Jets horrendous defense leads to blowout loss in preseason opener

The Jets had come into the game with a history of terrible preseason starts with just two wins in their last six openers. Early in this one, a three-man miscommunication between the Jets, left goalie Kaapo Kahkonen scrambling, allowing Minnesota Wild prospect Caedan Bankier to score easily. This early goal set a grim tone for the rest of the game, putting the Jets on the defensive from the start.

It was a preseason game that thus far was very fundamental, and the Jets found that one out in painful fashion. It included screens in front of the net, with three of the seven coming by way of the Wild exploiting that. Manitoba native Daemon Hunt capitalized off of one such screen to notch Minnesota's second goal, underlining how poor the Jets were defensively in front of Kahkonen.

It wasn't until Nikita Chibrikov set a screen all on his own, allowing defenceman Colin Miller to wire a slapshot past the Wild goaltender for the Jets first goal, that finally gave indications they might have a pulse. It was short-lived as a fluky Wild goal with the aide of yet another screen gave Minnesota a 3-1 lead. It only got worse for Miller, who followed up his goal with costly turnovers, including a misplay that led to the fourth Minnesota goal by Jakub Lauko.

As the game wore on, hope grew dimmer for the Jets. A giveaway by the 25-year-old Mason Shaw gave the puck to the Minnesota Wild's Ben Jones, who buried it for a 5-1 lead. As the goals mounted, Kahkonen wasn't entirely at fault, but the repeated low shots slipping past him do highlight areas he needs to tighten up before the regular season.

Bright spots in defeat: The Jets' prospect Colby Barlow added a late goal to give the fans something to cheer for, and Brayden Yager's playmaking showed promise. The Jets will go over their mistakes to get better ahead of Wednesday's matchup with the Edmonton Oilers.