Jonathan Toews made his pre-season debut in the Winnipeg Jets sweater on Tuesday night as the Jets dropped a 3-2 decision to the visiting Edmonton Oilers.
Toews line carries play
Toews centering Cole Perfetti and Gustav Nyquist could very well be the Jets second line on opening night. Although they did get scored on, for the vast majority of the night, they controlled the play whenever they were on the ice together.
Toews finished the night playing a little over 18 minutes. Meanwhile, he won 55% in the face-off circle. The longtime Chicago leader may not be the same player he once was offensively. Nevertheless, if he can continue to be elite in the face-off circle, it will be a huge boost for the Jets. Previously, the squad’s one glaring weakness was its face-off percentage.
Overall, Toews had a good night.
Dominating D-pair
Dylan Samberg paired with Elias Salomonsson on the blueline for the first time. They look good together. Every time they were on the ice together, the ice seemed tilted in the Jets’ favour. It’s a longshot that we will see them paired together to start the season. However, they sure gave Scott Arniel and the Jets coaching staff something to think about.
Of all the Winnipeg prospects, Salomonsson appears the closest to graduating to the big club. However, there is a big logjam of veteran right-handed defencemen in front of him.
Colby Barlow steps up
In their first pre-season game, none of the Jets’ highest profile prospects really stood out. That changed in Game 2. From start to finish, Colby Barlow was arguably the best Jets forward on the ice.
He finished the game with a goal, 5 shots on net and was a +2 on the night. In addition to the stats, he was very noticeable forechecking and back-checking up and down the ice throughout the game. Brad Lambert had a two-assist game — a significant upgrade from his performance in the first pre-season game. Nevertheless, Barlow stole the show. With his performance in this game, Barlow may now be the Jets’ No. 1 forward prospect.
Up next: Jets head to Edmonton
The club continues pre-season play on Friday night as they will visit Edmonton and attempt to win their first pre-season game. Meanwhile, we may see some more cuts between now and Friday night in Edmonton.
