Zhilkin Scores Shootout Winner, Milic Makes 39 Saves in Jets Victory
Jets Young Stars Classic Recap: Winnipeg 3 vs. Vancouver 2 SO
Quick Hits
• Danny Zhilkin netted the shootout winning tally
• Thomas Milic made 39 stops in the Jets victory
• Colby Barlow scored twice, including one in the shootout
Game Story
The Winnipeg Jets (1-1-0) took on the Vancouver Canucks (1-0-1) on Sunday afternoon at South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton, British Columbia for their second game of the 2023 Young Stars Classic. The Jets dropped the opener by a score of 3-1 against the Edmonton Oilers on Friday afternoon.
Vancouver opened the scoring just past the halfway point of the first period. With the Canucks on the power play, a shot was floated in from the blue line off the stick of Akito Hirose. Arshdeep Bains muscled his way free of a check in front of the net and knocked the disc past Winnipeg’s Thomas Milic. That goal would be all the scoring in the first period. Vancouver’s Ty Young ended the frame with seven stops, while Milic was called upon to make 17 total saves for the Jets. Winnipeg trailed 1-0 heading into the first intermission.
The Canucks pushed further ahead late in the middle stanza with a second goal on the man advantage. Hirose, who recorded an assist in the opening frame, used the extra space to sauce the puck across the seam, where Aidan McDonough was waiting to one-time a hard shot past a lunging Milic. Winnipeg took to their dressing room down by a score of 2-0 and trailed in shots by a count of 36-13 after 40 minutes of play.
Winnipeg drew within a goal with 8:02 left in the third period. Elias Salmonsson (Round 2, 2022) gathered up the puck and lifted a shot from the blue line that snuck through the equipment of Young. The disc sat on the blue paint before being poked home by the stick of Jacob Julien (Round 5, 2023). Winnipeg evened the score shortly after on the power play. Daniel Torgersson (2nd Round, 2020) sent a slick pass on the backhand out to the side of the net. Colby Barlow (1st Round, 2023) was waiting and quickly flicked it past the blocker of Young. Time expired a few moments later with both sides tied at two goals apiece, which sent the contest into overtime. Despite chances on either side, the overtime period solved nothing, and a shootout was required to decide the winner. Vancouver opened the scoring with a shootout goal from McDonough, but the Jets roared back and scored off opportunities from Barlow and Danny Zhilkin (3rd Round, 2022) to power Winnipeg to its first win of the tournament. Milic captured the victory on the strength of 39 stops, while Young was hit with the loss and made 26 saves of his own.
Quote:
Winnipeg Jets Forward Colby Barlow
“He (Thomas Milic) was fantastic right from the get-go there. Even in the shootout, he was a rock back there. We wouldn’t have been able to win that without him.”
Winnipeg Jets Goaltender Thomas Milic
“I felt pretty comfortable right away. I had the opportunity to watch Dom (DiVincentiis) take the reins a couple nights ago. The boys were looking pretty sharp tonight to start. There was never a loss of belief in the room. Even though we were down one or two there, we knew there was a chance, so we persevered and had a big third period.”
What’s Next?
Winnipeg wraps up the tournament with a contest against Calgary on Monday, September 18. Puck drop is slated for 10:00 a.m. PST. Fans can stream the Jets’ Young Stars Classic games live on winnipegjets.com.