Jets aiming for better second half
Winnipeg at 20-11-6 in contention for Central Division title, writes Ken Wiebe.
Are the Winnipeg Jets about to move from survival mode to attack mode?
As the Jets get set to return to action against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday following the three-day Christmas break, it’s one of the biggest questions to be discussed.
It’s obvious the Jets have positioned themselves well through 37 games.
With 45 games left in the regular season, the Jets are right in the thick of things in the Central Division, thanks to a 20-11-6 record and 46 points. It leaves them one point behind the Nashville Predators (who hold two games in hand) and two points behind the St. Louis Blues (with the Jets holding one game in hand).
The Jets have already played half of their road schedule, going 8-8-3, and they’ve been among the best in the NHL on home ice (12-3-1).
But in the most recent stretch, the Jets went 3-5-1-1.
In the final game before the break, the Jets came out flat and the New York Islanders scored twice before the tilt was three minutes old.
The Jets were simply unable to recover after rookie Matt Barzal banked a puck in off the skate of Tyler Myers in the final minute of the first period.
Going into the break with a thud was not what the Jets had in mind.
After the Jets were outscored 13-5 while losing the first two games of the campaign, many wondered if it might be a long season ahead. Instead, the Jets turned things around with a game against the Oilers on Oct. 9, one that saw Connor Hellebuyck take over between the pipes and Nikolaj Ehlers provide a natural hat trick in what became a 5-2 victory.
With the benefit of hindsight, it’s clear that performance was the beginning of the turnaround for a Jets team that’s built a steady foundation.
So it seems rather fitting the Oilers are visiting as the Jets get set for a nine-game block that will take them to the mandatory five-day break. For the Jets, it’s a time to reset and try to get locked back in.
For the Oilers, opportunity is knocking, since they enter the contest on a four-game winning streak and just four points out of a playoff spot but having five teams to jump over.
During the recent stretch, the Jets were outscored 33-27, with one of the losses coming in a shootout to the Boston Bruins.
Two of the victories came against the Blues and Predators. The Jets also beat the Vancouver Canucks and played well in an overtime loss to the league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning.
To suggest there haven’t been some cracks in the foundation isn’t reality.
In three of those five losses, the Jets allowed five goals (to the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks and Islanders) and six against the Florida Panthers (including an empty-netter).
For a team that came into the season knowing it needed to be better defensively, that’s too many goals allowed.
This isn’t about pointing the finger at the masked men.
Goaltending has been the biggest source of improvement for the Jets this season.
Thus far, the Jets are tied for 13th in team save percentage (.911) after finishing near the bottom of the NHL last season.
With 18 wins in 27 starts (and 29 appearances), Hellebuyck is already approaching the 26 wins he had in 53 starts (and 56 appearances) as a first-year NHL starter.
After starting the season minus-8 in goal differential, the Jets have cleaned that up area substantially, sitting at plus-16.
Scoring wasn’t expected to be an issue for the Jets and for the most part, it hasn’t been. By finding some balance and being able to play four lines consistently for the first time since Paul Maurice arrived as head coach, the Jets are a much tougher team to play against than they’ve been in the past because opponents can’t just focus on trying to shut down the top guns.