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Greetings from Ottawa, where the Winnipeg Jets hope the climb from rock bottom will begin in earnest.
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After failing to hold onto a 4-1 lead, the Jets lost 6-5 to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, extending their season-long slide to eight games (0-5-3) and they dropped to five games below NHL .500 at 15-20-4.
The pure exasperation of this latest loss was evident in discussions with players and head coach Scott Arniel, though they’re doing their best to put on a brave face and power through this frustrating start to the season.
“I like the fact we scored five goals, but then we gave up a ton of chances against,” Arniel said after the morning skate. “We had recently been reducing a lot of the chances and not scoring. Hopefully that complete package all comes together tonight.”
The numbers are dire, with the Jets coming off the worst month in franchise history, they’ve now dropped 10 of the past 11 games and have just six wins in the past 27 outings after opening the campaign 9-3.
Arniel surely caught the attention of his team by healthy scratching popular veteran Nino Niederreiter against the Maple Leafs and while he did his best to protect the player by saying it was related to the Jets playing three times in four days, this was more than just a load management decision — as Niederreiter has been held without a goal or a point during his past 14 games.
One of the many storylines to follow will be how Niederreiter responds as the Jets close out a three-game road trip and attempt to avoid being swept on this Eastern Conference swing. Niederreiter was quick to say that he has more to give as he discussed what he believed was the first healthy scratch of his NHL career.
“Obviously, I haven’t produced. With the ice time I have, I have to make more out of it. It’s on me to be successful out there,” said Niederreiter. “I’ve got to find a way to get on the board.”
A veteran of more than 1,000 NHL games, Niederreiter concedes that he hasn’t been on a team where so many players with a track record of producing have gone into a slump at the same time.
“Honestly, no. I don’t think I’ve lost eight in a row either,” said Niederreiter. “It’s definitely a learning process for myself, to stay with it and don’t get overly frustrated.”
What are the keys to pushing through when you go through a slump like this one?
“Try to get more (to the) net front, try to simplify your game, try to get on the forecheck and somehow get the puck back and shoot the puck when you can,” said Niederreiter, who has six goals and 15 points in 38 games this season. “At some point, you’ve just got to hope that they go in eventually.”
Niederreiter draws back in for Gustav Nyquist, while Colin Miller stays in on defence.
The Jets will start Connor Hellebuyck in goal, while the Senators counter with Leevi Meralainen, since Linus Ullmark continues to be away from his team for personal reasons.
After scoring three times during the past four games, former Brandon Wheat Kings captain Ridly Greig has been promoted to the Senators top line this evening with Tim Stutzle and Fabian Zetterlund.
“He never worries about where he’s playing or who he’s playing with,” said Senators head coach Travis Green. “You tell him one day he’s playing on the fourth line or the first line, he just plays and he just wants to win. He’s got a good attitude about the game.”
The Senators are just below the playoff line in the Eastern Conference, but are coming off a 4-3 win over the Washington Capitals that snapped a three-game losing streak (0-2-1).
Here are some other things to get you ready for the Jets lone visit to the nation’s capital this season:
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