Jets fall to Canucks in preseason opener

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA

The preseason officially started for the Winnipeg Jets today, however, it did not go as planned, as the re-tooled Jets fell to the Vancouver Canucks, by a score of 2-1. The lone goal was scored by Travis Zajac, who despite popular rumor, was not traded by Sean Croft this offseason.

"It felt good to get back out there," said Zajac. "I wish the outcome would have been better, but it's one game in, there are a lot of new faces."

One of those new faces left the game pre-maturely, as Nathan Gerbe was injured late in the first period.

"Tough way to start the year," said Gerbe, with an ice pack on his right shoulder.

Gerbe had one assist in his debut, which was limited to about 6 minutes of ice time. Paul MacLean liked what he saw.

"Well, that first goal was something he set up," boasted MacLean. "He laid out Kevin Klein, which given his size is remarkable."

"That's why we brought him here, he has the heart of a lion," said Jets General Manager Sean Croft. "It's a tough loss for us, but it doesn't seem to be more than a bruise so the coaches and the trainers are going to evaluate him tomorrow. If he feels good enough to go, then he'll be in the lineup."

One Jet who had a tough start in his debut was Olli Jokinen, who signed a splashy contract with Winnipeg earlier this summer. Jokinen only won 3 of the 15 faceoffs he took, which despite the 5 shots he took, made it difficult for him to give the second line a chance to score.

"I'm not happy about it at all, "said Jokinen after the loss. "I'm better than that. This is a new team for me, new teammates. I want them to see they got the right guy."

Ben Scrivens, fresh off his new contract, took the loss, but played well regardless, saving 26 of the 28 shots he faced. He will be given the next game off, and Peter Budaj will get his chance to play. It is clear that the Jets have accomplished their goal of building from the net out. It is just a matter of waiting to see if the high priced gamble they took on Free Agent forwards will be off.

Jay Trotter
Jet Fuel