Lowry most effective when playing his A to B game

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This article was published 25/03/2016 (3483 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s not that the words “dangle” and “Adam Lowry” don’t belong in the same sentence.

But when the Winnipeg Jets big power forward has his game really cooking — as it has been over the last little while — there’s not a whole lot complicated about what the end result looks like.

There is no dangle, no dipsy, no toe-drags or drop passes.

It’s all about playing that “big-boy” game coaches cherish: finishing checks, getting to the hard areas and playing the game in straight lines.

That said, potting the odd goal — as Lowry has done three times in the last seven games and in each of the team’s last two wins — would be the perfect extra layer to help him morph into the role of power forward.

Jets coach Paul Maurice said after Thursday’s 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings — in which Lowry notched his seventh of the season — his linemates, Chris Thorburn and Matt Halischuk, helped bring the best out of the big man, who turns 23 Tuesday.

“That was the line I liked all game,” said Maurice. “They got to pucks, they won some battles, they kept their game simple. And they did turn the game for us… that goal (which tied the game at 1-1) was huge.

“With Adam, the people that he plays with help him define his game. Halischuk and Thorburn, it’s a simple north-south game, and because he understands that game he can flourish in that game.”

Lowry’s handiwork has been all over the map since last season. He had 11 goals as a rookie, and was solid in the playoffs by adding a goal and two assists as the Jets were swept by the Anaheim Ducks. But that series also seemed to raise the ceiling for Lowry, as management toyed with the idea of giving him top-six minutes as he battled against the big centres in the Western Conference.

Still, this past season he had just one goal and seven assists by mid-December, prompting a demotion to the Manitoba Moose. He missed five games due to injury in January after his recall, but since the start of February is averaging around 14-15 minutes a night and back doing his banging, straight-line thing.

“It’s always nice to chip in, especially in a couple of wins at home,” said Lowry Friday, prior to the team leaving for Buffalo. “We’re looking forward to finishing the year off strong.

“It’s finding some pucks around the net. That’s where I’m going to score my goals. And there’s a little bit of puck luck… the one against Vancouver I was able to bank it off (goaltender Jacob Markstrom’s) skate. That one (vs. the Kings) just sort of squirted out to me and I was able to find a little bit of an opening. But it’s always nice to chip in, obviously.

“The goals haven’t come as much as I would have liked this year, but to get a couple in the last couple of games is pretty good.”

A little more puck luck in the final eight games and Lowry might still be able to reach double-digits in goals. If he does, they likely won’t be highlight-of-the-night candidates. And he’s completely cool with that.

“I’ve played a lot with Chris over the past two years and a lot with Hali as well,” said Lowry of his linemates. “They’re pretty easy players to play with — you know what they’re going to do.

“There’s not going to be a whole lot of dangle out there with us. We’re going to try and get the puck behind their ‘D’ and just use our sticks and size and try to control the play down low. Sometimes it helps because you don’t have to slow down in the neutral zone waiting to see if the guy is going to make a play.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPEdTait