Jets are pleased, not satisfied

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This article was published 09/01/2015 (3902 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The heavy lifting and gruelling miles are still ahead. And so for the Winnipeg Jets, it could be said reaching the halfway mark of the 2014-15 NHL season Thursday night in Arizona is simply a signpost along the way to April and — their fingers and toes crossed — a coveted spot in the Stanley Cup derby.

“We’ve built a pretty good foundation of what we expect each and every night,” said Jets captain Andrew Ladd. “And, for the most part, we’ve been consistent with our work ethic and bringing it every day, whether it’s practice or games. We’re pleased, but we’re going to push for more here.”

They’ll have to, for what comes next is the real push to the playoffs. The good news is the Jets have managed to tread water with their defensive corps ravaged by injuries — ditto for left- winger Evander Kane — but soon to return to active duty.

Most important, they’ve bought in to coach Paul Maurice’s defensive preachings, morphing into a top five club in goals against. It’s that foundation — and the off-season commitment to improving the overall fitness level — that are two cornerstones to the turnaround.

Oh, and there’s also this: The core of this team, many of whom have yet to appear in a single playoff game, is driven to finally change that.

“It comes from the room liking each other. They get along,” said Maurice. “They want to be a part of something. It’s not that situation where guys are looking to go somewhere else. They’re look to make where they are better. I’m hopeful that’s the driver behind all this — they hated so much what was going on in the past they were willing to do what it took to play a tight team game.

“Going back to the end of last year I was really pleased with the men I thought we had in the room. But, when they came back to training camp and we had gotten through our first part of testing I was really impressed with our leadership. It’s the eight or nine drivers, the guys that drive your team — either by being a veteran or minutes played — they all did significant work, which is the first great trust-building, team-building exercise that a team does. More importantly, they had to do it on their own. They’re all in different cities… there’s not a coach or a captain driving everybody, it’s individual commitment at being better.”

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Worth noting here: As the halfway-mark subject was discussed with a handful of players prior to the Coyotes game, there was hardly a sense of accomplishment at currently being in a playoff spot.

And that’s not a subtle change — this team once hoped to win games. Now it is beginning to expect to win them.

“It’s been a very positive first half,” said Blake Wheeler. “The way we’ve developed an identity, the way we play every night. We have a way of playing that works for us and it’s given us success.

“Now we just have to keep working. That’s our identity: we work hard. The one thing that won’t change will be our work ethic every night. That’s given us success and hopefully it will give us similar results in the second half.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @WFPEdTait