Getting comfortable playing with the lead

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This article was published 31/10/2015 (3615 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — An item that wasn’t really a strong suit last season and one that has already caused a little worry in 2015-16 was pretty solid for the Winnipeg Jets Saturday night.

Playing with the lead.

Just last Sunday, the Jets nervously coaxed a 5-1 lead over Minnesota to a 5-4 win on home ice.

Saturday, they put up leads of 2-0 and 3-1 in the first period against the Blue Jackets and despite what the 3-2 score might suggest, put the victory in the books with a pretty even, mostly panic-free effort.

The Jackets did get Scott Hartnell’s last-ditch, goalie-lifted, six-on-five marker with 1:14 to play to give the illusion of a close game.

“Other than (the late goal) we did a really good job with staying aggressive and staying on them and not really giving them too much,” said Jets centre Bryan Little. “I don’t think we’ve had too many games where we’ve had the lead like that for the majority of the game.

“I thought we handled it real well.”

“In the first 10 games, if you look at our games, we have some lapses here and there in a game,” said Jets defenceman Tyler Myers. “That’s a part of growing as a team, is to find a way to play a full 60. Tonight we did a pretty good job of that.”

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Winnipeg’s schedule in November could be considered a bear.

It’s got 10 of 14 on the road, including seven of the next eight games.

“The road takes on a life of its own,” Maurice said. “It’s either a really good place for your team, and sometimes if it’s not, it’s still a great place to sort things out.”

The Jets are 4-1-0 on the road so far this season.

“I thought last year, November was where we kind of found our game,” Maurice said. “We went into the Island, to New York, to New Jersey early on there and got to our game, then into Chicago on back-to-back nights.

“So we’ve been afforded the opportunity to play four of our first eight (road games) in back-to-backs… so I think it will hold true again.”

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Jets defenceman Jacob Trouba got same air time this week with something other than a hockey stick in his hand.

Trouba posted a Twitter link to a video late Friday of himself and brother T.J. carving pumpkins ahead of Halloween, part of a promotional series for a hockey equipment company.

“Probably a month ago, did a bunch of videos for Sher-Wood,” Trouba grinned on Halloween morning. “I guess the Halloween one was first.”

Jacob carved a “Jet” in his oversized pumpkin, while T.J. had the tougher task with a S-W, for Sherwood.

“I’m not very good at carving pumpkins, good thing he’s not much better,” Trouba laughed. “I think I had the easier one; a ‘W’ is pretty hard to carve.”

Fun was had by all.

“Pumpkins, especially big ones, were pretty hard to find a month ago,” he said.

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Jets right-winger Blake Wheeler tweeted a photo late Friday paying tribute to one of his biggest fans.

Nine-year-old Gabriel Eidse decided to incorporate Wheeler, one of his hockey heroes, into his Halloween costume.

“It’s a Minion/Blake Wheeler hybrid, so yeah, from there my wife got connected with them and she was sending me some pictures yesterday and he actually sent a little video to me. It’s all pretty cool,” Wheeler said Saturday.

Gabriel Eidse and his twin brother Elias have cerebral palsy.

“He’s a pretty cool kid, a huge Minions fan and a huge Blake Wheeler fan and that’s what he wanted to do for Halloween,” Wheeler said. “I was pretty humbled by it all.”

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca