National Post (National Edition)
Winnipeg has few reasons to twine
Goaltending ‘biggest change’ for Jets during this season’s hot start
The to-do list for the Winnipeg Jets coming into this season was a long one.
But after 28 games of the 2017-18 NHL season, the item at the top of that list has definitely been addressed — though it remains a work in progress.
When it comes to the issue of defending, the Jets are much improved — even after a 5-1 beat-down to the Detroit Red Wings.
Going into Thursday’s game against the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center, the Jets find themselves eighth in the NHL in goals against per game (2.71), a noticeable drop from where they were last season (3.1 per game, 27th in NHL).
Improved goaltending from the tandem of Connor Hellebuyck and Steve Mason has played an enormous role on that front since the Jets were near the bottom of the NHL in both team goals-against average and team save percentage last season.
Hellebuyck has been nothing short of extraordinary, though his numbers have shown some of the expected regression after starting out with a .940 save percentage.
“It’s shifted over the season,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “Early on, our goaltenders were really important and when we were still trying to find our game, they were really solid. The goaltending has been consistent, but in the last four or five weeks, we’ve been a better team in front of them and maybe even some nights when (the goalies) weren’t at their A game, we’ve been good enough to give them a chance to win.”
The Jets talked about the need to sacrifice a bit offensively in order to achieve that goal, but as it turns out, goals haven’t been that tough to come by.
While cutting down the goals allowed, the Jets have still been able to fill the net on a regular basis, averaging 3.35 goals per game.
“In training camp, that was our mindset — defending first,” said Jets defenceman Jacob Trouba. “We’ve done a pretty good job. I wouldn’t put it on one group of players; it’s a team effort.”
Discipline was another issue the Jets looked to clean up and by taking fewer minor penalties the penalty killing units haven’t been as taxed.
The result has been a tidier team game with several notable exceptions.
Like Tuesday, when the Jets opened up their collective game after falling behind 3-1 and gave up a clear-cut breakaway to Darren Helm and then a 3-on-1 rush that ended with a goal from the slot by David Booth.
For the most part, the Jets have limited the odd-man rushes and backdoor tap-ins that were so prevalent in the two blowout losses to open the season.
“Our focus has been on trying to eliminate the glaring 2-on-1s and breakaway chances that we’ve given up to our goaltenders in the past,” said Jets captain Blake Wheeler. “Goalies are no different than players. If they’re taking 2-on-1s and backdoor tap-ins, they’re human. Their confidence is going to struggle, so we’re trying to eliminate that stuff and help our goalies be confident.
“For me, (Hellebuyck) and Mason have been outstanding for us this year and that’s the biggest change for the turnaround. They’ve been just excellent. There have been games where we had no business winning or no business being a part of. They’ve stolen a couple of points for us and you need that if you want to be one of the top teams, you need that type of goaltending.”
Having above-average goaltending provides an obvious benefit for a franchise learning how to win on a consistent basis, but it goes deeper than that.
Knowing that there won’t be many softies against has allowed the Jets to play free.
Last season it seemed like whenever a mistake was made in the defensive zone or even the neutral zone they had a tendency of finding their way into the back of the net. That’s no longer the case And while a team doesn’t want to make a habit of relying on its goalies too much, having faith in the men between the pipes is an essential ingredient to having success.
That’s why the Jets have been able to get off to a strong start and are hanging out in the high-rent district of both the Western Conference and overall standings.
“When you’re not used to winning, you go into games not knowing what to expect and not knowing what it’s going to look like,” said Wheeler. “But when you start to get on a roll and to know where everyone is supposed to be every night, that’s where you have confidence. Even in the games where things don’t go your way or you have a tough night, you know you’re going to come back the next day and it’s going to be there. That’s what makes it fun coming to the rink every day, knowing that everyone is on board and ultimately you know what’s expected out of everyone.”
(HELLEBUYCK) AND MASON HAVE BEEN OUTSTANDING FOR US