If actions speak louder than words, then the Winnipeg Jets coaches surely heard loud and clear what Jansen Harkins and Evgeny Svechnikov were trying to tell them Wednesday night.
The two forwards fighting for opening night roster spots each tallied three points in Winnipeg’s 5-1 victory over an Edmonton Oilers squad missing most of its key players.
Harkins scored twice and added an assist, Svechnikov had a goal and two assists, while their linemate Cole Perfetti also had an assist in the win.
It was Harkins who opened the scoring just 91 seconds into the game, banging in a loose puck past Oilers goalie Ilya Konovalov to kick off a period where the home side outshot the visitors 15-4.
Svechnikov would get on the board early in the second with a nifty deflection of a Logan Stanley point shot and just a few minutes later, a nice net drive by Mikey Eyssimont was denied but the rebound bounced off Austin Poganski and in to make it 3-0.
Harkins would make it 4-0 when he found himself alone against new Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner, going top shelf for his second of the game. Edmonton’s Brad Malone would break Connor Hellebuyck’s goose egg late in the period.
Midway through the third, the Jets top line finally got in on the fun when Kyle Connor made it 5-1.
Hellebuyck played the entire game in goal for the Jets, making 17 saves for the win.
The two teams will look much different when they meet again Saturday night in Edmonton with the Jets expected to ice a lineup with fewer veterans and more players that will likely start the season with the Manitoba Moose.