Saturday, November 16, 2013

Shootout undoes Flyers again in loss to Jets

Winnipeg, MB -- Two pearls of wisdom gleaned from Friday night's game in Manitoba's capital: Never get involved in a land war in Asia and never let a game with the Jets end in a shootout.

Bryan Little netted the winner in the fifth round, as Winnipeg rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers at MTS Centre.

Dustin Byfuglien posted both regulation scores on power plays for the Jets, who have taken four straight overall.

Ondrej Pavelec made 32 saves for Winnipeg, which improved to 5-1 this season in the game-ending breakaway competition.

Scott Hartnell and Wayne Simmonds tallied for the Flyers, who failed to string together their first four-game win streak since the end of last season but managed to come away with five points (2-0-1) on their three-game road swing.

"I think they believe they can win games," said Philadelphia head coach Craig Berube. "They play like it, but I still think we need to push more. We had the lead tonight in the third and we should have went and pushed more in the third period. Whether we sat back or whether we're tired, I don't know. I just think we can be more aggressive."

Steve Mason was the hard-luck loser with 36 stops.

Each side had scored once through the first four rounds, then Little began the fifth by beating Mason with a quick shot inside the right post. Pavelec didn't have to do much but close off a small spot between his pads on Kimmo Timonen's chance to wrap up the game for the hosts.

On the opening man advantage, Byfuglien was allowed to skate up the right side uncontested and beat Mason with a wrister at 5:36 of the first period. The Jets entered the game with the NHL's worst power play, clicking at a 6-for-71 rate.

Hartnell's attempt at a wraparound from the right post at the 6:25 mark managed to cross the goal line before Pavelec snatched it away with his glove. Despite a no-goal call on the ice, replay reversed that decision for a 1-1 score.

It was 2-1 for the visitors with 8:15 left in the first, as Simmonds pried a Timonen shot from Pavelec's glove then outworked two Jets defenders to backhand the rebound home. The tally was Philadelphia's 10th with the extra man this season.

Both goaltenders stopped nine shots in a scoreless second period.

Byfuglien's blast from the blue line on another Jets advantage got through traffic and past Mason for a 2-2 deadlock with 5:37 left in regulation.

"Well, the power play obviously was a big plus for us getting us a couple of goals and long time waiting for us for that to happen," said Jets head coach Claude Noel.

Mason was quick with the pads to shuttle away a Mark Scheifele chance in close with 2:38 to play, and Pavelec had to be sharp as the Flyers peppered him with eight shots in overtime.

Notes: Winnipeg improved to 3-1-1 against the Flyers in Manitoba's capital since the franchise's transfer from Atlanta in 2011 ... This was Philly's first game this season decided in a shootout ... Olli Jokinen registered two assists for the Jets.

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