnipeg set the tone early Tuesday night time by dominating the impartial zone, and by the third interval, the Jets had suffocated the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Jets allowed solely two pictures on aim within the last interval, punctuating the defensive efficiency that was buttressed by Adam Lowry’s two targets and Blake Wheeler’s three factors in Winnipeg’s 5-1 victory in Game 1 of the first-round sequence.
The Jets allowed solely 17 pictures on aim for the sport, the fewest the Knights have had all season.
“A big part of our game is pressuring the puck carrier and not give them a whole lot of time to make plays,” Winnipeg coach Rick Bowness stated. “They’re a very good team on the rush. They look for that second wave, so I thought our forwards did a great job back-tracking and taking away those guys.”
Wheeler had a aim and two assists for the Jets, Pierre-Luc Dubois had a aim an help, Kyle Connor additionally scored, and Nino Niederreiter had two assists. Connor Hellebuyck made 16 saves.
William Karlsson scored for the Golden Knights, who suffered their first regulation loss in 9 video games. It additionally was the primary regulation loss for Vegas goalie Laurent Brossoit, who went 7-0-3 within the common season. He stopped 26 pictures.
PHOTOS: Lowry scores 2 as Jets beat Golden Knights 5-1 in Game 1
“The thing we need to address is it’s playoff hockey,” Knights coach Bruce Cassidy stated. “You needed an intensity level that was greater than the one we had. … But I’ll say this, I don’t think they were doing anything special, either. They get full value for the win, don’t get me wrong. They deserved to win and they did, but some of it was self-inflicted.”
Game 2 is Thursday night time in Las Vegas.
Vegas entered the sport as the highest seed within the Western Conference, and the Jets have been the final group within the convention to get within the playoffs. But Winnipeg is 6-2 in its previous eight video games and continued the momentum into Tuesday.
The Jets had 14 pictures on aim within the first interval, however didn’t get something previous Brossoit even with back-to-back energy performs at one level. Vegas, which blocked 13 pictures, additionally survived a giant scramble within the crease wherein Mason Appleton might’ve poked the puck into the open internet, however couldn’t get his stick on it.
Teammate Morgan Barron took a skate to his face from Brossoit on the play because the our bodies piled up in pursuit of the puck. He went to the locker room and acquired greater than 75 stitches earlier than returning within the second interval carrying a full cage on his head.
The Jets broke via with targets from Connor and Dubois 1:02 aside early within the second interval to take a 2-0 lead. Both targets got here from the Jets’ first line, and Bowness stated he likes to have the scoring line rapidly return on the market.
“I think as soon as you get off, you’ve got to be ready to go back there whether it’s 45 seconds later of five minutes later,” Dubois stated. “We know we have to keep the momentum on our side.”
Karlsson put the Knights on the scoreboard with 4:11 left, however Wheeler made it a two-goal lead once more 3:53 into the third interval.
Lowry scored twice within the last 1:21, one on an empty-netter.
EHLERS HELD OUT
Jets ahead Nikolaj Ehlers, who has an upper-body harm, didn’t play. Ehlers stated Saturday he can be prepared and on Monday reiterated he felt “very good,” although Bowness had maintained he was each day.
“There wasn’t necessarily a setback, but nor was the progress that we had hoped,” Bowness stated. “We’re not going to put a player on the ice that isn’t close to 100% and put him in a vulnerable position where he could have a setback.”
Bowness stated Ehlers might be re-evaluated earlier than Game 2.
STONE RUSTY IN RETURN
This was Knights captain Mark Stone’s first sport since injuring his again Jan. 12. He underwent surgical procedure Jan. 31 and was cleared to play Monday.
Stone was minus-3 in 21 minutes.
“He looked rusty,” Cassidy stated. “We expected that. … It’s going to take Mark some time to get going and his linemates are going to have to kind of pull through for him a little bit until he finds his timing. We knew that, so I’m not going to judge Stoney other than he’s healthy and ready to play.”
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