The Winnipeg Jets played well last night, despite not coming away with the win they obviously wanted.
Simply put, Boston was the better team on the scoresheet by the end of the tilt, but there was a lot to like about Winnipeg’s first notch on the 2026-27 belt.
The Jets put forth a hard-fought effort, picking up a point in the process, and Head Coach Scott Arniel shared a similar sentiment following the game.
“For the first game of the year, I thought it went real, real good,” Arniel said. “We were good in a lot of areas. It wasn’t a complete 60, but there was a lot of really good things.”
Stuart Skinner gave fans countless reasons to get excited, with chants of “Stuuuuuuu” echoing throughout Canada Life Centre each time he shut the door on a Boston opportunity.
For argument’s sake, this game could have become lopsided in either direction. Instead, both Skinner and Jeremy Swayman at the other end made multiple highlight-reel stops and kept their respective teams in the fight.
Tyrel Bauer dropped the gloves, not once, but twice - getting the building fired up while showing his willingness to come to the aid of a teammate.
Then there was Viggo Björck.
The 18-year-old looked anything but like a rookie playing his first NHL game. Give him a few more games to settle in, and he will certainly look capable of finding himself right at home in this lineup.
Scott Arniel noticed it too.
“Viggo looked real calm and looked like he’s been in the league for a little bit,” the Jets bench boss said, also noting how well the rookie handled Boston attempting to get physical with him.
The veteran core contributed on the scoresheet as well, while new addition Mario Ferraro gave Jets fans an early glimpse of what he can bring from the back end. Winnipeg received goals from Dylan DeMelo, Kyle Connor and Ferraro, with Arniel emphasizing afterward how important offence from the defence can be.
“When your D can be a part of it, it puts some pressure on the opposition,” Arniel said.
You got the sense watching this game that this wasn’t a fragile hockey team.
This was an intense game. It was fast, physical and competitive, and although the Jets ultimately came up short in overtime, fans left Canada Life Centre with plenty to feel positive about after Game 1.
There are details to clean up, and Arniel acknowledged as much. But his message afterward was simple: build from it.
“We’ve got 83 to go,” Arniel said. “We’ve got five in eight days here, so it’s just build off this.”
One game down.
Source: Ice Wave Media.
