It’s a feeding frenzy in Winnipeg
As huge shot differential over Ducks shows, when Jets get the offence rolling, they’re very scary
WINNIPEG — The Winnipeg Jets have done several things this season that we’ve never seen from a local puck squad before.
Things that make you realize how good they are.
One is the way they swarm teams for a minute or more at a time, changing lines on the fly without giving up the puck.
It looks almost unfair at times. The most glaring example was the game against Anaheim on Friday, when the Jets had 78 shot attempts to the Ducks’ 25 — the largest shot differential (53) in an NHL game this season.
Ask players about these stretches of dominance and their eyes light up.
Even a veteran like Mathieu Perreault says he’s never experienced this before.
“The Anaheim game was probably one of the most dominant O-zone games I’ve seen, where we could roll almost three lines and be in the offensive zone the whole time,” Perreault said. “I played in Anaheim and Washington — two good teams, but never as strong as this in the offensive zone. So we’re very excited for what’s going to happen.” And other teams are worried. “I was talking with (Jakob) Silfverberg after the Anaheim game,” Perreault continued. “And he was like, ‘Man you guys are fast — it’s unbelievable.’ It felt like they couldn’t keep up with us. The speed we have is definitely what makes it.”
When the Jets get on those rolls, they come in waves, getting on every loose puck first, while the opposition gradually runs out of gas.
The next thing you know, they’re snapping the puck around like they’re the Harlem Globetrotters of hockey.
The only thing missing is the whistling sound of Sweet Georgia Brown.
“It’s fun,” a grinning Andrew Copp said. “There’s a lot of puck touches, a lot of wheeling around — you get feeling really confident about yourself and your teammates when we get that buzzing. Those are great opportunities for us to score.”
Copp says he can sometimes sense one of those stretches is coming. “You can kind of feel it on the bench,” Copp said.
That’s the key for head coach Paul Maurice — having the short change to the bench from the offensive zone, which home teams get in the second period.
“It’s part of our game, part of our skill set,” Maurice said. “We do have size up front. And if we don’t have size, we’ve got quickness.”
You can almost see the players’ confidence with the puck grow during one of these feeding frenzies. Sometimes to the point of over-passing.
“There are times when we’re snapping pucks through the seams where, as a coach, you’re going, ‘Let’s see about shootin’ one of these,’” Maurice said.
The momentum generated by the buzz on the ice is matched by the crowd. It often becomes a case of wanting to one-up, or at least match, what the previous line just did.
“The next one that comes on is fired up and they do the same,” Nik Ehlers said. “We’ve got a lot of small fast players and big fast players. That’s one of this team’s biggest assets. We can skate.”
As much as it does for the Jets, it has the opposite effect on the opposition.
“From a defensive perspective, it’s not easy when the other team has played in your zone for a minute and a half,” Patrik Laine said. “Then you’re pretty gassed and they’re changing lines — it’s not easy to get off the ice.”
The Jets have been there and done that.
“That can ruin your legs for a period, to be honest,” Copp said. “Maybe even longer, depending on how long the shift is.”
According to the Jets own statistics for possession, they’re among the NHL’s top three for time in the offensive zone, Maurice said.
“It’s important,” the coach said. “But it’s not the be-all and end-all, because Chicago’s first.”
Combine all that zone time with Winnipeg’s lethal finishers, though, and it’s like playing with poisonous snakes: eventually, you get bitten.
“Especially if it starts off with a couple of hits,” Copp said. “They’re a little discouraged to get pucks. It’s like, ‘Oh, my gosh — these guys are coming from everywhere.’ It can be overwhelming to them.” Perreault has heard that, too. “It’s nice to know that in the back of their minds, they’re a little afraid of us,” he said.
After years of being over-matched, it must sound strange to even say those words.