Life without Patrik Laine is going to be tough for the Jets. Replacing the NHL’s leading rookie scorer won’t an easy feat, especially while Winnipeg is still in the hunt for a playoff spot with half of the season gone.
NHL scores 2017: The Jets are adjusting to life without Patrik Laine just fine, for now
Winnipeg didn’t miss its best player in a 2-0 shutout of the Flames.
But the Jets did what they had to in their first game without Laine, who’s out indefinitely with a concussion: Move on and win. Goals from the Jets’ big names in Dustin Byfuglien and captain Blake Wheeler got the Jets on the right track while Connor Hellebuyck pitched a 28-save shutout.
It was a pretty easy win for the Jets, as Calgary looked lifeless in the 2-0 game. A perfect opportunity for Winnipeg to start to adjust to its new reality without its most dynamic player.
Of course, it won’t always be easy. Losing a player with a 0.88 point-per-game pace will clearly take a toll on the Jets in situations where they’ll need scoring the most. Concussions are terrible to timetable and with Laine being so young, the Jets would be foolish to rush him back to join the playoff race only for it to negatively impact him down the road in his career. Having Laine out of the lineup might even kill the slim chance the Jets already had at making a postseason run.
Yet, the win on Monday has them one point out of a wild card spot. This is sports after all, so anything can happen. Winnipeg has gotten off to a good start in the post-Patrik Laine Era, but this stretch without him will no doubt define the Jets’ season.
Scores
Panthers 3, Devils 0
Capitals 4, Canadiens 1
Jets 2, Flames 0
Stars 6, Kings 4
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Three Things We Learned
1. The Panthers now have won seven games since Gerard Gallant’s firing
It’s been a rough time for Florida since general manager Tom Rowe took over coaching the team on Nov. 27. With their 3-0 shutout of New Jersey on Monday, the Panthers have raised their win total to seven since the switch behind the bench. The Devils looked listless in their 28-shot defeat, but Roberto Luongo stole the show and moved in with some pretty great company with his 448th career win.
2. Alexander Ovechkin is something else
Thanks to a three-point night, with a goal and two assists, Ovechkin is now one point away from 1,000 all-time. Not only that, he tied Maurice Richard in career goals with his 544th in a game. Ironically enough, Ovechkin did so against the Canadiens, as Richard was a Montreal lifer through his 18 seasons in the league.
The evening spurred the Capitals to their sixth straight win, and they’ll get the chance to expand upon it Wednesday against the Penguins.
3. Jeff Carter is human
The Kings’ forward is experiencing a hell of a season. With 36 points in 40 games, Carter is Los Angeles’ leading scorer by far. And yet, that doesn’t make him invulnerable to mistakes, like the one leading to the Stars’ opening goal in their 6-4 win Monday.
It’s okay, Carter. We all have bad days.
Impact Moment
Denis Malgin played just two minutes before being taken out of the game after this hit from Pavel Zacha.
The Panthers ruled Malgin out for the rest of the game with an “upper-body injury” and had no update to his status after the game.
Stat of the Night
Braden Holtby had a wild night in net for the Capitals. His career-long shutout streak was broken ...
And he had a fun adventure outside of his own net that caused heart palpitations across the Washington, D.C., area.
All in a day’s work.
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