Chemistry kicking in

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

By: Paul Wiecek

Posted: 10/4/2014 11:28 PM | Comments:

Trevor Hagan / Winnipeg Free Press

The Jets celebrate Jacob Trouba's goal.

It didnt count in the standings, but make no mistake Saturday nights final Winnipeg Jets pre-season game wasnt meaningless.

For starters, head coach Paul Maurice sent out a veteran-laden lineup against the Calgary Flames at the MTS Centre that more closely approximated the lineup he will use when the club opens their regular season Thursday in Glendale against the Arizona Coyotes than anything seen in six previous pre-season games.

And for another, the consensus in the dressing room earlier on Saturday was the Jets needed to treat Saturdays game as a serious test, to serve as a springboard into that looming regular season.

"Weve got to play this one like its the real deal," defenceman Jacob Trouba said following the morning skate. "Were getting close and its time to start playing well, getting back together as a team and clicking."

So howd that work out? Well, not only did the Jets defeat the Flames 4-1 to finish their pre-season at 3-4, they showed flashes of exactly the kind of chemistry they were hoping to build this training camp, particularly from the Evander Kane-Mark Scheifele-Blake Wheeler line.

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Chemistry kicking in