National Post (National Edition)
Due time for the Jets’ young guns to shine
Laine, Connor and Ehlers in need of breakout
WINNIPEG•Soitcomes down to this.
The best two teams in the NHL’s regular season will play one game to determine which one moves on to the Western Conference final against the Vegas Golden Knights.
It probably should be this way because the Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators are so evenly matched.
They’ve traded punches for the last couple of weeks with no team able to win two games in a row.
The Jets won Game 1 in Nashville, the Preds bounced back with a double-overtime win in Game 2. The Jets staged a big comeback to take Game 3 in Winnipeg, the Preds countered with a stifling defensive effort in Game 4. The Jets went back to Nashville and won by four goals Saturday, the Preds returned the favour Monday night in Winnipeg.
If you told anyone two weeks ago both teams would have two road wins already in this best-of-seven series, they likely wouldn’t have believed you, but it has been the kind of series where we should expect the unexpected.
“You look back at the six, I would say Game 2 would have been the game that I would have thought all six of them would have looked like,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said. “The first one didn’t. And then down three (in Game 3 and) come back and put up seven, 2-1, bounce in there 6-2, come back here 4-0. For you to write a story on the series, you have to write six different stories right now.”
With that said, here are seven things the Jets need to do in order to win Game 7.
SCORE THE FIRST GOAL
This has become the most pivotal factor in the series as the team scoring first has won five of the six games. Additionally, history tells us the team that scores first in Game 7 wins 75 per cent of the time. It seems particularly true in this case with the Predators looking to get a lead and defend it and the Jets looking to get out front to open things up so they can use their speed and skill. The Jets scored first in Game 1 and Game 5 and that led to their first two wins at Bridgestone Arena. The third one will be the hardest yet to come by, but a good start will go a long way.
WEATHER THE STORM
In every game, the Predators have carried the play early in the game and twice they badly outplayed the Jets in the first period, only to come away either tied or trailing thanks to the efforts of Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck. If Hellebuyck can hold the fort early and if the Jets — who have not scored in the first period in the last four games — can capitalize on one of their early chances, it could drastically change the course of the game. Hellebuyck will need to be the better goaltender than Pekka Rinne all night long for the Jets to have a chance of advancing.
CALLING ON THE KIDS
The Jets need a big goal from Patrik Laine, Nikolaj Ehlers or Kyle Connor, their three leading goal-scorers during the regular season. Connor had a great Game 5, scoring twice in a 6-2 win, and Laine has nine playoff points, but the Jets need them to produce now more than ever. Along with Ehlers, they can be the three biggest offensive difference makers on the team and now would be great time for a breakout. Laine has only three playoff goals, two that didn’t mean much, and Ehlers has not scored in the post-season. Their time to shine is now.
GET THE SHOTS THROUGH
The Predators blocked 23 of the Jets’ shot attempts on Monday night with Roman Josi leading the way with four. At the other end, the Jets blocked only eight shots. Winnipeg’s blue-liners need to find ways to change angles or shoot more quickly to prevent the Preds from getting in the lanes. Getting pucks through from the point is imperative to achieve success in the playoffs and this will be a significant challenge against a fearless Preds team.
SCORE ON THE POWER PLAY
The Jets frittered away four power-play chances on Monday night, generating only a couple of scoring chances and producing just four shots on goal. The Predators didn’t even get a power play until late in the third period and by then they were already up 4-0. The Jets absolutely have to find a way to penetrate the blue-line with puck possession so they can get set up and at least get chances to score with the man advantage.
BUST THE TRAP
If the Jets don’t get the first goal, they have to find a way to break through Nashville’s neutral-zone defensive strategy. That means more crisp passes, more speed coming out of their own zone and far fewer turnovers. In Game 5, once the Jets broke through, they scored almost at will as the Predators were unable to flip the switch from defensive clampdown to offensive attack.
BIG BUFF IN BEAST MODE
Dustin Byfuglien has been a dominant player in this series, but was quieted — possibly due to the presence of Nashville’s Scott Hartnell — in games 4 and 6. Byfuglien needs to be hitting like he was in the Minnesota series, while activating in the offensive zone and maintaining his defensive responsibilities. When Big Buff is truly on, he can be the only difference maker the Jets need.