Jets won’t sneak up on anyone

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This article was published 21/10/2024 (350 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ST. LOUIS — When you’re the last undefeated team left standing, the ability to sneak up on teams disappears into thin air.

So, as the Winnipeg Jets open their first extended road trip of the NHL season on Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues, they recognize there’s a good chance they’ll be seeing the best of their opponent.

“I don’t think so. I think this is a first for me,” said Jets defenceman Colin Miller, who had two assists in Sunday’s 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. “I think every team is looking for a good start off the start of the year. To have this start is great. We’re going on the road now against some teams that are playing some really good hockey. It’s just going to get harder.”

That’s the thing, even with an impressive 5-0 start, the level of competition isn’t going to be getting easier for the Jets anytime soon.

Case in point is the Blues, who entered the season with projections as a bubble team but are off to a solid 4-2 start.

The Jets are off to a 2-0 start against Central Division opponents this season, but they required overtime to beat the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild.

“You run into each other so often and the dislike that grows over the years,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “And the tough part is that we’ve had a great start, but everybody’s still sitting right there. They’re all right in the mix as well. So it’s just a very competitive division.

“There’s a lot of similarities about how we play, how we defend. There’s there’s some star studded players on a lot of the teams. And, yeah, it’s a tough division.”

As the trip continues, the Jets face the Seattle Kraken and Calgary Flames, who are one of the biggest surprises in the NHL so far.

There’s always a bonding element that comes along with the first road trip of the season, though Arniel will be looking for his group to stay committed to the style that has allowed them to get off to a strong start.

“There isn’t a home way or road way to play,” said Arniel. “It’s just the right way and that’s what we have to do. We’ve got to continue to play the right way.

“We have to be good at what we do and be consistent at what we do. We’ve done that here in the last five and now we’ve got to go out on the road and do the same thing.”

Jets players aren’t worried about getting ahead of themselves after a strong start.

“I think it’s a mature group. They’ve had some win streaks before,” said Miller, noting that rallying from a deficit on several occasions has helped them feel comfortable in tight games, specifically battling back from a 2-0 hole on Sunday against the Penguins. “I think it was another good test for our group. I think coming back from that one, they were playing a strong game.

“We made some adjustments, obviously we weren’t happy with some parts of our game. We tried to change some things. It’s just about making those adjustments and we did a good job of it. Hopefully it can continue.”

Arniel was asked if he broke down the season into five or 10-game blocks and he made it clear he prefers to focus on what is in front of his team.

“Yeah. I’m not big on that,” said Arniel. “I’m more about the next game, the next opponent, and put the critique on what you’ve done in the last game or a couple, and then use it to get better and then move on. I just try to stay focused on and try to keep the group focused on what’s next.”

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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