Note: What a night for the Winnipeg Jets as well as their fan base following a five goal come from behind OT win as rookie Patrik Laine (as you will read below) won the head-to-head match against his 2016 1st round rival Auston Matthews. The Jets will have a practice today at the MTS Centre as they get ready for Sunday’s Heritage Classic against the Oilers.
Note II: Hopefully you’re not all hockeyed out because the Manitoba Moose hit the ice for a game day skate at the IcePlex before they take on the Bakersfield Condors in a re-match as they look to split the series with the Oilers farm club. As per usual I will be down at the MTS Centre covering the game so be sure to keep it locked to illegalcurve.com and on social media including Twitter|Facebook |Instagram for all pre and post game news.
Jets news:
ESPN: Patrik Laine announces Calder candidacy with hat trick against Auston Matthews. Interesting McDavid/Eichel history repeating itself in the first Matthews/Laine meeting. You know what they say about history…
TSN: Laine wins Round 1 vs Matthews as Jets come back to beat Leafs. That game really was a tale of two cities as the Jets did everything but score, outshooting the Leafs 7-0 to start the 1st but then went 24 minutes of real time without getting a shot. Toronto took over for the remaining of the 1st and most of the 2nd building a 4-0 lead before the young guns led by Patrik Laine took over the show.
Photo Credit: Rodney Braun
Sportsnet: Rookie showdown caps special first week for Laine, Matthews.
Winnipeg Sun: Laine explodes for hat trick. It was rather odd sitting in the press box last night because after the Jets scored their first goal it felt like there was a good chance they could tie that game up. When Laine scored the second goal then it really felt like here we go.
Winnipeg Sun: Laine wins first NHL head-to-head battle with Matthews. What an embarrassment of riches folks in Winnipeg and Toronto are going to be able to enjoy for years to come. While fans and media will debate who is the top player in the draft of 2016 the first and certainly not last head-to-head challenge was won by the Finnish kid from Tampere, Finland.
Winnipeg Sun: Wayne Gretzky’s fingerprints are all over the Heritage Classic. A good read on the influence of #99 on the game that fans will be witnessing this weekend.
Winnipeg Sun: Fans build the ultimate ‘Jetscave’ in Beausejour. I’ve seen some sick man caves and for Jets fans this one has to rate up near the top of the list.
Winnipeg Free Press: Auston, Winnipeg bound by Glendale. (Paywall). It really is somewhat eerie how it all is somewhat tied together.
Winnipeg Free Press: Score three for No. 2. (Paywall). He scored three last night and has four overall and not one has been of the ho hum variety. The nicest, if you ask me, was that one timer from Ovechkin’s spot on the ice that he blasted home to tie the game (as an aside the play of Nikolaj Ehlers this season has been excellent and that pass shows off the hockey sense that he continues to display in his sophomore season).
NHL.com: Patrik Laine vs. Auston Matthews lives up to billing. It certainly did. I received a text following the thrilling contest saying “that was worth the price of admission” and I couldn’t agree more (although to be candid I don’t pay but you get the point).
Photo Credit: Rodney Braun
Toronto Sun: Round 1 goes to Patrik Laine over Leafs’ Auston Matthews. A recap from the perspective of a Leafs beat writer.
Toronto Star: Leafs melt down, Laine dominates in Jets win. A good read on the rivalry that I suspect we have not heard the last of, despite the downplaying by the parties involved.
Sportsnet: ‘Lots of work’ on resolving Trouba dilemma. This is the never ending story (until December 1st that is) and the Jets GM was, once again, fielding questions about the disgruntled defenceman.
CBC: Anders Hedberg, Ulf Nilsson inducted into Winnipeg Jets hall of fame. Clearly the two Jets 1.0 who appeared last night at the MTS Centre were overjoyed to be back in the Peg’ and receiving that honour.
Metro News: Heritage Classic offers chance to connect Winnipeg Jets to its past. Hustler on how the Jets made the right decision establishing a new identity upon their arrival from Atlanta, but writes that now is the time to revisit the original Jets history.
Jets 5 Leafs 4 in OT:
Illegal Curve: Jets fans have a new chant: “Laine’s better”. Jets fans inside the MTS Centre last night got a sense that something was happening and they had some fun starting up a 3rd period chant that had the entire arena jumping.
Illegal Curve: Jets coach Paul Maurice post-game press conference. Game living up to the hype, what did he think of Laine? Thoughts on Hutchinson’s performance? Did it surprise him that Laine had that type of game? What does he say to his room to get them ready for the 3rd? Three goals with the goalie pulled, how is that working so well?
Illegal Curve: Jets player post-game audio. Hear from Patrik Laine, Nikolaj Ehlers, Mark Scheifele and Michael Hutchinson.
Moose news:
Winnipeg Free Press: Veteran wisdom for young Moose squad. Hear from the newest captain of the Manitoba team.
