Jets best Stanley Cup champs 3-1, thanks in no small part to Hutchinson

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This article was published 29/10/2015 (3610 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

They are still very much an unfinished product, these 2015-16 Winnipeg Jets. There’s something there, to be sure, but right now this is a team that should come with one of those yellow and black ‘Under Construction’ signs.

That’s what made Thursday night’s 3-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks — the reigning Stanley Cup champions, for those who may have forgotten — such an enticing outcome both for in the here and now and going forward.

The Jets weren’t without their flaws, especially early and during a stretch in the second after they had taken a 2-1 lead. But in the process of improving to 6-3-1 they also flashed more of what worked last year while mixing that with what looks to be a deeper forward unit that certainly has more offensive flair.

Translation: there’s no smoke and mirrors to this bunch. And a workmanlike win over a heavyweight like the Hawks does take steps, albeit small ones, in building the framework that will shape this year’s edition.

THE COACH SAYS

“We’ve played some really solid teams and caught them when they were rolling,” said Jets coach Paul Maurice. “It’s important in the third today that we scored one more than they did and didn’t let it get away from us. We played good teams here. The Central isn’t slowing down any time soon. It’s going to be that hard grind every single night, every game’s important.

“We do some things well and there’s lots of room to improve.”

THE HOMESTAND REVISITED

So maybe 3-2-1 doesn’t exactly pop off the page as a dominant stretch at home. But for the Jets first extended stay at MTS Centre this season some of the numbers behind the stand do carry some weight.

Most importantly, two of the three wins came against Central Division rivals in Minnesota and Chicago but as much as there were some warts revealed during the homestand — this team is still surrendering too many chances, for one — with a better finish against St. Louis and Los Angeles the six-game stretch could have also yielded even more.

All that said, 3-2-1 is important placed against this backdrop: eight of the Jets next nine are on the road, beginning with Saturday’s game in Columbus and followed by stops in Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa. There is a brief one-game pit stop back home and a date with Philly before then a four-game trek through the Central with visits to Minnesota, Dallas, Nashville and St. Louis.

All told, 10 of the 14 games the Jets will play in November will be on the road.

“We wanted to end the homestand on a good note and to beat a team like Chicago is definitely pretty big for us,” said Mark Scheifele. “We didn’t have the start we wanted, but really stepped it up in the third.

“A team like Chicago, they know what to do in tight games. They’re going to press hard and do a lot of things to beat you. But we did a good job of staying calm, sticking to our game and not changing it.”

‘CLUTCH-INSON’ RETURNS

The Jets were far from flawless, but when they did make a mistake in their defensive zone Michael Hutchinson was there to stifle the Hawks. He was beaten on a softy by Patrick Kane on the power play to open the scoring, but finished the night with 45 — yes, 4-5 — saves against a Hawks team still with a healthy crop of scorers.

Hutchinson, unbeaten in four starts this season, is now 4-0-1 in his career against the Hawks with a goals-against average of 1.20 and a save percentage of .965. Stingy doesn’t even begin to describe his work.

“I’d like to have the first one back,” said Hutchinson. “At the same time we answered back so quick and we were so right into the game you can’t let another one past you, especially against Chicago because as soon as they get a little bit of a lead they’re going to shut it down.

“It’s just one of those teams… sometimes you just have it and things just go your way.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPEdTait

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