Laffs get last laugh in OT

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This article was published 21/02/2015 (3858 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO — Something’s off with the Winnipeg Jets.

Is the increasing importance of games in the stretch drive causing them problems?

Have injuries tapped them out?

Or has the rest of the NHL just caught on to what they’re doing?

It’s hard to say it’s simply one of those things, but Saturday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the sad-sack Toronto Maple Leafs surely indicates something’s wrong,

There’s a point gained for the standings when every one will be helpful, but moving only to 30-20-11 and 71 points wasn’t the plan for the night against a team that was 2-15-2 in its previous 19 games and had only two wins in 2015.

The Jets certainly aren’t the defensively stingy group they were in the first half.

Since the all-star game, they haven’t had their A game on many nights.

In the latest five games now, they are 2-2-1 and have given up 20 goals. In the four right after the break, they also gave up 20 goals.

That part of their game has clearly sagged.

Now, productive winger Mathieu Perreault is out until April, and he’s already missed.

The team survived a real injury crisis in December and early January, but maybe that drained them, having plugged so many holes with so much energy.

And there’s no doubt games are tighter and more intense this time of year.

Whatever the case, Winnipeg coughed up a 3-2 lead heading to Saturday’s third period and then James van Riemsdyk was set up by former Jets centre Olli Jokinen on an overtime two-on-one for the winner.

 

Here’s a hint

A glum and quiet Paul Maurice offered a hint or two after the game as to what might be wrong, as this week’s two-game road trip yielded an awful loss in Washington and a subpar effort in Toronto

“We didn’t have a great offensive push five-on-five,” Maurice said. “We’re going to need these two days to kind of heal up a little bit. I don’t think we were skating quite as well as we can.

“We aren’t getting up the ice and onto the puck quite as well as we’re capable. And I think we’ll get that back. Just a couple of days and we’ll be good.”

Today’s an off day for the team and they won’t play again until Tuesday, when they open a four-game homestand against Dallas.

 

Powered up

The Jets did give themselves a boost in one area, clicking for two first-period power-play goals.

Jacob Trouba and Mark Scheifele netted those two, helping to put the visitors in control of the game until the third period.

 

Bleeding stopped

On the other end of special teams, the Jets stopped the bleeding of their penalty-killing.

Yes, they did surrender Leo Komarov’s first-period short-handed goal — a great shot — but responded right away with Trouba’s marker.

But on the night, the Jets killed off all four Toronto power plays, including one that lasted the first 1:56 of overtime.

They had given up nine power-play goals in the previous four games.

 

Leafs still terrible

Toronto’s recent problems were evident on Saturday.

At least the Leafs had a marginal excuse. They had to play on the road Friday night, but they did have some major flaws, and it seemed for much of the night the Jets were just waiting for Toronto’s ineptitude to hand them the game.

But that only helped the Jets score three times and it wasn’t enough.

The Leafs, who at one time this season were 19-9-3, are 3-15-2 since Peter Horachek took over from Randy Carlyle behind the bench.

 

Wait and see

The injury bug may bite the Jets again.

Ben Chiarot didn’t return to the game after fighting Daniel Winnik at 8:23 of the third period.

Maurice said after the game he won’t know anything more on Chiarot until today, but there’s not likely to be any word on that until Monday.

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca