The Whiteboard: Jets slow on the draw

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This article was published 13/03/2015 (3844 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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Background

Prior to their 4-2 loss to Florida Thursday night, the Jets had really struggled in the faceoff circle in their two previous contests, winning just 39 per cent of the draws in a 3-1 win over Nashville and 38 per cent in Tuesday’s 5-4 loss to St. Louis. They fared a little better versus the Panthers, but still dropped 28 while only winning 24 faceoffs. Those numbers are compounded by the club missing two of its best in the circle with both Bryan Little (who has taken a team-leading 1,444 draws and won 49.5 per cent) and Mathieu Perreault (423, 51.8 per cent) out due to injury. Overall, the Jets rank 22nd in the NHL in faceoff win percentage at 48.4.

 

Impact of losing a faceoff

The Jets:
17 – Adam Lowry, C16 – Andrew Ladd, LW67 – Michael Frolik, RW57 – Tyler Myers, D39 – Toby Enstrom, D31 – Ondrej Pavelec, G

The Blues:

 26 – Paul Statsny, C20 – Alex Steen, LW21 – Patrick Berglund, RW48 – Petteri Lindbohm, D25 – Chris Butler, D

 

Setting the scene

The Jets are reeling in Tuesday’s loss to St. Louis, having surrendered four straight goals — including three in the first 11:09 of the second period. Michael Hutchinson had been yanked by Paul Maurice and replaced by Ondrej Pavelec in the Winnipeg net.

Trailing 4-1, the Jets line up for a draw to Pavelec’s left in their own zone. In the illustration Adam Lowry (17), loses the face-off to Paul Stastny (26) and the puck is won cleanly back to Chris Butler (25), who leans into a shot from the point that goes wide and to the right of Pavelec. The Blues maintain possession for the next 25-30 seconds, generating two prime scoring chances but, luckily for the Jets, not scoring.

 

D-zone face-off responsibilities

Adam Lowry (17): Win the draw back behind him or, at the least, don’t lose it cleanly.

Andrew Ladd (16): Middle winger’s job is to come through the circle and get ahead of Steen to win a possible loose puck and push it back to the defencemen. If the face-off is won cleanly by the Blues, as was the case here, Ladd is responsible for moving out and taking away the shooting lane of Butler.

Michael Frolik (67): If the Jets win the draw, he peels down low and then to the boards to give Tyler Myers a passing option. In a face-off loss, he must protect the slot; if the pass goes from defenceman to defenceman he must come out to take away a shooting lane for Lindbohm.

Toby Enstrom (39): A face-off win means he sets up the puck for Myers; a loss results in him challenging for any loose pucks and watching for Steen coming through to the front of the net.

Tyler Myers (57): In a win, he is to skate to the puck and run through with it behind the net. A loss means he is trying to tie up the winger along the wall.

 

J.P. says:

“When the Jets lost this faceoff it became a bit of a fire drill in their zone. The Blues got control of the puck and the play for the next 25-30 seconds and generated two or three prime offensive opportunities. It just magnified how important it is to win in the circle because if you don’t, not only do you lose momentum, but you lose energy chasing to get the puck back. It’s much easier to attack than to be in defend mode.

“Later in the game there is a prime example of what a clean face-off win can mean to a team. Andrew Ladd had just scored to pull the Jets to within 4-2 and, right off the draw at centre ice, Lowry wins the draw back to Mark Stuart. The Jets are in full attack mode instantly and with three passes, the last by Lowry to Lee Stempniak, they score within 11 seconds of Ladd’s goal.

“That little detail of winning a face off can affect the game in so many ways. Instead of defending the game, you’re attacking it and dictating the pace. It’s something the Jets are going to have to get better at in their playoff push.”

 

J.P. Vigier, who grew up in Notre Dame de Lourdes, Man., is a former NHL winger (Atlanta Thrashers, 2000-07) who finished his career in the Swiss league. He does Jets analysis for both TSN 1290 and Radio Canada and teaches power skating and skill development for kids of all ages (jeanvigier11@gmail.com).

 

— Ed Tait