Jets show what they’re made of

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This article was published 20/02/2024 (597 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

This was precisely the type of response Rick Bowness was looking for from his team.

One night after a suspect structural effort in a 6-3 loss to the Calgary Flames, the Winnipeg Jets looked much more like themselves as they bounced the Minnesota Wild 6-3 before an enthusiastic crowd of 14,707 inside Canada Life Centre on Tuesday night.

“We had a really good first so, again, that’s all self-inflicted. You saw it, with plays at the blue line that we don’t normally make and we’re making changes and they’re getting breakaways,” said the Jets head coach. “The second period was just really, it was sloppy. It was bad puck management but, again, give the guys credit because they responded in the third and started playing better. But our overall five on five game has to (improve)… It was so good in Vancouver for 60 minutes. We’ll get it back.”

The Jets were the better team in most statistical measures, building a 5-1 lead on the strength of strong special teams and excellent goaltending as they improved to 3-0 in the season series with their biggest rival.

“We take a lot of pride in our defensive game, and obviously (Monday’s loss) wasn’t our best. We’ve got a pretty veteran, experienced group and we knew we were going to come back the way we normally do,” said Jets goalie Laurent Brossoit. “We knew they had a lot of firepower, so when you get up that early it’s a long game. I thought we did a great job of weathering the storm in the second, because they did have a pretty good push. And then closed it up in the third.”

The Jets, who improved to 34-15-5, are back in action on Friday against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Here’s a closer look at what transpired on Tuesday night:

1. Powerful stuff – After struggling mightily on the power play for a good chunk of the season, the Jets have found their mojo with the man-advantage.

After scoring multiple goals on the power play in consecutive games, the Jets added another two more against the Wild on Tuesday.

To open the scoring, Jets left-winger Kyle Connor banked a shot/pass off the left skate of Gabriel Vilardi with 12 seconds to go in a minor penalty.

In the third period, Vilardi had a perfect redirection after a point shot from Josh Morrissey to make it a 5-1 game.

“It’s a great read by him. Obviously the shot’s going wide if you look at the replay,” said Vilardi. “But if he puts it in that area, I can tip it. And I tell him a lot, and he knows, if there is a lane… It’s all dependent on the PK. It’s not like it’s A or B, there’s a lot of variables. Reading off of what the other team’s doing.”

After a tough stretch of zero-for-22 with the man-advantage, the Jets have gone 6-for-11 during the past three games.

“I don’t have an exact answer. But like I mentioned, it’s just shooting,” said Vilardi. “Things open up off the shots, five-on-five and five-on-four. There’s great structure in this league no matter who you’re playing. It’s about finding ways to kind of break down that structure. Coming off shots, it gets guys caught in between routes and in the wrong spot for a split second that you need to make that seam or make that play. And then there’s just players making great plays, like KC’s pass to me back door, that’s a great read by him.”

The Jets had not scored two power play goals in three consecutive games since February of 2012.

When the Jets power play is clicking – and they’re playing the way they are at even strength, they’re a very dangerous team.

“We’ve got a lot of ground to make up,” said Bowness. “You can see the confidence growing, the puck’s moving a bit and great plays and the puck’s going in the net. We’ve waited a long time but, again, give the guys credit and now it just needs time to build a little chemistry.”

2. Setting the tone – The Jets started the checking line of Adam Lowry, Nino Niederreiter and Mason Appleton in the contest and that trio had a strong outing.

The trio had been a bit quiet offensively of late and while they contribute in other areas of the game, the Jets are a more dangerous team when they’re generating some complementary scoring.

That was the case on Tuesday, as Appleton scored to make it 2-0 Jets, Niederreiter rounded out the scoring with an empty-netter against his former team and Lowry chipped in a pair of assists to snap a 10-game drought without a point.

“Their job is to play against the top line and they did a great job on that,” said Bowness. “That top line on Minnesota, they got some great talent over there and they had chances when Adam’s line wasn’t on the ice. We always like to come back with them right after we score. They feel like this is a very reliable line. They’re a heavy line. They’re hard to play against and they’ve played very well against Minnesota. That line, go back the last couple of games, they scored some big goals against Minnesota, so they rise to the challenge.”

3. Making his case – It has been said in this space before, but Jets goalie Laurent Brossoit had another one of those nights that lead you to believe that he’s going to be a starting goalie next season – or at the very least a 1A and 1B situation.

In what was his 14th game of the season, Brossoit was at his best, thwarting plenty of opportunities – including a barrage in the second period when the Wild fired 17 shots on goal.

One of his best saves of the contest came in the waning seconds of the second period as he stopped Marco Rossi on a breakaway.

As it turns out, that stop prevented Rossi from completing a hat trick.

Brossoit finished the contest with 36 saves as he improved to 8-4 on the season.

Brossoit had given up four goals on 21 shots in his first start coming out of the break, but he was dialled in early – and needed to be, knowing the Wild had exploded for 10 goals the night before, including seven in the third period (though two were into the empty net) against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday afternoon.

“The mindset was I hope they got nothing left. But I don’t think that was the case,” said Brossoit. “You can tell they were pretty confident and zipping the puck around, especially on their power play. Lucky enough to make enough saves for the win.”

4. Understanding his role – As Logan Stanley was inserted onto the Jets third pairing for Nate Schmidt, he followed up what was one of his best showings at the NHL level with another steady showing.

After Mark Scheifele was hit from behind by Jacob Middleton, Stanley stepped in and challenged the Wild defenceman to a scrap.

The two dropped the gloves and got into a spirited tilt.

Stanley, who finished with just over 12 minutes of ice time, doesn’t need to make a habit of fighting with regularity, but he does need to provide a physical presence if he wants his number to be called a bit more during the stretch run.

5. Chisholm’s return – Defenceman Declan Chisholm played his first game against his former team on Tuesday in what was just the seventh NHL outing of his young career.

Chisholm, who was claimed off waivers by the Wild last month, saw a boost in his ice time after another former Jets D-man (Zach Bogosian) suffered an undisclosed injury late in the first period and did not return.

Chisholm blocked a shot from Josh Morrissey early in the third period while the Jets were on the power play, an effort that prompted a bunch of cheers from his teammates.

Chisholm finished with 18:02 of ice time and had an assist on a power play goal from Rossi to give him a goal and two helpers in five NHL games this season.

It’s easy to see why Chisholm has made a positive first impression on Wild head coach John Hynes.

This is a prime example of why waivers were created, to help provide opportunities for players who are struggling to get into the lineup.

6. Extra, extra – There were plenty of questions going into the game about whether or not there would be any lingering effects from Ryan Hartman catching Cole Perfetti with a high stick on a faceoff play in the Dec. 31 game.

But just as both head coaches predicted prior to the game, the extra curricular activities were kept to a minimum – given what was on the line, especially as the Wild try to battle for a playoff spot in the Western Conference wild card chase.

Hartman was mostly on his best behaviour, though he did hear a “thank you, Hartman” chant after taking a holding minor that resulted in a power play goal for the Jets. The crowd also serenaded Marc-Andre Fleury with several “Fleu-ry, Fleu-ry” chants, just in case this is his final NHL appearance in Winnipeg. Connor’s goal at 1:54 of the second period gave him seven consecutive seasons with 20 goals or more.

Connor has also racked up seven points (one goal, six assists) during the past three games. Vilardi has eight during that stretch, including four goals and four helpers.

Sean Monahan has scored in three consecutive games for the Jets and is up to five goals in seven games. His nifty redirection was a thing of beauty and gave him 18 goals for the season.

Rasmus Kupari replaced Morgan Barron on the Jets fourth line, but finished with eight shifts and just under six minutes of ice time in what was his first game since Jan. 27.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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