Jets look ready for playoff run
If anything is ever going to give Winnipeg Jets fans hope that their team can go on a long playoff run, it’s the way the team played in the last two games.
To recap, the Jets went into Dallas on Thursday and beat the first-place Stars 3-0, defensively dominating one of the top teams in the NHL and a clear Stanley Cup favourite.
Then on Saturday, the Jets went into Denver and thoroughly thrashed the Avalanche 7-0 in a game that was not only a preview of a firstround playoff series but also could determine home-ice advantage in that best-of-seven.
In total, it was a combined score of 10-0 as the Jets took down their two closest rivals in the Central Division standings.
They were structured defensively, powerful offensively, scored some beautiful goals and even looked good on the power play.
Combining that with shutout performances by Laurent Brossoit Thursday and Connor Hellebuyck Saturday, the Jets looked like a team that is very much a contender to come out of the Central Division and go after the Stanley Cup.
“(Hellebuyck) was great, (Brossoit) was wonderful in Dallas,” Jets head coach Rick Bowness told reporters in Denver after Saturday’s game.
“We know if we play with the right structure and the right pressure that we’re a very tough opponent. And when we do break down, which is going to happen, then our goalies are going to be there for us.”
It would be pretty difficult to find anything wrong with the Jets’ performance on Saturday.
Not only did they pile on the offence, chasing goalie Alexandar Georgiev after scoring four first-period goals on 15 shots, and adding three more goals in the second, but they shut down a Colorado team that features Hart trophy and Art Ross Trophy contender Nathan MacKinnon, 102-point scorer Mikko Rantanen, and 87-point scoring defenceman Cale Makar in the line-up.
Getting two goals each from captain Adam Lowry and fellow centre Sean Monahan, along with singles from Tyler Toffoli, Gabe Vilardi and Josh Morrissey, the Jets were a scoring machine.
The power play looked great, with Vilardi finishing off a slick pass from Kyle Connor for one goal and Morrissey blasting one home after a face-off win by Monahan.
Three of the big keys for the Jets to be successful in the playoffs would be adhering to defensive structure, great goaltending and secondary scoring.
Check, check, check.
Given, the Avalanche were not close to their best. They offered little resistance to the Jets all afternoon, save for a few big hits early in the game, but the Jets don’t seem like they’ll be fooled by that poor performance.
“That’s not their best game, we know we’re going to see a lot better than that,” Bowness said. “I know their goalies had a tough night. We’re happy with what we did knowing it’s not going to look like that when the playoffs start.”
The Jets and Avalanche will meet in the first round of the playoffs, although it’s not yet determined when or where it will start.