Saskatoon looked more like Boston, Mass. Friday night as the Bruins rolled into town to take on the Winnipeg Jets.
Black and yellow jerseys filled the stands at Credit Union Centre as the two teams played their final preseason game and the last of two NHL games in Saskatoon. Bruins' forward Jarome Iginla wasn't expecting to receive the support his team did.
"It did actually [surprise me] a little bit because Winnipeg's not that far away and there was a ton of Bruins fans. So it was pretty cool for sure to see that many, that far away from Boston," he said.
And all those Bruins fans didn't go home disappointed; the team dominated from start to finish en route to a 5-0 win.
It took only 26 seconds for the Jets to find themselves trailing. Winnipeg goaltender Al Montoya lost track of a puck that hit the crossbar. As it sat behind him in the crease, Carl Soderberg came in to tap home one of the easiest goals he'll get in his career to make it 1-0.
Later in the first, Bruins defenceman Johnny Boychuck let an absolute bullet go from the point. With traffic in front of him, Montoya had no chance to make the save and it didn't appear as though he ever got a good look at the puck.
Winnipeg found themselves trailing going into the locker room after the first. Although both teams had close to a regular season line up, the game was far from regular season calibre. Neither team's starters were interested in risking injury and, because their jobs on the opening day roster were secure, they didn't have anything to prove.
Jordan Caron scored the lone second period goal. The offence didn't register much more than hard shots from the outside for Winnipeg. There were some postives for the Jets as Montoya looked much more comfortable in net than he did in the first. The Jets will need Montoya to play well throughout the season, so starter Ondrej Pavelec doesn't get overworked. Pavelec led the NHL with 44 appearances in last year's shortened 48-game season.
Nick Johnson beat Montoya with a point shot in the third period, similar to the shot by Boychuck in the first. Again, Boston did an admirable job of using their size to create traffic in front of the Jets' goaltender.
Shortly after, Bruins' centre Patrice Bergeron scored on a wrist shot off the rush. It was probably a shot Montoya would like to have back, but his improved play in the final two frames was a positive sign going into the regular season.
There are no questions for Boston in net going into the regular season. After being one of the NHL's top goaltenders last year, Tuukka Rask put on a clinic Friday with a 20-save shutout.
The announced attendance of just under 12,500 was a vast improvement on the previous game in Saskatoon between the Calgary Flames and Ottawa Senators, which was closer to 6,500. Former Saskatoon Blade and current Jet Devin Setoguchi isn't used to seeing the Credit Union Centre that full.
"I think there was maybe close to 10 [thousand] [on] Gordie Howe night one night, that was about it. And we lost. I think it was the same thing, about five or six nothing," he said.
Setoguchi last played for Saskatoon in the 2005-06 season, his third and final year with the team. His NHL career has seen him play in San Jose, Calif. and Minnesota, so Friday's game gave him a chance to play in front of his mom, aunt and some of his friends.
"Definitely some good memories coming back here and play in this barn. So, lucky enough some of my family got to come and I'm sure a lot of people around here are happy to see NHL hockey," said Setoguchi.
