There were a lot of winners Thursday night at the MTS Centre: a youthful Winnipeg Jets team that found all kinds of energy in the third period when the grown-ups on the other team ran out of gas; a delirious capacity crowd that loved what it saw in a new lineup it had heard about all summer long; and a True North Sports & Entertainment company that sold a lot of beer on a night fans were primed for an opening-night party and the home team delivered.
But there was also one big loser — and I’m not talking about a Carolina Hurricanes team that surrendered a 4-1 third-period lead to lose 5-4 to the Jets in overtime.