Desperate Jets lose fifth straight 5-1 to Preds

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This article was published 25/11/2016 (3231 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NASHVILLE — A fruitless pursuit of points on a five-game road trip ended in bitter frustration for the Winnipeg Jets at the Bridgestone Arena Friday night.

The Jets lost all five games on a season-long road trip, including Friday’s 5-1 loss to the Nashville Predators, and will undoubtedly be thrilled to return to the friendly confines of the MTS Centre. Winnipeg was outscored 20-6 in those games.

After No. 1 centre Mark Scheifele took a slashing minor to open the third period and the Preds up 3-1, head coach Paul Maurice took the unusual measure of benching his top forward unit, including Blake Wheeler and Patrik Laine for the remainder of the game.

“When you’re in the midst of a four-game losing streak you look to your leaders to pull you out of it,” said Wheeler. “That wasn’t the game we needed from us, so it starts with me. I’m the leader of this team. I need to be better. We’re going through a tough time like this, so there’s probably a little bit of a message there. Probably the penalty wasn’t what we were looking for at the beginning of the third period.”

Maurice’s message to those three individuals was also intended for a wider audience.

“Mark and Blake have been carrying this club in so many ways,” said Maurice. “I run them through 15 minutes through two periods — they were frustrated with their game. And they’re gonna play again. We got other players who have to understand it’s not two or three players up front that have to get it done. They all have a piece of being ready and sometimes they have to get on the ice and feel that responsibility.”

It had been a promising start for the Jets, who carried a 1-0 lead into the second period on Dustin Byfuglien’s second goal of the season. The Jets got a break on the goal when Colin Wilson inadvertently tipped it over sprawling Pekka Rinne in the Nashville net but the visitors were worthy of a lead.

The game really disintegrated in the middle frame when the Preds scored three times (two with a man advantage) in a span of 12:15.

Wilson, Ryan Johansen and James Neal did the damage but it was Neal’s goal, coming with two seconds remaining in Brandon Tanev’s boarding major, that was the backbreaker. It gave the Preds a 3-1 lead.

Until then, the Jets had employed heroic measures to kill the penalty with Byfuglien, Blake Wheeler and Jacob Trouba doing some of their best work.

“It was a tough night for us,” said Wheeler, whose club fell to 9-12-2. “We spent a little too much time in the box. Discipline was a problem and wasn’t what we were looking for.

“It was a great penalty kill. (Neal) chips one, it’s kind of a bad break. I don’t think Bucky (goaltender Connor Hellebuyck) saw it and it ends up in your net.”

The third period was almost as disastrous, with Wilson on the power play, and Johansen adding to the carnage. But it was already lights out.

The biggest difference between Winnipeg’s first period and final 40 minutes? Simple.

“Just the penalties,” said Maurice. “I couldn’t find Nik Ehlers (hooking) penalty but the hit from behind, we don’t want it in the game. It wasn’t an unexpected hit from behind but it was a hit from behind. We don’t take a penalty in the first and then we take 11 minutes worth, right?

“They’ve got a lot of offence if you give them time and space and we gave them some opportunities on the penalty kill, whether they were good calls or not. You gotta get the job done and we didn’t do that. We couldn’t stop them.”

Veteran forward Chris Thorburn took an interference minor in the third period and had his own interpretation of what the benching of Scheifele’s line meant.

“You better pick it up because if he’s willing to sit those guys, anyone’s fair game,” said Thorburn. “It’s a message that was received and we’ll prepare for Sunday.”

The Jets will host a rematch with the Predators Sunday at noon. Red-hot Nashville is 8-1-2 in November and 10-7-3 overall.

Winnipeg is in desperate need of a good result.

“We know we’re capable of it,” said Thorburn. “We’ve seen it throughout the course of the season even though it’s a short season. But we believe we have what it takes in this locker room. It’s a just a matter of sticking together during tough times like this. There’s some tendency to get off the path, but we’ve got a mature enough group.”

Notes: Nashville’s Colton Sissons (upper body) did not return to the game after taking Tanev’s hit in the second period… Winnipeg defenceman Mark Stuart took a puck in the face during the first period but returned to action the next period… Winnipeg went 0-for-1 on the power play while Nashville capitalized three times on five chances… Hellebuyck made 25 saves while Rinne stopped 22 shots… Preds centre Mike Fisher had three assists.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @sawa14