Jets all business as they prep for final 5

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This article was published 02/04/2015 (3836 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The sting of the last two games has subsided and the Winnipeg Jets talked today like a team that will be ready with its best game Saturday afternoon when the Vancouver Canucks visit.

Winnipeg has dropped home games to the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers – both on heroics by the visitors in the waning moments – and has been stuck on 90 points in the Western Conference standings since beating Montreal last Thursday.

The Jets have five games remaining in their quest to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs, which begin April 15.

When they practised this morning, they occupied the last playoff spot, and were one point behind the Calgary Flames and two ahead of the Los Angeles Kings.

Today’s focus was about what’s ahead, Jets coach Paul Maurice said.

‘We’re alright’

“All business today,” Maurice said. “We talked about the video we went through that was specific in two areas of our game. We covered every inch of the game specific in two areas and worked on those things today.

“It was pretty business-like out there.”

Pressed on the matter of the disappointment over losing to Chicago and New York, and whether he spoke to the team about that, Maurice relented.

“We talked about it Tuesday night,” he said. “We talked about it again this morning. We talk. We have chats. It’s not like the Oprah Show in there but we discuss our feelings and then go play hockey. We’re alright.”

The Jets actually believe they played pretty well in both games.

“We played better in our last two than in that five-game stretch that we won,” Maurice declared this morning. “Without a doubt. The third goal against the Rangers was their 10th chance against (us) and there were two power-play chances in that mix. It was almost as low a number as we’ve given up in a long, long stretch of time.

“But the breakaway chance (Chris Kreider’s winning goal) is a hell of a chance so I’m not saying it’s not. The quality of our game in the last two games is better than it was in probably in any stretch of the five-game stretch we had prior to that.”

Finding a way to win

Jets captain Andrew Ladd said today that he didn’t think the team was “off” against the Hawks or Rangers.

“There are always mistakes,” Ladd said. “That’s hockey, that’s life, but you’re going to have them and usually the team that makes the fewest mistakes wins the hockey game.

“I thought we had a chance to win both those games. In my opinion, we probably outplayed both those teams. But at this time of year, it’s about results. Look at the Montreal game, we got outplayed and we won 5-2. Right now it’s just about finding a way to win any way you can. We need to find that way.”

Veteran centre Jim Slater also liked his team’s game in the last two.

“I don’t think we’ve been off,” Slater said. “We’ve played very good hockey. Maybe a lapse here or there but at inopportune times. Those are tough ones to take. We’ve played a solid two games against two of the top teams in the league. Guys in here know that.”

Today at practice, goalie Ondrej Pavelec (ill) and defenceman Dustin Byfuglien (maintenance) were not on the ice. Byfuglien was suspended by the NHL later in the day for four games.

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca