After all the pomp and circumstance at MTS Centre on Sunday afternoon, the Winnipeg Jets did take the ice for an actual hockey game against the Montreal Canadiens, and with all the excitement surrounding the NHL's return to Winnipeg, we tend to forget that, well, this team is still the Atlanta Thrashers.
Canadiens Vs. Jets: Winnipeg Plays Home Opener, Looks Very Thrashery
The Winnipeg Jets took the ice for the first time in an excited, raucous MTS Centre, but they quickly reminded us that they’re still the same-old Atlanta Thrashers in a 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
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Off the ice, they couldn’t look any more different. On the ice, aside from the slick new uniforms, they’re very Thrashery still, and that showed in the 5-1 loss to the Canadiens. It’s an underwhelming, non-playoff team that’s likely on the ice in Winnipeg this year, and they were unable to put up much of a fight against the Habs in this one.
A slow start didn't quite doom them, but it was the opposite of what you'd expect for a team with all the adrenaline the Jets surely had after the pregame ceremony. They seemed nervous from the outset, and ultimately, that slow start allowed Michael Cammalleri to pick up a loose puck near the blue line, skate in unimpeded and throw a laser over the shoulder of Ondrej Pavelec for the Habs' first goal of the new season.
Later in the first period, the express train to the Montreal penalty box started up, but the Jets would be unable to capitalize. The Habs took three penalties in a five minute stretch between the end of the first and the beginning of the second, but Winnipeg couldn't capitalize on a single try as Carey Price held strong.
That would kind of become the theme as Montreal settled into the raucous atmosphere even further. Price was extremely solid in the crease, making 31 saves in total before all was said and done. Tomas Plekanec scored what would turn out to be the game-winning goal in the second period.
The first goal in the history of the new-Jets came off the stick of Nik Antropov. It was a broken play in front of Price that just seemed to squeak in, and at the time, it cut a Montreal lead to just one goal and gave fans a glimmer of hope in a game that just hadn't seemed to be going their way.
... and then, Montreal reeled off three goals in about seven minutes to win convincingly. This is what Jets fans probably have to look forward to this season.
For more on the Jets, check out Arctic Ice Hockey. For more from the Montreal side of things, check in with Habs Eyes On The Prize.
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