Winnipeg Jets survive late Tampa Bay Lightning comeback to win 4-3 - NHL Update
Winnipeg Jets survived a late third-period comeback by Tampa Bay Lightning to run out 4-3 winners on Thursday, February 23rd, 2012 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg.
The win gave Winnipeg a huge jump in the Eastern Conference as they moved up from ninth to third with 67 points and confidence is running high in the MTS Centre locker room after another brilliant performance.
The Jets have won three games out of four during their current home stretch and coach, Claude Noel, is not ready to let his players rest on their laurels.
While speaking to media after the victory, he said.
"We're not going to separate our shoulders being first in the division,"
Winnipeg outshot their opponents 34-25 during the game and a rampant Jets’ offence gave Tampa Bay no quarter in the first 40 minutes.
Led by Captain Andrew Ladd, Winnipeg played like champions as their offence ran rings around Lightning’s defence forcing Tampa Bay coach, Guy Boucher, to replace goaltender, Mathieu Garon.
Dwayne Roloson picked up the goaltending duties for the final 35 minutes and his better performance in front of the net kept the score line from becoming even more one sided.
In the final period, Tampa Bay struck back scoring three goals but it was too little too late for the Lightning who saw their three-game winning run come to an end once again at the MTS Centre.
"I guess we are allergic to this place," Boucher said. "We have had our worst two games of the year here. We didn't start very well, and they started strong. We had two great scoring chances right off the bat, one an empty net.
"I think we looked tight in the first and the second period."
Winnipeg struck first. Andrew Ladd picked up the puck at 7:11 from an accurate pass by Bryan Little, and made no mistake putting it beyond Garon whose rough night had just started.
Tanner Glass made it 2-0 at 14:59 and the Jets looked like they were in the mood.
Just a minute into the second period, Ladd struck once more, this time on the power play after Evander Kane’s shot was parried by Garon right into his path and the Jets’ captain calmly slotted his shot into the net.
A few seconds later, Ladd turned provider assisting on Dustin Byfuglien’s power play goal at 2:48 to make it 4-0.
Tampa Bay was out of the game and Garon was pulled from the rink. Dwayne Roloson added some stability at the back for Lightning.
In the third period, Tampa Bay played better and Steven Stamkos’ power play goal at 11:00 gave his team some hope.
However, the second goal came in the final minute of the match with Teddy Purcell making it 4-2 at 19:06 and a few seconds later, Martin St. Louis scored on the power play to make it 4-3.
With just nine seconds left in the game though Tampa Bay could not complete their comeback as the Jets celebrated an important victory.
Winnipeg will look to repeat this performance on Saturday with the visit of St. Louis Blues, while the Tampa Bay Lightning travel to Pittsburgh on the same day to face a tough Penguins’ side.
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