Jets’ penalty-kill has lost its mojo

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This article was published 24/11/2014 (3965 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The once-soaring Winnipeg Jets have suddenly lost two games in a row and their once-vaunted penalty-killing unit has now surrendered goals in four straight games, including two to the St. Louis Blues on Sunday at the MTS Centre in a 4-2 loss.

Just as concerning is both of the Jets’ most recent losses — to St. Louis Sunday and Detroit Thursday — came on just the kind of third-period goals the club wasn’t giving up when it was so red-hot during that recent 6-0-2 run.

But if you’re a glass-half-full kind of fan and looking for reasons to be optimistic as the Jets head out this week on a gruelling three-games-in-four-nights road trip, how about this: Jim Slater scored on Sunday.

Big deal, you say? Well, yeah actually, it’s a huge deal because neither Slater or any of his linemates on Winnipeg’s fourth line had scored this season prior to Slater finally ending the long and increasingly frustrating drought with an unassisted goal 9:53 into the second period on Sunday.

Yes, Slater’s first of the season came in a losing effort. But it also came at long last from a line that is going to have to find a way to produce offensively at least occasionally this season if the Jets are going to be a winning team.

“For the line, it’s a good confidence boost,” said Slater. “We try to go out and give it our all every night. And the last few weeks, we’ve had some really good chances and some really good games. But it’s a matter of going out there and doing what we can with what we have. Hopefully this (goal) starts something and gives us a little confidence.”

Slater was asked if the drought was weighing on the fourth line, which has this season included another mainstay in Chris Thorburn and then several different players, including T.J. Galiardi, Anthony Peluso and, most recently, Matt Halischuk.

Of those players, Halischuk had the only point coming into Sunday — a lone assist.

“Of course. Anytime you’ve got no points in 20 games, that obviously weighs on you,” said Slater. “But there’s other factors in there. We still felt like we were playing a good solid game. Points just weren’t coming and hopefully this kind of kick-starts it.”

Jets’ top-line centre Bryan Little — who broke out of a slump of his own Sunday with a goal that represented his first point in eight games — said he was happy to see his fourth-line teammates finally shake that monkey from their backs.

“It’s good to see them get rewarded,” said Little. “They’ve been playing well and they played really good tonight too.”

It bears noting, the Jets’ fourth line are hardly alone in their offensive struggles — Winnipeg’s 45 goals through 22 games this season is the third fewest in the NHL.

“The whole group in here has obviously had some trouble scoring and hopefully we can get off that and put some pucks in the net,” said Slater. “But we’re also not a team like that. We’re a defensive team and we’re going to win games 2-1 and 3-2, that’s just how it is for us right now.”

All of which brings us back to that penalty-killing issue. While Winnipeg’s penalty killing has been one of the very best parts of this team this season — the PK unit was sixth in the NHL heading into Sunday — the Jets have now given up power-play goals in the last four games in a row, including two to the Blues Sunday.

Defenceman Mark Stuart says no one is pushing the panic button just yet.

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“Sometimes it comes in waves with special teams,” said Stuart, “but it’s a matter of stopping it now. You don’t want to get on too long of a stretch… We’ve just got to get back to basics and be aggressive clearing pucks.

“That’s something we take a lot of pride in — our penalty kill. And I wouldn’t say we’re worried about it, but it needs to get better, for sure.”

Jets head coach Paul Maurice thinks his PK unit has actually been playing pretty solid lately.

“We’re giving up probably fewer chances on our PK,” said Maurice. “But you get on runs at times where it’s not going for you. We had (penalty kill) runs earlier in the year where we gave up nothing for four or five games but were giving up far better chances.”

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @PaulWiecek