Jets have big problems everywhere, maybe even in net

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This article was published 16/12/2015 (3616 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Talk about a wake-up call: For the first time this season, the Winnipeg Jets awoke Wednesday morning to discover they were looking up in the standings at every other team in the Central Division.

The combination of a Winnipeg loss to the St. Louis Blues and a Colorado Avalanche win over the Chicago Blackhawks Tuesday night vaulted the Avs into sixth place in the Central, one point ahead of the now cellar-dwelling Jets.

Suffice to say, that’s a long way from where the Jets and their fans thought they’d be at this point in the season.

A 2014-15 season that included the franchise’s first playoff appearance since the Jets moved back to Winnipeg raised expectations and had many pegging a return to the playoffs as the bare minimum expected for this team — and, dare to dream, perhaps even something a little more.

There is, of course, plenty of blame to go around the Jets dressing room right now — a lousy penalty kill (25th) and even worse power play (28th); a brutal road record (6-10-1); a horrendous division record (3-10-0); a slumping top line (one goal in its last four games); and on and on it goes.

But the one aspect of this team that isn’t to blame for Winnipeg’s current predicament, insists head coach Paul Maurice, is the club’s goaltending.

Rookie netminder Connor Helleybuyck — called up last month as an injury replacement for Ondrej Pavelec — has given up 10 goals and gone 1-2 in his last three starts, which is a long way from the three goals and 3-0 record he posted in his first three starts.

But while Hellebuyck’s numbers have declined lately, Maurice insists his play has actually improved.

“He’s been better,” Maurice said following his team’s practice at the MTS Centre. “The last two (games) — there’s some real shooters on Chicago and St. Louis and he made some big, big saves…

“He’s made enough really good saves and I don’t count as weak the goals that beat him. So I like his game, I like where he’s at.”

Hellebuyck has started the last three games in a row for the Jets and five of the 10 goals he surrendered in that time came against that anemic Jets penalty kill.

It’s tough to blame a young netminder when his team is constantly outnumbered on the ice by the other team. But full credit to Hellebuyck — he wanted nothing to do with any excuses when asked about his recent performance.

“I made a couple mistakes I wasn’t making the first three games,” said Hellebuyck. “It happens when you start to over-think some things. I think I just have to simplify my game…

“I don’t want to make any excuses. I think I just made the mistakes I haven’t learned from yet.”

Like?

“The way you battle through screens and not committing so much to one thing and just kind of being more relaxed,” he said.

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The Jets need Hellebuyck to relax. Desperately.

With Pavelec out at least another month and Michael Hutchinson struggling mightily — Hutchinson is 0-7-1 in his last eight starts — the expectation is Hellebuyck is going to have to carry the load for the Jets for the forseeable future, for better and worse.

Not that Maurice is going to admit it, though.

Asked if Hellebuyck is his starting goalie, Maurice wouldn’t commit to anything, but did seem to suggest Hellebuyck will continue to start as long as he continues his current level of play.

“He’s done all the things you’d hope a goaltender would do,” said Maurice. “He just has to keep doing it and he has to keep playing well when he gets the opportunity to play.”

So where does that leave Hutchinson?

“Every player wants to play games and I’m no different,” said Hutchinson. “But it’s all about the big picture and Connor’s been really great and was on that hot streak for awhile, so I can’t really argue with not playing.”

The Jets are 4-6-0 since Pavelec was injured last month in a collision with Arizona Coyotes forward Shane Doan, and Maurice was asked if perhaps the team is missing Pavelec more than they’d care to admit.

“The only thing we could ask more of… is that I don’t know our goaltenders are stealing games for us,” Maurice said. “That happens occasionally. But we can’t go into a game with the mindset that our best chances are if our goaltender steals this game. I don’t think we play that kind of game…

“Pav last year, when it was all sorted out, was our No. 1 guy. Sure, you miss that. But we’ve got enough depth there. Our goaltending is strong enough.”

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @PaulWiecek