Call of the Wilde: Winnipeg Jets surge from four down to offer a stunning comeback over the Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens had won five straight while the Winnipeg Jets were winless in nine. It seemed like a recipe for a good night at the Bell Centre, and it was for the first 57 minutes.
After that, the strangest thing happened. It all fell apart as the Jets counted four goals in the final three minutes to force overtime, then won it in extra time for a 5-4 final.
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The Canadiens had only two good shifts in the entirety of the first period. They scored on both of them. The next generation of talent was on full display on the first tally as the fourth line continued their excellence.
Oliver Kapanen had a chance from in tight, but he hit the post. It continued and was fed back in front of the slot where Florian Xhekaj made a sensational play. The younger brother dove for the puck to keep the play alive passing it perfectly to Owen Beck. He ripped it home for his first goal of the season.
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Just to add to the beauty of the narrative of young being served, it was Adam Engstrom and Arber Xhekaj on defence for the tally which featured 30 seconds of immense pressure. That pair was the best on the night defensively for Montreal.
The only other good play the entire opening frame was an absolute beauty from Josh Anderson who is going a long way to earning a fresh commitment from Canadiens management. He’s a team player, and he shows his best in the playoffs, though this regular season sure is going well.
Anderson fought off his check with excellent body position, then skated to the middle fighting off a second checker before placing a backhand into the top corner from 15 feet. One of the nicest goals of Anderson’s career for his seventh already of this season.
Anderson trails only Cole Caufield in goals. Caufield had nine after a power play marker. It was a vital moment for the power play that has been struggling mightily without Nick Suzuki and Ivan Demidov.
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In the third period, they added another. It was a sublime moment from the most accurate shooter in the world. Caufield scored into the top shelf, under the bar, from the corner. Caufield faked that he would pass the entire time. Stuart Skinner went into his Reverse VH, and Caufield ripped it over his shoulder. That’s 10 goals in 15 games for Caufield. He’s on pace to duplicate his 51 from last season.
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The Canadiens inability to close out games has been an issue all season long, but it has never been as bad as it was on Tuesday night. This game was in the bank. The fans were singing. Everyone in the building was joyous, but the Jets kept trying.
Jacob Fowler had a Goals Saved Above Expected of nearly four with only three minutes to play. The Jets then figured it out. They scored four goals in the final three minutes to force overtime. There was one moment that Arber Xhekaj pinched in to cause a Winnipeg goal, and Alexandre Carrier took a late penalty that was unnecessary, but, the truth is that Winnipeg earned that comeback.
Montreal relied on amazing goaltending too much of the night. It wasn’t that surprising that they won in overtime either as in Expected Goals the Jets had a 4.76 to 3.25 advantage. Winnipeg deserved the win. For those who like their statistics old school, it was 47-22 shots on goal for Winnipeg.
One player was noticeably not right in this one. Juraj Slafkovsky was skating in quicksand. He was so slow on some occasions that it has to be assumed he is injured. Slafkovsky couldn’t pull away from anyone, and he couldn’t win any puck battle.
It’s been a disappointing start for Slafkovsky with only two goals in 15 games to start the game. He always starts slowly, but usually he looks fine. At the moment, he is abysmally slow. Frankly, it’s a mystery.
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If he’s playing with any injury that impacts his foot speed, then it’s completely understandable. It is the most likely theory. Players don’t lose their skating speed at 22 years of age.
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When Ivan Demidov hurt his foot blocking a shot in a pre-season game, he played through it for two games in the regular season. Finally, the Canadiens shut him down and said that he would be out a maximum four weeks. Tuesday marked four weeks.
Demidov just had the walking boot removed and was seen skating gingerly at the Bell Centre Tuesday afternoon by himself.
While he is making progress, Demidov is not close to returning. Typically, after a walking boot is removed, there is a month recovery still to come. The Canadiens PR staff was asked for an update Tuesday. They did not have one.
Usually, a PR staff will err on the side of estimating too long a recovery. That way they have no questions to answer if the recovery takes longer, and the doctors and player get credit for returning so quickly if that scenario plays out.
It’s a bit odd that the timeline for Demidov to return was missed so emphatically. We’ll likely never know how they were so off with their timeline, but it doesn’t mean there’s any bad intent. It was simply an error.
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Demidov will come back in time, and all will be right with the world. The medical community suggests add one month to the return after the walking boot is removed. It will be a while before Demidov returns barring some bizarre unforeseen scenario.
Not all injuries proceed as planned. Medical science is predictable, but only to a point. It’s not perfect.
Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sportswriter, brings you Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after each Canadiens game.
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