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Tal Pinchevsky 9y

Down 1-0 to Ducks, Jets refuse to use inexperience as an excuse

On the surface, the Winnipeg Jets’ 4-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks in Game 1 of their opening-round playoff series bore all the markings of a classic mismatch. It was a battle-tested club flipping the switch against a team unfamiliar with the rigors of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The inexperienced Jets came out strong, staked themselves to a lead and asserted themselves, only to run out of gas and allow three unanswered goals, including two on the power play, in the final period. It would have been a perfectly reasonable expectation for a roster featuring 16 players who came into the night having never played in the postseason.

Down 1-0 in the series and looking to even things in Game 2 Saturday at Honda Center, the Jets aren't having any of it.

“I don’t think inexperience had anything to do with it. We played exactly the way we wanted in the first two periods. We just didn't do that in the third,” defenseman Tyler Myers said. “I thought it was a good effort for 40 minutes. Then we got caught watching a little bit in the third and they took advantage, especially on the power play.”

For a moment, it looked like things could be tough for a Jets team featuring two top centers and a starting goalie without a single second of playoff experience prior to puck drop. Sami Vatanen’s point shot beat Winnipeg's Ondrej Pavelec just 1:57 into the game and Anaheim appeared off and running. But the Jets, who spent weeks battling hard just to earn the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference, showed their resilience.

Jacob Trouba and Adam Lowry -- two more young Winnipeg players without any playoff experience entering Game 1 -- came together on a pretty scoring play to tie the game just 49 seconds after Vatanen's goal. From there, the Jets played the top-seeded Ducks tough with their signature physical style.

“We didn’t want to change any kind of way that we’re playing the last month and a half. That’s how we do it; we play that physical style,” forward Drew Stafford said. “If guys did have any kind of nerves, the first time out there you get a big hit or you get hit, usually things settle down. I think that’s how the game went.”

With the score tied 1-1 and any early-game jitters out of the way, it turned into an extremely physical back-and-forth affair that saw a number of big collisions leave players picking themselves up off the ice. Late in the second period, Ducks teammates Matt Beleskey and Francois Beauchemin laid out opponents in quick succession. Moments later, the Jets' 260-pound Dustin Byfuglien took the Ducks' 231-pound Patrick Maroon into the boards so hard the force could be heard in the press box.

The Jets appeared to find their stride.

“It felt good. We expect that. It’s a lot of fun to play those games. It’s kind of a different game,” Pavelec said. “It was a really fast, high-tempo game. But that’s the playoffs, I guess. It was really fun. I really enjoyed to play in this game, for sure.”

Yet another Jets player who until Thursday night could only imagine what the Stanley Cup playoffs were like, Pavelec even admitted that teammates shared their previous postseason experiences as the team worked its way toward a playoff berth. They offered small details that provided a glimpse into what the second season was like.

With Game 1 over, there isn't any more need for stories. The Jets will kindly take what they've learned and use it to try to even this series.

“You have to deserve to make [the playoffs]. You don’t make the playoffs by accident,” Pavelec said. “Right now everyone is enjoying it and looking forward to our next game.”

If they can even this first-round series, they’ll take some valuable momentum into a home game on Monday that the city of Winnipeg has been patiently awaiting for 19 years. And they have no intention of using inexperience as an excuse.

Which is good, because neither do the Ducks.

“They’re a good team," Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said. "You say there’s not a lot of playoff experience, well, they've been in the playoffs for the last month. Their experience with one-goal games and having to play hard in these situations, that’s been there. “We feel they’re going to be better still from playing this game. We know it’s not going to be easy.”

Of course, Anaheim has plenty of playoff experience on its roster, including stars Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, who are holdovers from the franchise’s 2007 Stanley Cup team along with Beauchemin. So maybe it’s not too surprising that it was Getzlaf and Perry who sparked the Ducks' comeback Thursday, combining for three goals and seven points, including a franchise-record-tying four points from Perry.

But Winnipeg is still the team that finished the season on a 10-3-1 run just to reach the postseason. And the Jets aren't just happy to be here.

“They showed their experience, I think, in the third a little bit. But I think we played a really solid game,” Pavelec said. “We’ll see what happens next game.”

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