JETS FLYING HIGH AT CHRISTMAS
Winnipeg sits atop Western Conference, and team hasn’t played its best hockey yet
Just imagine what the Winnipeg Jets might look like if and when they start clicking on all cylinders.
That’s the overriding feeling surrounding this group as they go into the Christmas break with a record of 24-10-2.
Thanks to a 1-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday — in a game where backup goalie Laurent Brossoit stole the show in his hometown and Mark Scheifele provided another clutch goal — the Jets found a way to improve to 10-2 during what has been a December to remember.
With 50 points in the bank, the Jets are actually ahead of the pace they set last season, when they established franchise records for wins (52) and points (114).
When the Jets return to action on Thursday, they’ll be atop the Western Conference, three points clear of the Calgary Flames (the Jets hold a game in hand) and four points up on the Nashville Predators in the Central Division.
The Jets are going to enjoy the downtime and will use it to recharge after playing nine games during the past 16 days, including trips to both coasts and tilts in four time zones.
What the Jets won’t be doing is resting on their laurels.
“We talk a lot about living the day,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice said. “So, we’re happy where we are, we enjoy the win and 50 points gets you about halfway to the playoffs. So, there’s a whole lot of work to be done.”
And there’s the rub. As impressive a start as the Jets had this season, an argument can easily be made that they haven’t been operating at full capacity for a chunk of the season. It’s not that they are playing poorly, they just haven’t been clicking on all cylinders.
Flaws are apparent and there are issues to clean up, but that’s the case for almost every team approaching the midway point.
The Jets have found an abundance of ways to win, whether it’s grinding out victories like Saturday’s or using its high-powered offence to steal the show.
Blake Wheeler is tied for the league lead in assists, while Scheifele is up to 22 goals (including five game-winners) and is among those in the discussion for the Hart Trophy.
Patrik Laine (21), Nikolaj Ehlers (15) and Kyle Connor (13) are already in double digits for goals scored and the Jets’ secondary scoring has been steady as well. Not only do the Jets have one of the most dynamic top lines in the NHL, they have the top-ranked power play, one clicking near 30 per cent efficiency for the season.
Speaking of special teams, the Jets had a few hiccups while short-handed (allowing three power-play goals on two occasions), but their penalty kill remains in the top half of the league.
They boast an active defence corps, with a young and growing shutdown pair in Josh Morrissey and Jacob Trouba, and Dustin Byfuglien playing some of the best hockey of his career. The Jets have depth up front and serious competition for jobs on the periphery of the roster, a battle that will only intensify once Adam Lowry and Andrew Copp return from injury.
But it’s not all rainbows for the Jets, who are 11-3-2 when leading after two periods.
Yes, there have been five late leads blown and that’s an area that requires further attention.
On the flip side, the Jets are 10-0 when tied going into the third period, so they have an innate ability to close out games.
Goaltending isn’t an area of concern, but Connor Hellebuyck has endured a few up-and-down stretches in his third full season as an NHL starter, his numbers closer to league average after being elite in 2017-18.
Hellebuyck stole Thursday’s game against the Sharks and was on point in a battle with the league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning last Sunday, so there are signs he’s turning the corner. Brossoit, meanwhile, has already exceeded expectations and has provided a solid backup option and his play should help keep Hellebuyck fresh down the stretch.
Maurice needs to find a way to way to get his fourth line a bit more involved, but that’s been happening more of late.
In short, the Jets have put themselves in a good position for the stretch drive, yet realize there is plenty of room for improvement.
“It shows what kind of group that we have in here. We know the type of hockey that we have to play to win games,” said defenceman Tyler Myers. “We’ve done the same thing over and over, through practices and every day coming to the rink. It’s just kind of embedded into our brains, the level that we have to get to. I think we’ve played well, but there’s another step that we can take and that usually happens in the second half of the year.”