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This article was published 26/12/2016 (3494 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CHICAGO — The Winnipeg Jets, 36 games into the 2016-17 NHL season, have left much to be desired. But that doesn’t mean they haven’t shown signs of progress.

The Jets (16-17-3 and in sixth place in the Central Division), while struggling to find consistency in their play, have started to build the foundation for an exciting brand of hockey.

It’s a style defined by speed and young talent, marking a shift away from years past when the Jets were identified more as a veteran roster, with size and grit. Nine players on the roster are either in their first or second year in the NHL.

Where the influx of youth is most noticeable is on offence — with five forwards having played fewer than 100 NHL games (four of which have played no more than 60). That lack of experience, while not without its share of growing pains, has also proven beneficial. With a core of youngsters continuing to earn valuable ice time – and experience – the expectation is the Jets will only get better.

The Jets have not been immune to the obstacles of injecting youth into the lineup. As is the case for any young team, mistakes have crept in, developing into bad habits that have affected play in all areas of the ice. For their part, the Jets have recognized many of these inconsistencies and vowed to be better, even if their efforts in doing so have, at times, been questionable.

Winnipeg returns from the holiday break with a game tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center with a number of items remaining on its wish list:

GOOD HEALTH

The Jets have had 13 players miss at least one game this season due to injury, with eight of those reaching double digits and four missing more than 20 games. At one point, Winnipeg was without six of its top nine forwards, losing the likes of Bryan Little, Drew Stafford and Mathieu Perreault within the first month. Tyler Myers, who at 6-8 is as large as he is reliable on the blue line, has played just three games in the team’s last 28.

A total of 156 man games have been lost for the Jets thus far, which puts them among the most fragile teams in the NHL. It didn’t help the Jets also had the busiest start to a season in league history, playing 32 games in 60 days.

But as the schedule evens out, the Jets have started to get healthier. In the final games before the holiday break — including a rare set of consecutive road tilts against the Vancouver Canucks — Winnipeg welcomed the return of three bodies, bringing back into the fold forwards Nic Petan, Shawn Matthias and Joel Armia.

The Jets remain on the outside of the playoff line in the Western Conference, three points behind the Calgary Flames for the final wild-card spot. If Winnipeg is to earn a berth into the post-season, it will come with a healthy roster.

BETTER GOALTENDING

When Ondrej Pavelec was assigned to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL prior to start of the season, it had many Jets fans feeling better times were ahead, at least when it came to patrolling the crease.

Pavelec, in his five seasons with the Jets, had posted mostly dismal numbers, including four seasons where he averaged nearly three goals against per game and a save percentage below .910. Assigning Pavelec paved the way for second-year goalie Connor Hellebuyck to take over the Jets’ crease, while backup Michael Hutchinson (who signed a two-year contract extension in the off-season) would be limited to spot duty.

Close to the midway mark of the season, the 23-year-old Hellebuyck has been unable to establish himself as an undisputed No. 1 goalie, even if he has had twice as many starts (26 to 12) as Hutchinson. Hellebuyck is 12-11-1 on the season, with a 2.68 GAA and .910 save percentage. Not exactly the kind of stats worth bragging about but not necessarily unexpected for a player very much in his development years.

There have been flashes of greatness from Hellebuyck, including shutouts against the Nashville Predators and Chicago Blackhawks. But those performances have been overshadowed by nights where a key save or two would have been the difference for the Jets.

There’s little debate, at least at this juncture, Hellebuyck is the future in net. Hutchinson (2.96 GAA and .900 save percentage) offers little threat of that changing.

The Jets have seen what they have in Hellebuyck; they just need to see more down the stretch.

SPECIAL-TEAMS BOOST

Despite scoring a power-play goal in each of their last two games, the Jets remain one of the worst teams in the NHL on the man advantage. With a success rate of just 15.2 per cent, the Jets sit 23rd in the league, with less than four ticks separating them from the Detroit Red Wings, who are ranked 30th (11.9 per cent).

The Jets’ lack of success is especially concerning when you consider they are in the top half of the league when it comes to power-play opportunities (ranked sixth, with 118).

Of the 18 goals scored by the Jets on the power play, seven have come off the stick of rookie Patrik Laine. Laine would likely have had more had he not been relegated to the second unit for much of the season — a move likely made in order to prevent the rookie from carrying too much of the weight too early in his career and to allow Dustin Byfuglien to be the triggerman from the blue line.

The Jets’ special-team issues do not end with the power play. The penalty-killing unit has been even more disappointing, reflecting the kind of numbers no team would be proud of. Winnipeg is ranked 28th, at 76.7 per cent, behind only Chicago (74.5) and the Buffalo Sabres (74.3).

Winnipeg has been better of late, killing off all seven penalties in both games against the Canucks last week. But it can hardly be considered an improvement as the Canucks boast the second-worst power play in the league. Prior to that stretch, the Jets allowed nine goals in 17 short-handed opportunities over a five-game period.

Momentum is built and lost through special teams, and often the team that wins the special-teams battle wins the game. If the Jets are in need of improvement anywhere this year, it’s here. It’s cost them too much already.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

It wasn’t long ago the Jets went into a tough pair of back-to-back games on the road, going toe to toe against the Central Division’s best teams. In a span of 48 hours, Winnipeg edged the St. Louis Blues in overtime, 3-2, followed by a 2-1 win over Chicago at the United Center in what was arguably the best weekend of hockey Winnipeg has played all season.

Since then, the Jets have lost three of their last four games away from the MTS Centre.

It’s no secret that if you’re to be one of the top-echelon teams in the NHL, you need to have a strong road record. Winnipeg has a long ways to go before being considered in that group, but that doesn’t mean it can’t at least be adequate. However, nothing seems adequate about 6-11-2 — the Jets’ record in away games.

A hectic schedule to start the season should carry some blame, but with the load getting lighter and practice time increasing down the stretch, the Jets will need to find their mojo away from home.

SECOND-PERIOD CURSE

 

Just weeks into the season it seemed comical to ask about the Jets’ play in the middle period of games. They were allowing a surprising amount of goals in the second period compared with the other two frames, but surely it was only a coincidence.

Well, 36 games into the season and that dreadful play in the second period has turned into a full-on dilemma. The Jets have been outscored 48-24 in the second frame, with the 48 goals against being more than any other team has allowed in a single period this year.

Short of petitioning the league to allow them to jump from the first to the third period in every game for the rest of the year, the Jets seem uncertain as to why they’ve struggled. Ask around the team and there’s little anyone can say to explain the middle-of-the-game woes, especially when you consider the third period has been the Jets’ best.

Something has got to give, as the Jets can’t afford to continue the trend.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca          

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton