Jets using speed to frustrate, defeat rivals

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/11/2016 (3276 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

They say speed kills. The Winnipeg Jets have plenty of it. And lately, its been deadly to the opposition.

Last week, I wrote about there not being a great effect on a lineup over a few games when you’re inserting young, talented legs. Since then, the Jets have gained seven of a possible eight points and have a record of 9-7-2 heading into Thursday night’s game in Philadelphia against the Flyers.

They had a few bumps on the way, but came up with their best game of the season with a resounding 4-0 shutout against the Chicago Blackhawks Tuesday night at the MTS Centre. What I liked most about that game was they didn’t sit back trying to protect a 1-0 lead in the third period — that’s the trap almost every team in the National Hockey League falls into.

I wasn’t looking for a specific number of points from those recent games — I just wanted them to compete with good structure and improve. The players call it “the way we play when we’re good” or something similar and we know what that means with the Jets — playing with heavy speed and hounding the puck everywhere.

When youngsters Marko Dano, Nic Petan and Andrew Copp joined the big squad they brought gifts of speed, intelligence and talent. Playing every shift like it might be their last has them fitting well into a system that’s built for their style to succeed. Lest you forget, with all the well-deserved hoopla about the youngsters, it’s captains Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele and Dustin Byfuglien who are driving the bus straight and on course, with everybody in between jumping on board.

One thing stands out is the Jets not only use speed to retrieve pucks and make opposing defencemen miserable, but they are looking to make plays at that same high speed. This has resulted in them being near the top in power-play opportunities (heading into Thursday’s game they are fourth in the league on a per-game basis according to sportingcharts.com) and this is no accident.

As a defenceman I didn’t enjoy playing against teams that always had someone in my face, or who was right on my shoulder as I went to retrieve every puck. It greatly limited my options — often taking us out of plans we had to break the puck out of our zone. That disruption can get very frustrating when it’s non-stop. We’ve seen teams take penalties against the Jets for that very reason. Not allowing teams to get into a flow using their preferred systems in every area of the ice is a great way to defend and antagonize an opponent.

There are a couple of things that could obstruct the club from having a good overall season playing this way. Some people wonder if that type of play can be sustained over 82 games, but I’m one who would like to see it done by using four lines and not overburdening star players. We don’t know how badly the injuries will pile up but Jets have already shown they can handle this — they just need to get a few guys back before more hit the bricks. Other teams are dealing with it too, so the Jets’ fourth line just has to be a little better than theirs.

Also, giving the puck to your opponent once in a while comes with the territory when playing high-tempo hockey. These giveaways are absolutely going to happen — players rely on quick-tap passes, instincts and confidence in what they are doing and it doesn’t always work. But if you’re a fan that goes crazy over giveaways please look at the list of the top givers in the league. You’ll find some of the best players in the NHL over the course of a season are there because they have the puck a lot and play at a fast pace.

Individual players going all-out every second of every shift usually makes those players fan favourites, but it can also lead to injuries, as Mathieu Perreault knows only too well. He’s good because of his style of play, which unfortunately leads to him having some time off every year.

With a whole team following his lead, it’s possible more injuries will occur. Add in that these players will keep pushing through this World Cup-induced, compressed schedule and both physical and emotional fatigue will hit. It’s one of the reasons I think it’s likely the NHL will be dealing with a constant parade of injuries as the season rolls along. The game is so fast you can’t let your guard down — unfortunately fatigue doesn’t give you that option at times, lack of oxygen to the brain can have serious consequences. I hope I’m wrong and teams are able to keep players refreshed all season long — it’s going to be a tough job.

By the time my next column is published the Jets will have passed the 20-game mark and they’ll have been tested by the Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes and Minnesota Wild in their barns — those four are a combined 30-25-14 in wins, losses and losses in OT or shootout. The Jets should feel confident going into each city that if they play their game good things will happen.

Earlier this season, I mentioned that 20 games was a good measuring stick to get a fair picture of where a team stands. We’ll dig into some details on that next week.

Chosen ninth overall by the NHL’s St. Louis Blues and first overall by the WHA’s Houston Aeros in 1977, Scott Campbell has now been drafted by the Winnipeg Free Press to play a new style of game.

Twitter: @NHL_Campbell