The Winnipeg Jets are showing why they’re one of the most feared teams in hockey.
An unique blend of skill, size, physicality, toughness, speed and youth general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has done marevelous job at constructing the roster that looks like it could be a a force to be reackon with for years to come. There’s really no weakness on this club, other than experience, although the Jets have shown in two playoff games so far this season that their youthfulness is actually beneficial.
During the final few moments of Friday night’s Game 2 matchup between the Jets and Wild where Winnipeg won 4-1, tempers started to flare as the two teams started getting chippy with each other.
With ten seconds left on the clock, Marcus Foglino and Dustin Byfuglien, Nick Seeler and Ben Chariot, and Brandon Tanev and Daniel Winnik all started mixing it up with one another against the boards. Winnik was initially tangled up with Big Buff, but seamed to peel away, opting for the much smaller Tanev.
While everyone was mixing it up, Winnik started man-handling Tanev before the refs broke it up. Cooler heads never prevailed, and the two would eventually start swinging at each other. Gloves and sticks were dropped, and the two engaged in the only actual fight of the scrum. On paper, it was a bit of a mismatch, with the veteran Winnik coming in at 6’2”, 210-lbs, while Tanev stood 6’0” and 180-lbs.
Winnik got the best of Tanev, and landed a few extra shots at the end of the fight with Tanev pressed up against the Wild bench.
Chalk that one up for Winnik and the Wild as their only win of the night. You gotta give it to Tanev, though, for at least stepping up and going with Winnik.
Jets fans took to Twitter to voice their displeasure with Winnik, saying the 33-year-old took a few extra liberties with Tanev, who was essentially defenseless once Winnik had him against the boards.
Now that’s playoff hockey. You can bet the Wild will be amped up to return home for Game 3 and get themselves back in this series, especially after Jets fans started chanting the “na, na, na, na, hey, hey, hey, goodbye” song before the game was over with the Jets still nursing a 1-0 series lead. Game 3 goes Sunday in Minny.
