Jets off to hot start despite dropping season opener

In its simplest form, Scott Arniel is seeing progress.

And when you consider all of the factors that have gone into a 3-1 start for the Winnipeg Jets — which includes three consecutive victories after dropping the opener 5-4 to the Dallas Stars — it’s easy to understand why Arniel would feel that way.

As the Jets get set to welcome the Nashville Predators to Canada Life Centre on Saturday, the Jets are putting together stretches that remind you why they got off to such an amazing start last season.

No, the Jets aren’t going to go 8-0-0 to start the campaign and it’s going to be difficult to match the 15-1 mark they came out of the gate with, but when the Jets show the commitment to team defence that was on display in Thursday’s 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, they’re still incredibly tough to beat.

Asked for his thoughts on how the Jets responded to dropping the opener, Arniel reiterated his belief that the game with the Stars had an exhibition-type of feel to it.

“That was a pretty loose game,” said Arniel. “Maybe it was the hype of the home game, the first game of the season, but we have gotten better and better.

“I don’t think we have put together a full 60 minutes, but there are a lot of good things that I like, or I have seen lately.”

Arniel isn’t the only one recognizing that important strides have been taken.

“The first game we didn’t play our game, but we’ve definitely played better,” said Jets centre Mark Scheifele. “It’s encouraging. It’s still early in the season so we still have a lot to fix. A lot of new faces are still trying to figure it all out. We’ve just got to keep getting better.”

Scheifele is off to a torrid start, as is linemate Kyle Connor.

The offensive production is impossible to ignore, with Scheifele already up to five goals and eight points and Connor producing three goals and seven points through four games.

The dynamic duo has been incredibly dangerous at even strength, with the man advantage and are also taking regular reps on a penalty-killing unit that has erased 16 of 17 opportunities while playing shorthanded.

That 94.4 per cent efficiency has Dean Chynoweth’s unit sitting atop the NHL.

Obviously it’s a small sample size, but this achievement is not an easy task, especially when you consider the Jets are without two of their most important penalty killers in defenceman Dylan Samberg and captain Adam Lowry.

The only goal the Jets have allowed on the PK came moments after a two-man disadvantage expired in the season opener against the Stars.

Otherwise, the Jets have been perfect, thanks in part to excellent work from goalies Connor Hellebuyck and Eric Comrie, combined with a keen attention to detail for the players sent over the boards.

The Jets have been more aggressive in attacking the pressure points, while doing a good job clearing the zone when they get possession of loose pucks.

“When you have no hesitation, you’re just kind of on your toes. You’re playing with instincts,” said Jets defenceman Luke Schenn. “And you see a lot of the PK’s, guys doing a great job of sacrificing, blocking shots. Obviously, goaltending is a huge part of it.”

Goaltending is a significant storyline in the early-season success, both for the penalty kill and the overall play.

Although the Jets gave up more Grade-A opportunities than they would have liked during the first three games, Hellebuyck and Comrie have done a great job of standing tall.

For anyone that just looked at the game sheet from the opener and were concerned that Hellebuyck would be ready for some regression after his Hart Trophy season, they weren’t paying close enough attention.

Hellebuyck was the reason that game wasn’t a one-sided blowout and his strong play allowed the Jets to launch a comeback that ended one goal short.

In the two games since, Hellebuyck has turned aside 45 of the 49 shots he faced and it shouldn’t be long before his numbers get back to the levels we’re used to seeing from the three-time Vezina Trophy winner.

One of the most impressive things we’ve seen from the Jets was the stellar play of backup goalie Comrie in Monday’s game against the New York Islanders.

Comrie was tested early and made 33 saves in his season debut, which was precisely what Arniel and company wanted to see in a season where they play to increase his workload to help keep Hellebuyck fresh.

While there’s no doubt the Jets have been led offensively by the top line, which includes four assists from Gabe Vilardi, the secondary scoring came to the forefront on this road trip as well.

And it needed to, since the Jets pride themselves on their depth and need contributions from the other three lines — and the defence corps — throughout the course of the campaign to compete for another Central Division crown.

Morgan Barron has been a force for the Jets on the fourth line and has been leading the charge here, with three goals and five points so far.

On the two-game road swing, Tanner Pearson, Nino Niederreiter, Vladislav Namestnikov and Logan Stanley recorded their first goals of the campaign and Jonathan Toews, Gustav Nyquist and Cole Koepke chipped in their first assists.

Through four games, 14 skaters on the roster have recorded at least one point, so spreading the wealth is a subject that will continue to be monitored in the seven games to follow before the calendar turns to November.

The Jets are a team that prides itself from getting regular contributions from the defence corps as well, though that is taking a back seat right now.

With the absence of Samberg, the Jets are working to play a sound defensive game and find cohesion with the rotating pairings that have been of necessity — especially after Haydn Fleury left a game against the Los Angeles Kings after taking a shot off the kneecap.

“I’d like to go a bunch of games where it’s consistent with partners, but it just hasn’t been able to happen,” said Arniel. “So, that’s when you lean on your veteran guys to do what they do best.”

When the Jets as a group are doing what they do best, they’ve consistently shown that they’re a legitimate contender and the early signs suggest it’s going to be the case once again as the building blocks are put in place and the foundation of their structure is reinforced.

“The biggest thing with us is just continuing to grow and improve — and I thought we definitely did that in certain areas,” said Connor. “We have some new pieces here that are still learning, and even the old guys, it’s a refresher on how we play. It’s going to take a long time to build that identity and it’s just like part of any team. You’ve got to build that every single year.”

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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