Live Blog: Connor McDavid Watch

Boy, he looks excited, doesn't he? That's Connor McDavid of the OHL's Erie Otters, and I'll be live-blogging tonight's battle between two bottom-feeders in the NHL in the Carolina Hurricanes and Winnipeg Jets. Both teams enter the game tonight on four-game losing streaks so someone will come away with two points, but this game could be tough to watch. Carolina is missing both Staals and a pile of other guys, and Evander Kane is still out for the Jets. Grant Clitsome will play his first game for the Jets, though, so there's that. Let's start up McDavid Watch here on HBIC with tonight's first battle between two teams that simply don't score goals!

FIRST PERIOD

• Anton Khudobin draws the assignment against the Jets while Ondrej Pavelec will suit up for the Jets in tonight's game. The funny thing is that these guys used to square off against one another nearly a decade ago in the AHL. And neither is truly a starter in the NHL yet. Go figure.
• Stacey Nattress has been the best member of the Jets franchise to wear the jersey this season. Consistent, solid effort every night. Always gives 110%. And now she's retired. Just sayin'.
• Matt Halischuk draws in for Anthony Peluso tonight. Less fights, more hits. Seems like a smart move.
• Doc Walker lights up the anthems. Get them a contract. More energy than Byfuglien's last game.
• Pavelec is a career 7-7-2 against Carolina. Makes you wonder how the Jets survived in the Southeast Division with an in-division record like that.
• Hey, Jeff Skinner is back! Only 36 hours until he's concussed again!
• "Remember when we had Ron Hainsey?" said no Jets fan. Wait, maybe that guy in Section 213 with the Hainsey jersey, but that's it.
• I'm not calling out the coaching staff here, but when you have a centerman of Perreault's abilities, putting him on the wing is just dumb.
• Jets send sixteen guys into the crease. Looks like a good goal. You can hear Maurice telling the bench, "Next shift, everyone on again!" I like this strategy. 
• This review of the Jets' goal may be longer than Carolina's offensive zone time in tonight's game. 
• JETS SCORE! Andrew Ladd gets his first of the season. 1-0 WINNIPEG! 
• JETS SCORE AGAIN! Adam Lowry gets his first of the season. 2-0 WINNIPEG!
• Good call by Maurice in putting Clitsome in the lineup. His shot was deflected by Lowry. See? This is why he drops F-bombs in press conferences. He's the MAN!
• Did you know that Jim Slater was a first-round draft pick? Seriously! I'm not sure how that happened with his NHL stats. 
• Jacob Trouba almost concussed Jeff Skinner with that hit. Then again, the stiff breeze in Winnipeg almost concussed Skinner this afternoon. 
• Jets are penalty-killing. Again. Ladd with a boneheaded penalty. BE A CAPTAIN! 
• The best part of the Jets' penalty-killing is how much of a mess the Hurricanes' power-play is. Are the Hurricanes playing in the TimBits Hockey during the first intermission?
• Stuart got a penalty for that? Throw the challenge flag, Maurice! 
• Jiri Tlusty apparently scores on the power-play, but they'll review it. Looks like it went off his hand. How can this be inconclusive?
• HURRICANES SCORE! Jiri Tlusty scores on the power-play. 2-1 WINNIPEG.
• Tlusty apparently got his stick on it before the puck crossed the line. So much for that power-play being a mess. 
• Jets fans can boo all they like, but that was a perfect hip-check by Tim Gleason to disrupt Lowry. Learn the game, Jets fans. Hip-checks are sexy. 
• If there's a positive, the Jets have now equaled their total scoring in their previous four games. In this one period. Against a winless Carolina team. The only other team they've beaten so far? A winless Arizona team in the first game of the season. Coincidence? 
• I don't know if Maurice got a new haircut, but you can see a lot of scalp on him tonight. Was his hair this thin when he took over last season? (Answer: NO) 
• I'm pretty sure the Hurricanes are triple-shifting Jiri Tlusty now. They need the offence. 
• Dennis Beyak just said Zach Bogosian made a "head-fake" when he nearly lost the puck. Dennis Beyak is trying to win a Gemini Award with this broadcast.
• If you're lucky enough to get TSN3 for a Jets broadcast, just remember that TSN has about six commercials they play throughout the game. Six total. All game. 
• If Clitsome had hit Skinner like that instead of Boychuk, Skinner's season may have been over. Great hit from the veteran! 
• I saw enough of those glove saves when Khudobin was a member of the Houston Aeros when he played against the Moose. Let's not make him look better than he is. 
• Looks like Trouba and Clitsome are having some sort of personal competition on how many Hurricanes can be laid out on the ice tonight. I have Trouba leading by one. 
• That'll do it for the first period. WINNIPEG LEADS 2-1. 
• During the first intermission, I'll be doing dishes. Get yourself a beverage, check some other scores online, or whatever. I'll be back in fifteen minutes.

SECOND PERIOD

• This farce with Evander Kane in the broadcast booth is foreshadowing of his future. Like all good color commentators, he's a middling player right now. In saying that, the Jets could definitely use his services right now.
• Interference call as Adam Lowry is taken down. Jets to the power-play.
• Hey, Toby Enstrom... how about taking a shot? The entire arena knows you're teeing up Byfuglien, so change it up once in a while! 
• I think Malone just left half his locker on the ice as Ladd tackled him. Hey, maybe the Bombers could use Ladd! He's made more tackles than the Bombers' defence already! 
• I'm pretty sure Swiss Chalet is the worst Ontario import Manitoba has made since we brought in Kerwin Bell to be the Bombers' quarterback. 
• Ondrej Pavelec showing some excellent lateral movement on that save on Semin! But the Jets will play shorthanded once more as Stuart sits for two minutes or less. 
• I like TJ Galiardi. Essentially, we traded Setoguchi for Galiardi. And honestly, no one can be worse than "Press Box" Setoguchi.
• Hey, who's the dude with the Eric Fehr Jets jersey? Fehr did a 35-game cameo with the Jets where he scored two goals and added one helper. Not really worth the $200 for that jersey, was it? 
• Jets had about 13 players on the ice on that change. Refs were more concerned with Byfuglien poke-check then rag-dolling Harrison to count players, though.
• Evander Kane as a coach? THAT is something I want to see. I can't imagine how that will go.
• Jacob Trouba was pulled away from Jeff Skinner by the linesman pretty quickly. The linesman must know Skinner's concussion history since Trouba wasn't allowed to breathe near him. 
• Skinner is in the penalty box. "Is this the quiet room? Where am I?" 
• I wouldn't even have a player on Enstrom if he was at the point on the power-play. He's not even a threat to shoot at this point in his career. What a waste. 
• Zach Bogosian: "My favorite player growing up was Jacob Trouba." 
• JETS SCORE! Byfuglien with a burst of speed and the goal! 3-1 WINNIPEG!
• Just wanna point this out: Justin Faulk was a defenceman for Team USA at the Sochi Olympics while Byfuglien stayed home. Just making that point here. 
• Tim Gleason's career outside of Carolina has been abysmal. But he looks like an NHL defenceman in Hurricanes' colors. Strange. 
• Hurricanes are the top face-off team in the NHL this season. Mainly because they keep fishing the puck out of the back of their net. 
• Dear Mark Scheifele: look forward once in a while. You might find out that you have no one between you and the goalie. Kthxbye! 
• Ok, that was dirty. Skinner just laid the Sherwood across Trouba's cheekbone. Skinner must be angry that Trouba keeps asking him if he rides the short bus yet. 
• That'll do it for 40 minutes. WINNIPEG LEADS 3-1! 
• I'll be honest: I don't watch the second intermission due to my hatred of the "Lawless & Order" segment. Gary Lawless is a great newspaper reporter, but he shouldn't be on TV talking about sports for any reason.
• I am now channel-surfing. It's either Chopped on The Food Network or Alien 3 on MovieTime. I'm almost considering Lawless right now.

THIRD PERIOD

• Good energy in this first minute on the power-play by the Jets.
• Hey, Toby Enstrom shot the puck! Now, let's double that shot total, Toby!
• Sekera is being sent off for sinning. Shame him, Jets. And score a damn power-play goal. This is getting to be a problem.
• The oh-fer-power-play continues. Oi vay. 
• I really want to see Matt Halischuk remain in the lineup. He brings so much more than either Peluso or Thorburn. Figure this out, Jets. 
• Jets appear to be playing prevent defence now. Not a fan. Stay aggressive, boys.
• I want to point something out: this is Blake Wheeler's team. If a team comes calling at the deadline for Andrew Ladd, it might be time to consider it.
• Had Galiardi converted that off-the-bench-between-the-legs attempt, I would have bought a Galiardi jersey tomorrow. No questions asked. 
• I wonder if the Jets can go oh-fer on the power-play for the season. Seems like it could happen at this rate. 
• Carolina is pretty terrible. Might be a long season in BBQ country. 
• Brian Little looked like he was trying to prevent Semin from being invisible. At least we know that Semin dressed for tonight's game, right? 
• I'll admit that I'm embarrassed right now. I had suggested that the Jets trade Pavelec and Kane in the off-season to Carolina for Ward and Skinner. I'm pretty sure I was drunk when I suggested that. For nearly two days. What a bender!
• I'm not suggesting anything, but maybe people in Raleigh aren't aware that these are regular season games yet. I wouldn't pay to watch the Hurricanes 41 times this season if they play like this. Hell, I'd go support Florida. They have more to be excited about. 
• Grant Clitsome should focus on each night if he plays this well. Don't worry about the next game until game night. Unless you're back in the press box. 
• HBIC mascot Meg the kitty has been asleep since midway through the second period. The bright side? She lasted half a period longer than the Hurricanes. 
• I'm telling you: if the Jets play like this after Maurice drops an F-bomb in a press conference, I say MORE F-BOMBS! It only makes total sense! 
• Khudobin heads to the bench. He got tired of watching Cam Ward eat hot dogs while laughing and pointing at him. 
• Y'know, if you re-arrange the letters in Alex Semin's name, I'm sure you can spell Alexei Yashin. I don't do spelling so good. Or something. 
• Well, that'll end the four-game losing streak for the Jets. WINNIPEG WINS 3-1!
• One of Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel should probably start looking for apartments in Carolina. Or simply apply to be Jeff Skinner's live-in support worker. CONCUSSION WATCH continues!

I'll be honest: this wasn't a great game whatsoever. Both of these teams will be in the cellars of their respective divisions, so this wasn't pretty by any means. However, the Jets needed to win before Paul Maurice started killing players, so there's a silver lining on this win.

For Carolina, however, this nightmare season continues, and they're only five games into it.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!