Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/true-north-unveils-latest-round-of-arena- renovations-445549083.html

True North unveils latest round of arena renovations

By: Paul Wiecek

There’s new floors, new ceilings, new lights, new signage, new concessions and a new aviation theme full of steel, rivets and glass.

Throw in a new name — Bell MTS Place — and a new NHL season that kicked off Monday night with the Jets hosting the in their pre-season opener and what was old looked sparkling new again as hockey came back to town.

But in the bigger picture of things, perhaps the freshest thing of all was that the overwhelming majority of the $14 million price tag for the latest renovations was paid, as it should be, by True North Sports and Entertainment.

Now, that’s nothing new for True North, which deserves credit for having mostly paid their own way when it comes to the arena since Day 1, at least when compared to the sweetheart arena and stadium deals other pro sports teams have cut with their local governments — including, of course, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

While the Jets receive an ongoing property tax break on the arena and other annual public subsidies from government that they negotiated when the team first moved here from Atlanta, just $40 million of the original $133.5 million price tag of the downtown arena was public money and True North has continued to mostly pay their own way ever since.

Indeed, with the latest round of renovations, True North has now coughed up something in the order of about $30 million in the last three years renovating and revitalizing the home of the Jets.

And they’ve spent that money well: a new scoreboard a couple years ago was badly needed; seating was made more comfortable and sightlines, with a few notable exceptions, improved; and with the latest round of renovations, the whole place has just generally been brought closer to the high standards people quite rightly expect when they plunk down more than a hundred bucks to see an entertainment event.

In a normal world, of course, this would hardly be noteworthy — ‘Local business pays own bills’ isn’t exactly a ‘Stop the presses!’ headline.

But we don’t live in a normal world. We live in a world in which wealthy owners of sports teams routinely hold their host cities hostage, demanding the local citizenry build or renovate them shiny new sports palaces, or else.

The latest shameful example of billionaire sports team owners demanding public welfare came just last week in Calgary, where the owners of the Flames called a news conference — with NHL commissioner in tow — to announce they had given up on negotiations with the City of Calgary to build the Flames a new arena, with Flames president Ken King calling the talks "spectacularly unproductive."

It was a cynical ploy: the Flames were clearly hoping the announcement — and the presence of a sombre looking Bettman — would frighten Flames fans and make bankrolling a new arena for the Flames an election issue in a civic campaign, not coincidentally, currently underway in Calgary.

But that plan appears to have backfired just as "spectacularly" as the Flames say their talks with the city were unproductive, mostly because the City of Calgary has the facts on their side.

And what those facts reveal — which Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi was only too happy to share following the Flames' tantrum — is that the City of Calgary has offered to pay one-third of the cost of a new arena ($185 million of an estimated $555-million project) provided the Flames ownership also agree to pay one-third, with the rest coming from Flames fans in the form of a ticket levy.

That seems more than fair to me — fans, owners and a city all coming together to finance something from which they will all benefit in their own way.

And, it bears repeating, it is also a deal that is infinitely richer than this city and province ever offered Mark Chipman back in the days he had to go all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada just to earn the right to tear down the derelict Eaton’s building upon the site that now hosts NHL hockey in Winnipeg.

It is a monument to just how divorced from the fiscal reality of $50-a-barrel oil the Flames ownership is that they dismissed as a non-starter an offer of close to $200 million in public money for a new arena.

At least the Edmonton Oilers had the decency — and common sense — to hold the City of Edmonton hostage for a ridiculously pricey new arena deal of their own back when oil was hovering closer to $100 a barrel.

All of which brings us back to the modest, mostly self-financed arena the Jets call home.

It’s the smallest building in the NHL and even with the renovations, it lacks the sizzle you see in other NHL arenas around the league.

But it is unquestionably a better place to watch hockey today than it was before the renovations began and it’s a place that fits the small-market economic model the Jets are trying to operate a hockey team within.

If and when this team finally turns a corner and becomes a legitimate contender — and expectations have never been higher than the season that began Monday night — it will be at least in part thanks to the construction of a modest arena that remains affordable, both for the the Jets ownership and this province’s taxpayers.

In a city that loves a bargain, our humble little downtown arena might be the best one of all. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/jets-drop-pre-season-opener-to-wild-3-2- in-a-shootout-445558343.html

Jets drop pre-season opener to Wild 3-2 in a shootout

By: Jason Bell

No pink slips were handed out Monday night at the downtown home of the , but no major promotions were dispensed, either.

The sun rose this morning and the same personnel from Winnipeg’s two training camp groups that skated Saturday and Sunday will resume its regularly scheduled programming at Bell MTS Iceplex.

A 3-2 shootout defeat to a Minnesota Wild squad thin on NHL regulars meant squat in Jets head coach ’s grand scheme of things. Mostly, it sent hockey-starved fans streaming out the Bell MTS Place doors a bit displeased.

Indeed, the ticket stub from Winnipeg’s first of seven pre-season tests prior to the 2017-18 NHL regular season wasn’t worth saving for the scrapbook.

Ryan Malone, 37, trying to resurrect his career with the Wild, netted the only goal of the shootout with a low shot that beat goalie Connor Hellebuyck. The Jets top line of Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler and Patrik Laine were all tapped to break in on Minnesota goalie Steve Michalek in the shootout but were stopped cold.

Seventeen minor penalties annihilated the flow of an exhibition game that, if history has taught us anything, might not have had much, anyway.

Maurice purposely went with a roster chockfull of guys who already cash hefty cheques, looking for signs the players he knows and trusts are already fully invested in the plan to dramatically improve from a non-playoff team to a legitimate Central Division post-season challenger.

Minnesota coach Bruce Boudreau, meanwhile, was on an entirely different fact-finding mission, travelling north of the border with a group of youngsters and just a few recognizable names, like centre Charlie Coyle, who had a career-high 52 points last season, and right-winger Chris Stewart, along with forwards Marcus Foligno and Tyler Ennis, acquired in late June from Buffalo. Left at home were players who usually give the Jets fits such as forwards Nino Niederreiter, Jason Zucker and Mikael Granlund, blue-liner Ryan Suter and goalie Devan Dubnyk.

Collectively, Jets didn’t exactly dominate the humdrum affair, interrupted repeatedly by the penalty calls of referees Cameron Voss and Chris Lee.

Maurice had said Monday morning he fully anticipated a parade to the box – and he called it right.

"Thirty-three minutes of five-on-five hockey? We know that going in. It was true to form of all the other games with really, really high penalty totals," he said. "We had a big group of veteran guys and we’re just slowly starting to work them into the power play and touching the puck."

Winnipeg's power play was two-for-10 on the night, as Mathieu Perreault scored just 45 seconds into the game, while Laine's rocket one-timer tied the game 2-2 late in the second period.

"Not a lot of legs in our group and not a lot of speed to our game and you just got to get your hands moving testing some pucks. We got those guys with almost 10 minutes of power-play time. Some of it looked nice, some of it looked like it was the first exhibition game," Maurice said. "In terms of evaluation, you’re just looking at the guys who are playing their first exhibition game, see how you felt they went. There wouldn’t be a whole lot of evaluation for that one."

There were a few moments worth noting. Perreault flashed his sneaky side, walking in from the corner, stepping in from and stuffing the puck past Wild goalie Niklas Svedberg, who played two periods before giving way to Michalek.

In the second period, Winnipeg’s leading hitter a year ago, Adam Lowry, sent blue-liner Gustav Olofsson flying with a dandy open-ice body-check. Laine also lost his cool and clobbered Carson Soucy after the Wild D-man delivered a solid hit on centre Scheifele. It was an entertaining few moments but cost the Finnish-born sophomore forward two minutes in the box for roughing.

Hellebuyck looked comfortable in 65 minutes of play, stopping 34 of 36 shots.

"It would have been a little more fun with the win but I felt really good. I liked my game. And I think there's a lot of positives we can take from this, that being said there's a lot of things we can continue to improve on," said Hellebuyck.

"I felt like myself. I felt very calm in there and I felt a lot faster and in control. I don't think I ever got caught swimming and I was able to keep my eye on most of the pucks."

Temper the enthusiasm because there some lowlights, too.

Brendan Lemieux looked totally flummoxed killing a penalty that resulted in veteran forward Charlie Coyle’s tying goal in the opening period. The initial call was on Dustin Byfuglien, whose needless tug of a Wild defender in the offensive zone prompted a trip to the box.

Lemieux gained some points when he challenged Foligno to a scrap after the Minnesota left- winger caught Jets hopeful Michael Sgarbossa with a high hit.

Blue-liner Tucker Poolman played more than 17 minutes, while Logan Stanley was on the ice for 15 minutes. Neither struggled against the Wild lesser-lights.

The Scheifele-Wheeler-Laine combination had plenty of puck possession and open looks but only capitalized the one time with the man advantage.

"We didn't have much five-on-five shifts so it's always hard. There's so many penalties and someone's not playing the PP or the PK at all, so it's bad for those players. At least I can play PP," said Laine.

"I think (the line) started pretty well. We played a lot in their zone and had pretty good chances, but like I said there's still a lot of things we need to improve as a line and as players and I think we will do that.

Winnipeg continues a hectic week — four games in six nights — on Wednesday when the Edmonton Oilers visit. Game time is set for 7 p.m. Twenty-four hours later, a contingent of Jets heads south to battle the Wild at Xcel Energy Center at 7 p.m. Thursday, while another group heads to the Alberta capital for a rematch with the Oilers on Saturday night at 8 p.m.

Winnipeg Sun http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/09/18/connor-looks-to-nail-down-spot-on-third-line

Connor looks to nail down spot on third line

BY KEN WIEBE, WINNIPEG SUN

Kyle Connor knows exactly what it takes to leave a large enough impression to make the Winnipeg Jets out of training camp.

After all, that’s what he did last fall to earn a spot on the opening-day roster.

Connor comes in with a renewed sense of confidence to his second NHL training camp and only part of that is related to his dominant performance in the with the Moose during the second half of the season.

Connor, who scored three goals and had four points in five NHL pre-season games last fall, got his first shot on Monday as the Jets hosted the Minnesota Wild in their first of seven exhibition contests.

“It’s pre-season, but you can always go out there and show something,” said Connor, who had 25 goals and 44 points in 52 games with the Moose and two goals and five points in 20 games with the Jets as a rookie pro. “(The depth chart) can change any day, so for me, I need to (worry) about what I can control and play my game out there and show that I belong.

“I’ve got another year under my belt, some more experience and a little more confidence this year.”

Connor, who was chosen by the Jets 17th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft started out on a line with Adam Lowry and Joel Armia.

“Just growth in his game,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice, when asked what he’s looking for from Connor. “The game that he came up and played at the end of the year was markedly better than his games (with the Jets) at the start of the year. He is bigger, he is stronger. All of the things we’ve talked about (during training camp) about trying to be a better defensive hockey club, but also then show what you do well.

“He can skate and shoot and make some good plays. That’s what we’re looking for.”

Connor spent 19 games with the Jets before he was sent down to the Moose.

After getting over the initial disappointment, Connor settled into a groove and rounded out his overall game while finding his scoring touch.

Early indications suggest there’s a spot for Connor to grab on that third line, provided he plays up to his potential.

HENDRICKS READY FOR BATTLE Newomer Matt Hendricks wasn’t in the lineup on Monday, but he’s prepared as the battle for jobs on the fourth line heats up throughout the pre-season.

“You have to play your game and do what your comfortable doing and you have to try and get out of your comfort zone every day out there,” said Hendricks, who was signed to a one-year contract that carries an average annual value of $700,000. “Because (the young guys) going to be pushing the pace, in terms of their speed and their ability. But I’m going to fall back on what I do well. To help the penalty kill, to help be vocal in the room, to help try to lead us away from so many penalties if I can, by sort of preaching about it a little bit more. Being good in the circle and supporting my teammates.

“But at the same time, try to provide a little bit of offence as well.”

Known as a vocal guy and a good leader, coming to a new club brings a bit of a feeling-out period.

“For sure. You’ve got to know where your place is and you’ve got to understand your teammates,” said Hendricks, 36. “Each individual is a little bit different. We’ve got a lot of Ferrari’s on this team and a few bulldozers. You’ve got to run them differently. For me, I’m a talkative guy, but at the end of the day you’ve got to know how you’re doing it.”

Hendricks had four goals and seven points in 42 games with the Edmonton Oilers last season, but didn’t get into any playoff action.

For a guy with 34 playoff games on his resume, sitting out when the games matter most was definitely a challenge.

“That was hard. I can’t lie to you about that,” said Hendricks. “But at the end of the day, you can’t be so upset about it because I couldn’t look around the room and say ‘Drake Caggiula didn’t deserve to be playing or Anton Slepyshev didn’t deserve to be playing. David Desharnais didn’t deserve to be playing.

“I couldn’t do that because I would have been lying to myself and lying about my own game. They deserved to play. They worked hard all season, had good years and got better as the year went on. It could have been anyone of us sitting out and it just happened to be me. That’s the nature of the beast in this league.”

THE COMING DAYS Maurice hinted that he’ll use a veteran-laden lineup again for Wednesday’s game against the Oilers, then allow many of those players on the bubble an opportunity to strut their stuff in the road games on Thursday in Minnesota and Saturday in Edmonton.

“We’re bringing all those that are fighting for role jobs and they can fight there and they’ll play against high-end guys,” said Maurice.

There’s a method to why Maurice is giving his experienced guys a shot to get into an early rhythm as well.

“We didn’t make the playoffs last year. We don’t have time to ease into our exhibition schedule and see if we can tighten this thing up by the last game,” said Maurice. “We’ve got to get going right from the start, I’ve got to get the bigger-minute (guys) on the ice early and into games.” http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/09/18/its-a-start

It’s a start Poolman, Hellebuyck shine, but Jets drop pre-season opener in shootout

BY KEN WIEBE, WINNIPEG SUN

Tucker Poolman has his work cut out for him, there’s no doubt about that.

Provided the top-six blue-liners on the Winnipeg Jets roster are healthy, Poolman would appear to be the odd-man out when the final cuts are made early next month.

That’s not a knock on him by any stretch of the imagination.

But with the likes of Dustin Byfuglien, Jacob Trouba and Tyler Myers already holding down spots on the right side and Josh Morrissey, Toby Enstrom and free-agent signing Dmitry Kulikov taking care of the left — the only roster spot up for grabs would appear to be the extra defenceman.

Not so lucky No. 7, in this case.

Because for a guy like Poolman, there’s little value to sitting in the press box and biding his time.

Although he’s a late bloomer and a bit advanced in age (24) for a prospect, Poolman needs to be playing regularly.

So if he’s not going to be a fixture in the top-six with the Jets, the best place for him will be playing 20-plus minutes per game in all situations with the in the American Hockey League.

How long Poolman stays down on the farm will be a combination of how well he plays and how healthy the Jets’ defence corps is.

Poolman’s former defence partner at UND, Troy Stecher, was in a similar situation last fall after turning pro.

Following a strong training camp, Stecher went down to Utica of the AHL but spent 71 games in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks.

In last night’s NHL pre-season debut, Poolman did all of the things that are on his scouting report.

That meant showcasing pretty good mobility and plenty of smarts for a guy known for his puck- moving skills.

Poolman made sound decisions and played with poise alongside Enstrom.

While he was on the ice for a goal against, Poolman was in pretty good defensive position when Wild forward Zack Mitchell scored.

“He moves well, he’s got a big, long stride there. I thought his reads were really, really good,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “I like the way he skates. I like the way he thinks.”

Charlie Coyle had the other goal for the Wild, who got the lone goal of the shootout from Ryan Malone in what turned into a 3-2 loss for the Jets at Bell MTS Place.

The Jets have another home game tomorrow against the Edmonton Oilers.

Poolman finished with 17:18 of ice time in his pre-season debut, which included 59 seconds on the power play and led his team by playing 6:21 while shorthanded.

“There are a few plays you want back every night, but overall I liked a good amount of my game,” said Poolman. “I’m feeling better each day.”

As for the game itself, this was a power-play fest — with 17 minors handed out, which made it difficult for either team to get much accomplished at even strength.

This is the time of the season where the men in stripes are trying to establish a higher standard for stick fouls, so it was no surprise there was a parade to the penalty box.

Plenty of eyes were on the top trio of Mark Scheifele between Blake Wheeler and Patrik Laine.

While it isn’t accurate to say there was instant chemistry, that’s to be expected for the first game of the pre-season.

This game was about starting to shake the rust off and to get back to being comfortable making plays in traffic.

Laine did unload a blistering one-timer during a power play late in the second period for his first goal of the pre-season.

He also got the crowd into a lather when he took a roughing minor coming to the defence of Scheifele, who had taken a hit from Wild defenceman Carson Soucy.

Mathieu Perreault had the other power-play goal for the Jets, who finished the contest two-for- 10.

As is often the case when it comes to discussing the Jets, goaltending was a storyline worth watching as Connor Hellebuyck made the start and played the entire game.

Hellebuyck, who came into training camp feeling good about things after a strong summer of work, was very sharp in this one – finishing with 34 saves.

“I felt like myself. I felt very calm in there and I felt a lot faster and in control,” said Hellebuyck. “I don't think I ever got caught swimming and I was able to keep my eye on most of the pucks.”

Global Winnipeg http://globalnews.ca/news/3752936/true-north-nearly-complete-14m-winnipeg-jets-downtown- rink-renovation/

True North nearly complete $14M Winnipeg Jets downtown rink renovation

By Brittany Greenslade Senior Reporter/Anchor

As the NHL season draws closer, so does the completion of a multi-million dollar renovation at the Winnipeg Jets homestead.

True North Sports and Entertainment has undertaken a $14 million renovation project inside Bell MTS Place.

“The vast majority of the work is to improve the experience for our patrons,” Senior Vice President, Venues & Entertainment for True North Sports + Entertainment Kevin Donnelly said. “Improving mechanics of the building, making sure that the flow of the audience can move around more effectively.”

The comprehensive concourse renovation includes new lighting, flooring, ceiling and signage.

The organization is hoping to improve the flow of movement throughout the concourse by adding more than 1,000 feet of drink rails to the outside walls.

There are now 430 updated television screens, including one above every single entrance to the stands.

“That’s 150 more than previous years,” Donnelly said. “The idea is to engage patrons no matter where they are.” After the 2016/17 season ended, True North announced fans would no longer have in and out privileges during games. This year it’s hoping more points-of-sale, bars and concessions, along with the multi-million dollar upgrades will keep fans happy.

Since True North started initial renovations in 2012, $48 million has been spent. This off season alone nearly 100,000 man hours were put in to completing the upgrades.

The project is expected to be finished in time for the start of the regular season on October 4.

Fans will also notice new food and drink options including three new bars and themed concessions.

True North has also added a number of new vendors including Freshii, Carvery & Meats and Gourmet Burger.

The renovations are part of “TN2020,” True North’s capital expenditure and venue improvement plan. http://globalnews.ca/news/3754541/winnipeg-jets-drop-exhibition-opener-to-minnesota-wild/

Winnipeg Jets drop exhibition opener to Minnesota Wild

By Russ Hobson Sports Anchor/Reporter

WINNIPEG – The Winnipeg Jets opened the pre-season with a shootout defeat.

The Jets suffered a 3-2 exhibition loss to the Minnesota Wild in the shootout on Monday at Bell MTS Place.

Both Jets goals came on the powerplay with sophomore Patrik Laine scoring late in the second period to tie the game at two apiece.

“It was tough.” Laine said. “I was exhausted and my legs weren’t feeling so good but during the season it doesn’t matter. It might be a dark Thursday in Winnipeg, your legs aren’t feeling good, you still need to play out there and play well. But I think it was OK for the first game.” Mathieu Perreault had the other Jets marker.

The Jets had the better scoring opportunities in the extra period but couldn’t beat Wild goalie Steve Michalek who relieved Niklas Svedberg after two periods. Ryan Malone scored the only goal in the shootout to give the Wild the victory. Laine, Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler all took shots for the Jets in the shootout.

Officials called a very tight game as they assessed a total of 17 minor penalties. The Jets finished the contest 2-for-10 with the man advantage while the Wild converted only one of their seven powerplay opportunities.

Charlie Coyle and Zack Mitchell both found the goal behind Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck. Hellebuyck ended up stopping 34 of the 36 shots he faced.

“It would have been a little more fun with the win but I felt really good.” said Hellebuyck.

“I liked my game and I think there’s a lot of positives we can take from this and with that being said there’s a lot of things we need to continue to improve on.”

Jets head coach Paul Maurice dressed a fairly veteran lineup with only four players suiting up who didn’t play for the Jets at some point last season. Logan Stanley made his NHL exhibition debut and wasn’t on the ice for either of the Wild’s goals. He logged 15:33 of ice time playing alongside Dustin Byfuglien. He registered one shot, one hit and he blocked four shots.

“It felt pretty good.” Stanley said. “It definitely makes it a little easier when you’re playing with a guy like Buff but I felt pretty good. It was kinda a tough game with all the penalties.”

The Jets will play their first five exhibition games over the span of just eight days and they’ll play host to the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday at Bell MTS Place.

CBC Winnipeg http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-jets-true-north-mts-bell-place-renovations- 1.4295870

Jets fans get first look at Bell MTS Place renovations True North says it spent nearly $14M on improvements over the summer

By CBC News

When the Winnipeg Jets take on the Minnesota Wild Monday night, fans will get their first look at the nearly $14 million in renovations made to the concourse at Bell MTS Place over the summer.

The renovations have seen new lighting, flooring, and signage added to the concourse, and the final result means the building's design and colour palette better matches the look of the team, says Kevin Donnelly, senior vice-president of venues and entertainment for True North Sports and Entertainment.

Bell MTS renos Donnelly Kevin Donnelly is senior vice-president of venues and entertainment for True North Sports and Entertainment. (CBC)

"It speaks to Jets' fans and it speaks to the whole Jet experience," said Donnelly during a tour of the building Monday.

The work has also seen an extra 150 television screens added — bringing the total number of televisions to 430 in the concourse — and new drink rails and seating added to the outer walls of the space.

It's hoped the new railing and seats will encourage patrons to move to the outer edge of the concourse, as part of an overall effort to better improve the flow of the concourse level for fans, says Donnelly.

Bell MTS bar The renovations added 40 new points of service and concession stands, as well as a wider selection of beer. (CBC)

"The flow of the audience can move around more effectively," he said."We've tried to address the entire patron experience and bring it to a whole new level."

To reduce lineups, 40 new points of sale and concession stands have been added, offering new menu options including a Freshii location and a better selection of beer.

Bell MTS Hat Tricks True North has also added a new "Hat Trick Wall" to the concourse that marks the team's hat tricks by showcasing the caps thrown onto the ice to celebrate.

"When a hat trick is scored in the building and people throw their hats on to the ice, we've collected those and have put them in storage and now we're able to put them back on display," explained Donnelly. "So if you were one of those members of the audience that threw your hat onto the ice, come and see if you can find yours."

The work is part of $20 million in renovations True North had planned to have complete by 2020, but Donnelly said the work has grown in scope; they've already spent closer to $48 million.

Previously completed work included the addition of a new score clock and new seating, and Donnelly says the plans for next summer's renovations include an overhaul of the Exchange Restaurant at ice-level, enhancements to the public portions at ice-level, and renovations to the team's dressing rooms.

Canadian Press http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/minnesota-wild-winnipeg-jets-1.4296012

Wild top Jets in shootout Mathieu Perreault, Patrik Laine have power-play goals for Winnipeg

By The Canadian Press

Ryan Malone found a good way to get noticed in his come-back attempt with the Minnesota Wild.

The 37-year-old forward, who has almost 650 NHL games on his resume, scored the lone goal in the shootout to lift the Wild to a 3-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets in pre-season play Monday.

"I've had some success in the past, so just come down and shoot it and hope it goes in," said Malone, who last played pro hockey in 2014-15 with the New York Rangers and then its American Hockey League club in Hartford.

"I've been lucky enough to stay in shape. I think I'm in good shape. I'll work on a few timing plays and positioning, especially trying to hit a few guys. I know I fell down after a little bit."

Hellebuyck in control Malone's low shot beat Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck. Charlie Coyle and Zack Mitchell scored in regulation for Minnesota.

Mathieu Perreault and Patrik Laine had power-play goals for the Jets, while Hellebuyck made 34 saves in regulation and two in .

Niklas Svedberg stopped 22-of-24 shots for Minnesota through two periods. Steve Michalek went in for the third and had 13 saves in the period and six in overtime.

"I felt very calm in there and felt a lot faster, in control, " Hellebuyck said. "I don't think I got caught swimming and I was able to keep my eye on most of the pucks."

There were 17 total minor penalties called and one fight. A slashing call in overtime put the Jets on a four-on-three.

Winnipeg iced a veteran lineup, including their seven top scorers from last season. Their No. 1 line featured centre Mark Scheifele, captain Blake Wheeler and Laine on the left wing.

"Not a lot of legs in our group and not a lot of speed to our game," Jets head coach Paul Maurice said. "You just got to get your hands moving, testing some pucks.

Wild without captain "We got those guys with almost 10 minutes of power-play time. Some of it looked nice, some of it looked like it was the first exhibition game."

Minnesota was without captain Mikko Koivu, who signed a two-year, $11-million US extension earlier in the day, but did not play because of minor foot pain.

Winnipeg scored 45 seconds into the first period when Svedberg tried to slide his skate against the post for Perreault's close shot, but the puck was quicker and banged off the post and into the net.

The Wild tied it up five minutes later when forward Tyler Ennis, acquired in a trade with Buffalo, passed the puck to Coyle at the side of the net. The six-year veteran easily flipped the puck into the open side. Marcus Foligno, also part of the deal with the Sabres, picked up the second assist.

Mitchell finished off a three-on-two with the go-ahead goal at 15:04 of the second for the 2-1 lead, but Laine's one-timer with the man advantage whistled past Svedberg at 17:25 to tie it up.

TSN 1290 (AUDIO LINKS) http://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/wiebe-final-four-jets-forwards-to-be-decided-1.859999

Wiebe: Final four Jets forwards to be decided

Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun joins the Afternoon Ride ahead of the first Winnipeg Jets preseason game to discuss how the younger, less-experienced players like Kyle Connor and Brendan Lemieux could make the regular season roster. http://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/lebrun-having-laine-and-wheeler-on-wings-provides- scheifele-with-best-of-both-worlds-1.859998

LeBrun: Having Laine and Wheeler on wings provides Scheifele with best of both worlds

TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun joins the Afternoon Ride to discuss the Winnipeg Jets starting the preseason with a blockbuster top line of Mark Scheifele with Patrik Laine & Blake Wheeler, and how the Jets need to improve their defensive play in order to keep afloat in a tough Central Division.

TSN.ca (VIDEO LINK) http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/jets-ice-chips-laine-to-play-on-left-side-with-wheeler-and- scheifele~1210511

Jets Ice Chips: Laine to play on left side with Wheeler and Scheifele

Sara Orlesky has the latest from Jets camp where Winnipeg will dress two roster hopefuls on defence tonight, and will try putting Patrik Laine on the left wing with Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele. www.winnipegjets.com https://www.nhl.com/jets/news/malone-scores-shootout-winner-as-wild-top-jets/c- 291150720 (INTERVIEWS INCLUDED)

Malone scores shootout winner as Wild top Jets by Ryan Dittrick @ryandittrick / WinnipegJets.com

WINNIPEG - After four consecutive days of practice and intense off-ice workouts, the Winnipeg Jets finally took to the ice for their first test of the preseason, giving Head Coach Paul Maurice and the rest of the staff their first look at the squad in game action.

Make no mistake: It was a preseason game, all right - sloppy and penalty filled after a long summer off - but the very sight of the boys in blue carving the ice in downtown Winnipeg was just the start of what we've all been waiting for.

Hockey season. It's back, baby.

Unfortunately for the Jets, Night 1 didn't go their way.

Ryan Malone scored the only goal in the shootout while Steve Michalek stopped all three Winnipeg shooters as the Minnesota Wild took a 3-2 win Monday at Bell MTS Place.

Mathieu Perreault and Patrik Laine supplied the offence for the Jets, while Connor Hellebuyck made 34 saves in a losing effort.

Penalties were the story, as the teams combined for 17 minors, resulting in just 33 minutes of 5- on-5 play.

"We had a big group of veteran guys and we slowly started getting them worked into the power play (during practice)," said Head Coach Paul Maurice. "We got those guys almost 10 minutes of power-play time. Some of it looked nice, some of it looked like it was the first exhibition game."

As always at this time of year, the most important thing on this night was the evaluation process, and that will continue to be the priority until the roster is finalized ahead of the regular-season opener on Oct. 4.

But with a mostly veteran roster, it was also a chance to work on things like chemistry, as exhibited by Laine, Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler, who in their brief moments of even- strength ice, had the puck on a string in the offensive zone.

Still…

"There wouldn't be a whole lot of group evaluation after that game," Maurice said.

Not with that many penalties.

The Jets opened the scoring with a power-play goal just 46 seconds into the game. Perreault took a pass from Nikolaj Ehlers at the side of the net, juked his way to the front and swept a quick shot off the far post and in to give the give home side a 1-0 lead.

Charlie Coyle got it right back for the Wild with a PPG of his own at 5:55, after the innocent Dustin Byfuglien was given two for holding in the offensive zone.

The physical play ramped up late in the period when Minnesota defenceman Carson Soucy levelled Mark Scheifele with a clean open-ice hit. Patrik Laine came to the defence of his teammate, but after returning the favour with a sturdy bump along the benches, he was penalized for roughing.

Shots on goal favoured the Wild 16-13 after one.

Things quieted down in the second and by the midway point of the game, nine minor penalties had already been called between the two teams. The NHL is cracking down on slashing and other obstruction-related penalties this preseason and this game was no exception, slowing the pace considerably.

The Jets were even granted a 5-on-3 more than a minute-and-a-half late in the middle 20, but were unable to generate any offence.

Then, only moments after the two penalties expired, the visitors took their first lead of the night. After Michael Sgarbossa was stopped point-blank at the other end, Zack Mitchell fired home the go-ahead goal off a great pass from Kyle Rau on a 2-on-1 with 4:56 to play.

But with the help of yet another power play, the Jets had time to equalize before the period ran out.

In his usual spot at the top of the circle, Laine blistered a one-timer past Niklas Svedberg to make it a 2-2 game at 17:25. Svedberg, who played in the KHL last year, had no chance on the play as the Finnish marksman got every bit of the slapper, screaming it clean over the glove.

"We didn't have (many) 5-on-5 shifts," Laine said when asked if the penalties disrupted any sort of the flow the game could have had. "Someone who doesn't play PK or PP isn't playing at all. It's tough for those players, but everyone has to fight through it

"There were some good things on the ice from our team, and there were a lot of things that we need to improve on before the season starts."

Laine was robbed on a similar play in the third, after the Wild made a change in goal. Svedberg finished the night with 22 saves, while Michalek stopped all 19 he faced in just 25 minutes of work.

Michalek made an incredible save on Perreault during the overtime period, throwing his body across the blue paint and blocking the one-timer with a remarkable display of athleticism.

Stanley was paired with Dustin Byfuglien and had one shot and four blocks in over 15 minutes of ice time, while Poolman - rock solid - played 17:18, including more than six minutes of shorthanded ice to lead all defencemen.

Poolman was paired with Toby Enstrom and had three shots and one block.

"I just tried to keep it simple and make the quick plays out there," Poolman said.

"(Toby's) a veteran guy and he's very smart. He was telling me know what to do and got me to talk a little more and play off each other out there." https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/postgame--tucker-poolman/t-277437442/c-52734003

POSTGAME | Tucker Poolman

Tucker Poolman's post-game comments following a 3-2 shootout loss to the Wild https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/postgame--logan-stanley/t-277437442/c-52733403

POSTGAME | Logan Stanley

Logan Stanley's post-game comments following a 3-2 shootout loss to the Wild https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/postgame--connor-hellebuyck/t-277437442/c-52733703

POSTGAME | Connor Hellebuyck

Connor Hellebuyck's post-game comments following a 3-2 shootout loss to the Wild