Stellar record, but Jets still a work-in-progress

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This article was published 08/11/2024 (337 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It wasn’t something you would typically see from a coach in that particular situation. But Scott Arniel didn’t hesitate to break out the line blender Thursday night despite the fact the NHL’s No. 1 team was leading the Colorado Avalanche as the third period got underway.

Nikolaj Ehlers was moved to the top line. Leading scorer Kyle Connor went down to the second line. Mason Appleton was shuffled off the shutdown third line, swapping places with fourth-liner Alex Iafallo.

A bold move? Sure. Risky, even. But one that speaks volumes about the culture and the mindset around the now 13-1-0 Jets, who ultimately hung on for a 1-0 victory. The results are great, no doubt. But the process is pivotal, too.

“The biggest thing you gotta remember with 82 games is you’re going to win games, some you don’t deserve,” Arniel explained on Friday following a short practice at Canada Life Centre.

“The players, they know. I tell them that it’s coming. Sometimes it’s just to get a reset, sometimes it’s just to get a quick spark.”

Arniel, who couldn’t have scripted a better start to his second stint behind an NHL bench, said he’s learned from some great coaches over his career that you should never be afraid to try something that might improve your team. The safe play, the status quo if you will, isn’t always the smartest move.

Especially when he’s seeing uncharacteristic things from his club, which seemed to be hanging on for dear life for the final 40 minutes against Colorado.

“At the end of the day, it’s just kind of a feel of where we’re at,” Arniel said.

“I think there’s been games where maybe the same thing has happened and I let them play themselves through it. Sometimes it’s just getting a feel for: Is it gonna come back? Are they going to get that tonight? I may not have it tonight. Maybe just try something new.”

Winnipeg’s lines were back to their regularly scheduled programming during Friday’s skate as the team prepares to close out its homestand against the Dallas Stars Saturday afternoon. It would seem to be a sign of maturity and growth that his group wasn’t exactly doing a victory lap after its latest triumph, knowing they may have gotten a bit lucky.

“It’s still early in the season and you can’t be content, ever. You can never just rest on what you’ve done. You always have to push for more,” said centre Mark Scheifele.

“This group is a resilient group that wants more, that wants to push for more. That expects more out of ourselves. That’s what makes up good teams, is never being satisfied and continuing to work on things. Sixty minutes is a tough time to play a perfect game so there’s always things to work on and that’s what makes hockey so fun.”

Although the execution may have been sloppy at times, there’s no questioning the effort against Colorado. Arniel pointed to several little plays during the game that add up — Nino Niederreiter negating an icing with a burst of speed and Neal Pionk diving to poke away a loose puck near the Jets crease among them.

“To see all those things… The best part is those guys see it amongst each other. You hear it on the bench. You hear it in the room when guys do those things and that’s part of that growth that we’re getting,” he said.

It’s part of the “10 per cent more” mantra that has become a theme for the Jets this year, with the group vowing to dig deep and give a bit more after a disappointing end to last season.

“There was some desperation,” admitted Scheifele.

“We knew we weren’t playing our best. But when they would make a pass or they would give a pass to the slot or get opportunities, we had good sticks. Broke up some passes, broke up some chances that could have been tap-ins.”

Dallas (8-4-0) should present as one of the toughest tests to date. Goals could be at a premium, with the Stars surrendering just 28 in 12 games and the Jets beaten just 30 times over 14 contests. That includes back-to-back shutouts this week over Utah and Colorado.

The Jets focused on fine-tuning some aspects of their game they didn’t like during Friday’s skate, including cleaner breakouts from their own zone. Unlike injury-depleted Colorado, Dallas is at full strength and likely would make Winnipeg pay a steeper price for its hockey sins.

“They don’t have a lot of highs and lows. They’re an even-keeled team. Just about how they play, they defend, they have structure, when it comes to their breakouts, they’re good at it,” Arniel said of the Stars, who made it to the Western Conference Final last year and were a consensus preseason pick to win the Central Division this year.

“They’re pretty predictable, but they’re really good at it. They’ve been doing it as a group for a while. How they take away ice in the neutral zone. They have good speed on their counters through the neutral zone offensively. They haven’t changed. For the last three years I’ve been here, they continue to do the right things all of the time.”

Connor Hellebuyck, who has stopped all 56 combined shots he’s faced in recording consecutive clean sheets for the first time in his NHL career, is expecting to be in net.

Winnipeg is just the second team in NHL history to start a year with 13 wins in 14 games, joining the 2007-08 Ottawa Senators. That club lost Game 15, meaning a victory over Dallas would make the Jets the first-ever 14-1-0 squad.

Their only blemish so far this year is a 6-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 28 in a game where the first 40 minutes were rather ugly. The Jets responded in their next game by pummelling the Detroit Red Wings 6-2.

You get the sense they are viewing their lacklustre performance against Colorado in a similar vein.

“I think it’s kind of the same feel,” said Appleton. “There were things we want to fix and adjust and clean up (Friday) in practice and we want to just play a clean, fast game (Saturday), which we’re going to do.”

After facing the Stars, the Jets will play nine of their next 10 games on the road, with plenty of elite competition on the way, including the reigning Presidents Trophy winners (New York Rangers) and a home-and-home set with the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

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