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Winnipeg Jets 2, Montreal Canadiens 1 (Jets 27-25-5, road 13-14-1) - With the win, the Jets are now two games above the five hundred mark for the first time since starting the season 2-0. Buster Skrine Browns Jersey . The win also moved the Jets to within four points of the final playoff spot. Four points separate spots 8-12 in the West. It was the Jets 32nd one-goal game of the season and the seventh in the last eight games. The Jets are now 8-2 in the last 10. The Jets last five wins have come against teams sitting in a playoff spot. After going winless in their first six afternoon games, the Jets have now won their last two. The first period was scoreless with both Carey Price and Al Montoya making a number of very good saves as the Canadiens outshot the Jets 12-10. The opening goal of the game came at 9:13 of the second as Toby Enstrom beat Price with a wrap around. It was Enstroms sixth of the season with assists to Chris Thorburn and Blake Wheeler. It was the second straight game that a Jets defenceman opened the scoring, after Zach Bogosian opened the scoring against Vancouver Friday. Montreal tied the game with the teams playing four on four, Brian Gionta notching his 10th of the year. Shots in the second were 13-9 in favour of the Jets. The Jets got the winner early in the third as Price mishandled the puck against the checking of Andrew Ladd, allowing Ladd to find Micheal Frolik open in front of the Montreal goal who scored his 12th of the year. Ladd has nine points in the last nine games. Jets outshot Montreal 12-10 in the third and 35-31 over the game. It was a wild third period with a number of net front battles at both ends. The game ended with a pile up in front of Montoya following a last second save. For the fourth straight game, Bogosian led the Jets in ice time at 27:30. He also led in shots on goal with six. Mark Stuart had five shots on goal as the Jets defence core accounted for 15 of the 35 shots. Dustin Byfuglien leads the Jets in hits and added to that total with 10. It was another very good game for Byfuglien. Mark Scheifele was a plus one in the game as is a plus 11 in the last 10 games. Coach Paul Maurice liked most of what he saw from his team, but there were areas of concern. "We did some funny things with the puck at strange time, but that will come. This was a confidence builder. Its not an easy building to play in. We were better in the third than in the first and second." Jets were guilty at times of not moving the puck quick enough, allowing Montreal to create turnovers with their forecheck. "Weve made pretty good strides in some areas", continued coach Maurice. "We are working on defining what Winnipeg Jets hockey is. Two goals, one is making the playoffs, but first is building a foundation for a game we understand. We are big, fast and young. Were using that." On the play of Montoya, "he made some great saves. Good for the team to know whoever is in, they have confidence in him. After the Chicago game we knew we had to get him back in. Not playing for seven or eight days is like starting from scratch all the time. This win makes the Chicago win even better." When asked about the play of Mark Stuart, who received the fighter pilot helmet from his teammates, "every game I get a far greater appreciation for the role he plays." Stuart was as battle ready as could be for this game with a number of one-on-one confrontations, but especially with Brendan Gallagher and Gionta. The Jets continue the four game road trip Tuesday in coach Maurices old stomping grounds, Carolina (TSN Jets, TSN 1290). Twice he was head coach of the Hurricanes. Then it is into Washington and St. Louis to close out the pre-Olympic schedule (TSN Jets, TSN 1290). The Jets will then finish with 22 games in 44 days, with 15 of the 22 games against Western Conference opponents. Brian Hoyer Jersey . "I like the toughness factor in certain situations where last year and two years ago wed get bumped, get hit [and] wouldnt respond," Casey said an hour and a half before facing the league-best Thunder, a team that hadnt yet lost at home. Buster Skrine Jersey . The Italian came from behind to overtake Jarlinson Pantano in the final 50 metres and edge out Dario Cataldo on the line after a climb to the sanctuary of Oropa, the scene of Marco Pantanis memorable victory in 1999.Youve got a 13-hour day ahead of you. How much sleep do you get before a marathon broadcast like this? Sleep? What is this thing you speak of? [eyes slightly bugged out and twitching] In all honesty, Im a disciple of the James Duthie school of sleeping, which is to say... keep working until the red light goes off. I catch up on sleep when I can; naps are great... and I find my second year university macroeconomics textbook still works as a pretty effective tranquilizer. Whats the longest youve ever been on the air in one stretch? That would definitely be during my breaking news days on CP24 in Toronto. There was a massive rainstorm in Toronto on July 8, 2013. I still remember the date for some reason. I hit the anchor desk at noon that day. The storm started rather unexpectedly around 7 p.m. and wreaked havoc all night. I was on the air from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m. without a break, plus I had anchored three hours the previous afternoon. It felt like the storm lasted about two weeks. What do you eat before a broadcast like this? Do you carb up? If Im paired with an attractive female co-host, I generally try to avoid Taco Bell. For regular days, nothing that makes me too sleepy. Dan OToole turned me on to energy drinks before going on air, which can really make the broadcast go either way. For marathon days like March Madness, Ill attempt to carb up on day one for longevity and see how that goes. If it fails, Im resorting to the OToole method – apologies in advance. Do you have any special items you like to wear on air? Any lucky socks perhaps? Im a big fan of brightly coloured socks, but there isnt a single go-to pair. Ive been using the same man bag since I started my first on-air job in September 2007. With that, Im pretty superstitious. Ive been fortunate with the opportunities Ive been afforded, so I dont want to switch up the bag, even if it is getting a bit ratty. Ever worn jjeans and sneakers behind the desk? Not at TSN – yet. Joe Haden Browns Jersey. Im still kinda new, Im not at the "Cory Woron" level of comfort just yet. I have actually worn shorts and flip flops behind the news desk at my last job. I used to walk to work in the summer, and if I didnt wear shorts, Id be a sweaty mess by the time Id get there. It was three parts survival, one part comfort. Whats the single most significant piece of info youve picked up from your March Madness research? That spending hours crunching the numbers doesnt really put your bracket too far ahead of the one that your neighbours dog "filled out." Which team is primed for a Cinderella run? Id like to see Stephen F. Austin make a run. Theyre a nice story. Their coach Brad Underwood paid his dues for 27 years looking for a Division 1 head coaching opportunity. It finally came this year, and hes got his team in the show. Theyre a loose bunch. No go-to scorer. They distribute the ball well, and have five players who can score in the low double digits. That, to me, seems like a team primed for an upset. Theyre #12 and taking on #5 VCU. 12 over 5 is the classic upset. I also wouldnt be surprised to see play-in winner NC State take down Saint Louis in the round of 64. And Im quietly cheering for New Mexico State; theyve got four Canadians on the roster, the most in the tourney. Who do you have in the Final Four? They seem to be changing by the hour. Right now? Louisville, Florida, Arizona, Michigan State. And a championship pick? Florida. Love that there are four seniors in the starting lineup – theyve dealt with this pressure before. Love that theyve built a program and arent a one-and-done school. Love that they dont have a superstar for other teams to key on and that they play a crawl-up-your-shirt defense. And it never hurts having the experience of Billy Donovan at the helm. ' ' ' |
