Jets powerless in second consecutive defeat to Leafs By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 10:57 PM CST Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/01/2024 (994 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Jets looked like a hockey club that could use a break.

A 4-2 loss on Saturday night to the Toronto Maple Leafs was the third consecutive setback for a group that hadn’t really experienced any turbulence this season as it soared to the top of the NHL standings.

Now? A mini-slump that matches a season-high in length and a sour taste in the mouth to take into a week-long hockey hiatus that appears to be coming at the perfect time.

“You know what? I think the best thing is a little mental reset,” Jets captain Adam Lowry said in a subdued locker room at Canada Life Centre.

“I think this is kind of one of the first blocks of adversity we’ve faced this year. Certainly you can let some frustration creep in. I think being able to get away from the game, analyze where we’re at, where we’ve been, what we’ve been doing well in some of these games, and what we can improve upon, then come back energized again.”

Winnipeg dropped to 30-12-5, including 0-2-1 in its last three. The Jets scored just three goals in that span as the offence has dried up. Toronto improved to 25-14-8, taking both ends of the home-and-home series that began with a 1-0 overtime victory last Wednesday at Scotiabank Arena.

There’s plenty to analyze from this one, played in front of a raucous, sold-out crowd which seemed to be split about 50-50 between Jets and Leafs fans.

1) UNLIKELY SCORERS: Considering the talent on both teams, who had Dylan Samberg and Ryan Reaves trading goals in the first period?

Nobody? That’s what we thought.

Samberg opened the scoring 4:13 into the game when his shot from the point went through traffic and beat goalie Ilya Samsonov. It was the first goal of the year for the Jets defenceman, and his first in a whopping 77 games dating back to Jan. 12, 2023 in Buffalo.

“Good to score but still lost. That part sucks, but obviously good to get a goal,” said Samberg, who mimed pulling a monkey off his back during his celebration.

However, Toronto tied it with 49 seconds left in the opening frame when Reaves — who has battled injury and was a healthy scratch before drawing into the lineup for the first time since Dec. 12 — tipped a Noah Gregor shot past Connor netminder Hellebuyck for his second goal of the season.

The fact he did it in his hometown was extra special for the veteran forward, who signed a three-year contract last summer. Among those cheering him on in person were his father, former Blue Bombers running back Willard Reaves, and plenty of family and friends.

“I got to see my grandma (Friday) night, it was really good. I haven’t seen her in a while and she’s getting a little older, so that always gives me a little boost when I get to see her,” Reaves told reporters.

“I spent some time with my mom and got to see one of my buddies. It’s always fun coming back here. I don’t come here as often as I used to, but when I do, it’s always fun.”

2) A DOSE OF CONTROVERSY: It looked like Toronto had grabbed the lead just 29 seconds after Reaves scored, with Tyler Bertuzzi converting a rebound. However, the referee immediately waved it off, saying that Leafs forward William Nylander had interfered with Hellebuyck.

Toronto challenged the call, and it seemed like they had a valid argument as replay showed Jets defenceman Dylan DeMelo shove Nylander into Hellebuyck. However, video review by the NHL confirmed the original call.

Winnipeg went to the power play owing to the automatic delay-of-game call, which leads perfectly into the next key takeaway…

3) NOT-SO-SPECIAL TEAMS: Same old, same old for the Jets. Not only did they fail to score on four power-play chances, but the penalty kill gave up two goals on three chances.

Game. Set. Match.

With the score tied 1-1 early in the third, DeMelo was called for tripping Bertuzzi. Just 35 seconds later, John Tavares tipped Morgan Rielly’s shot past Hellebuyck to give the visitors a lead for the first time. Considering the Jets had already whiffed on three PP attempts by then, seeing the opponent capitalize so quickly had to sting.

“Our power play needs a break like (the Leafs) got. They just took a shot that was going wide and was tipped,” is how Bowness assessed it.

“We’re getting pucks and they’re not going in for us. We’re getting some really good looks on it. We’ve got to score on those opportunities. And we’re just not doing it.”

PP may as well stand for predictable and painful.

Nino Niederreiter (interference) and Samberg (slashing) were sent to the sin bin 30 seconds apart later in the final frame, and the NHL’s leading goal scorer, Auston Matthews, made them pay on the ensuing 5-on-3.

His 40th of the year was also his 600th career point and stood as the game-winner when Mason Appleton scored during a scramble with just 12 seconds left in regulation. Simon Benoit had sealed the victory with an empty-netter with just under two minutes left to play.

“It’s a mindset. I see there are better plays to be made than we’re making,” Bowness said of the power play, which is now just 2-for-32 over a nine-game span and sinking to near the bottom of the league,

“Again, we had a couple of guys walk in there in Toronto, didn’t score. Tonight, we’re walking in, didn’t score. There are some opportunities there to score and it’s not going in for them right now. At least we’re creating some offence. Does it need a lot of work? Yeah. Could we put more pucks to the net? Yeah. Do we need a break to see something go in like they got their first one tonight? Yeah. We’ll keep working at it.”

4) ANOTHER D GOES DOWN: On Wednesday in Toronto, it was Josh Morrissey who exited the game in the first period after taking a puck to the groin. Fortunately, he avoided any serious injury and was able to play in the re-match.

However, the Jets were once again quickly down to five defencemen as Brenden Dillon suffered an upper-body injury in the first period.

“Unfortunate to see. Hopefully, he recovers well,” said Samberg. “You’re going to have to deal with those circumstances from time to time. That’s the way she goes. I felt like our D-men handled the minutes fine.”

Bowness doesn’t believe Dillon’s ailment is serious.

“He just tweaked his body, his back, and it didn’t come around. So, I don’t think there was a hit or anything,” said Bowness. “He should be OK.”

5) DISASTER IN THE DOT: One of Winnipeg’s problems is an inability to win faceoffs, which was on full display in this one.

The Jets went 17-for-45.

“Like we’re losing 30, 40 seconds on every power play because we lose the faceoff and they ice it,” said Bowness.

Lowry went 10-for-19, while every other play went a combined 7-for-26. That’s extremely ugly.

6) EXTRA, EXTRA: This was the third sellout of the season for Winnipeg, with the previous ones coming against the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild.

Hellebuyck stopped 26 of 29 shots he faced, while Samsonov turned aside 24 of 26.

The Jets were once again without Mark Scheifele, who missed a sixth game with a suspected groin injury. They are 2-3-1 in that span. The hope is he’ll be ready to return once this break is over. He remains on injured reserve, along with forward David Gustafsson who is close to returning, too.

Defencemen Logan Stanley and Declan Chisholm and forward Axel Jonsson-Fjallby were the healthy scratches.

The Jets will now part ways for a full week, returning to practice next Sunday (and Monday, too) before heading to Pittsburgh to the face the Penguins on Feb. 6.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg