Torgersson scores twice as Jets beat Senators 5-3 in preseason action – Winnipeg
It was a game in which the quality of play would never be mistaken for an NHL regular season game.
It was sloppy. The referee’s microphone was not working. But the hockey was played and the Winnipeg Jets beat the Ottawa Senators 5-3 on Tuesday night.
But despite his first exhibition win, new head coach Rick Bowness had a fairly candid assessment of his side’s play in their first home game of the preseason.
« I will never complain about a win, » Bowness said. “But listen, there is a lot of work to do here. And here. I think we started to skate better in third. Other than that, no, not at all happy with the way we played.
“The two things that slow you down are long shifts and turnovers, and we were guilty of both.
« I just see bad habits that I don’t like and we have to fix them. »
Kyle Connor scored three points on his preseason debut, including one goal and two assists.
Jets 2020 second-round pick Daniel Torgersson impressed in the win with a pair of goals and he came within a goal post of his first hat-trick in recent memory.
« It’s been a while, » Torgersson said. “It was one of the best days in Winnipeg so far. So, yeah, it’s a good day, a good game and ends with a win.
As is often the case at the start of the preseason, the home team’s roster included many more NHL regulars than the visitors, but you wouldn’t have known that for much of the season. evening, as the Senators kept things very interesting.
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Winnipeg opened the scoring at 13:55 of the start of the first period when Connor, after playing wide of a number of Senators, found Torgersson in the slot and the Swede scored his first pre goal. -season.
But Ottawa tied the game 40 seconds later. The Jets failed to clear the puck, there was miscommunication between Neal Pionk and Dylan Samberg, and Cole Reinhardt found himself with plenty of time and space to pass Connor Hellebuyck.
The visitors took their first lead in the second period thanks to a Tyler Motte goal that followed more than seven minutes of hockey without a whistle. Ville Heinola pinched in the offensive zone and no one covered him, resulting in a 3 on 1 that Motte finished.
The Jets’ power play tied the game at 13:44 of the second period. Josh Morrissey fed Connor for a one-timer that was edged out by Mikey Eyssimont, one of four players on Winnipeg’s roster who also played in their preseason opener on Sunday in Edmonton.
Less than 90 seconds later, Torgersson scored again thanks to a solid forecheck from his teammates, which resulted in a goal scored in net.
The lead widened with less than a minute remaining in the period. On the power play, Cole Perfetti led a rush to the zone, passing to Adam Lowry who sent him back out the back door to a cutting Heinola for another tap-in.
But a defensive slip 26 seconds later brought Ottawa back within a point. Motte won a puck battle in the corner and fed Shane Pinto, who wired him past Hellebuyck after no one picked him up while cutting into space.
Torgersson nearly got the hat trick early in the third but hit the post as Ottawa stayed within a point until Winnipeg’s leading scorer last season had some fun.
A loose puck from Ottawa was mishandled, landing directly on Connor’s stick whose shot went through Senators goaltender Kevin Mandolese to make it 5-3.
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The Jets play their third of six preseason games Thursday night in Montreal against the Canadiens with the puck drop just after 6 p.m. Pregame coverage at 680 CJOB begins at 4 p.m.
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