Wild Warmup: Minnesota at Winnipeg, Game 2

The essentials

Game 1 recap

Patrik Laine and Joe Morrow scored third-period goals to help the Jets rally from a one-goal deficit in a
3-2 win
in Game 1 of the first-round series at Bell MTS Place.
After Mark Scheifele gave Winnipeg a 1-0 lead late in the second, Matt Cullen and Zach Parise scored goals less than three minutes apart early in the third to give the Wild the lead. Laine's goal came 53 seconds after Parise's tally, however, and Morrow's point shot hit traffic in front with 7:13 remaining in regulation.

Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk was outstanding in defeat, stopping 37 shots. Connor Hellebucyk made 18 saves for the Jets, who won their first playoff game in franchise history.

Game 2 preview

The Minnesota Wild felt it could have won Game 1 on Wednesday but feels there is still more to its game ahead of Game 2 Friday in downtown Winnipeg.
For 40 minutes, the Wild did a good job of executing its game plan of limiting the Jets' high-danger scoring chances, patiently waiting for scoring chances of its own. It's a strategy the St. Louis Blues worked to perfection in the first round last season.
Down by a goal early in the third period, the Wild capitalized, scoring twice in a span of 2 minutes, 12 seconds to grab the lead.
Minnesota took a breath, Winnipeg capitalized less than a minute later, then poured on the pressure, eventually grabbing the lead back on Morrow's late goal.
The Wild hopes its a lesson learned.
"I think we can be better. Obviously we got ourselves the lead in the third and from there, I think we took our foot off the gas a little bit. They came at us and were able to get two to get ahead," said Wild forward Eric Staal. "Overall, as a group we can be a little more assertive, a little better and we'll look to do that tomorrow."

Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said he was disappointed with his team's turnovers in the third period, coughing up the puck on each of Winnipeg's second and third goals. It's something Minnesota didn't do much of when it was having success in the first and second periods and is one thing that will be a focus in Game 2 and beyond in this series.
Ultimately, however, Boudreau said there were also plenty of good things Minnesota did as well.
"I think in reality we had seven pretty bad minutes from the time we scored the second goal to the third goal," Boudreau said. "But it was a pretty even game after that."
Winnipeg, the NHL's second-best team during the regular season, was pleased with its response to a tough situation early in the third period. After playing a patient game of its own, limiting its turnovers and grabbing a lead on Scheifele's power play goal, it found itself behind, at home, in the third period.
"We had a little adversity, which was probably good in the first game. But we responded well," said Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba. "Nobody really changed how we were playing. Overall, there's things we can work on. But I don't think we're disappointed with how we played."
Mathieu Perreault, who sustained an injury in Game 1, is a game-time decision. Jets coach Paul Maurice said defenseman Dmitry Kulikov and forward Matt Hendricks are the only two players who are definitively out. Everything else won't be decided until closer to game time.
Boudreau hinted lineup changes could be coming, but didn't reveal what direction he might be leaning. Forward Tyler Ennis and defensemen Gustav Olofsson and Ryan Murphy were healthy scratches in Game 1.
Related:
- Playoff Central - Wild laments 'missed opportunities' in Game 1 - Watch: Boudreau speaks with media Thursday after practice - Greenway's physicality key to success - Watch: Players dissect Game 1, look ahead to Game 2 - Wild hopes Dubnyk's playoff experience pays dividends