Jets have two No. 2’s between pipes

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This article was published 30/12/2016 (3382 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Paul Maurice said Friday he cannot declare a No. 1 goaltender.

“I don’t think until you get better than average you can stake claim to a No. 1,” the Winnipeg Jets head coach said after practice. “… We’re not at a number that’s average yet — save percentage and goals against. So, there’s lots of room for us to get better. And better defensively in front of them to have a chance to get better.”

Connor Hellebuyck, the presumptive No. 1 man, has had some stellar moments this season but also has some middling numbers — a 2.62 goals-against average, two shutout and a .913 save percentage. Michael Hutchinson, meanwhile, has one shutout, a 3.13 average and a .896 save percentage.

How did Maurice feel about the Jets’ goaltending Thursday — a 30-save effort by Hutchinson in a 5-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets?

“Below average,” said Maurice.

Did he second guess his decision to go with Hutchinson after Hellebuyck’s winning form in Tuesday’s 3-1 win in Chicago?

“The decisions are all based on performance,” said Maurice. “So, I get to be here every day, which is an advantage. The logic we used to come back with Hutch was, I think, solid…

“There’s lots that goes into it. Connor has played really well against Chicago and probably, if you were just doing it on games played, that would be Michael’s game based on the way he played in (a 4-1 win in Vancouver Dec. 22). Connor hadn’t played great coming into Van… But Mike has great numbers against Columbus. Connor has also struggled after his game in Chicago and Mike deserved to get back in the net.”

It was hard not to be impressed with the Blue Jackets as they rolled to their 14th consecutive win.

“You look at the style of play — they don’t really change from start to finish,” said Jets centre Adam Lowry. “They got behind early on and they just kept with it. They kept doing what makes them successful. That’s the strength of a good team — you don’t really change whether you’re behind in a game, you’re leading or it’s tied.”

There are good lessons to be learned from watching a formerly struggling team join the NHL’s elite.

“You look at the way they’re playing and the way they’re rolling and that’s kinda the ideal for most teams,” said Lowry. “You stick with your system. Every team is built differently. You’re not going to look the same as Columbus or Chicago. There’s going to be parts you’d want to take from each of their games but we gotta find a brand of hockey that makes the Winnipeg Jets successful every night.”

Mathieu Perreault’s power-play goal, a one-timer blast after a feed from Blake Wheeler Thursday, could be a precursor of things to come.

“We practised it the day before and I took one and it went in bar down. I was like, ‘I might try to shoot that more,’” said the left-handed Perreault, who overpowered goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky from his spot on the right circle. “I usually just grab it and wrist it or look for a pass. I think if it’s in a good spot for me and I’m able to lean on it… I think you’ll see me shoot a lot more from there.”

Dustin Byfuglien had a team-leading six hits against the Blue Jackets and he left a trail of battered bodies in his wake.

“It’s a real fine line with him because he is such a an impactful man on those hits,” said Maurice, who believes Byfuglien is often unfairly penalized for his physical play just because he is a large man with a fearsome reputation. “A lot of the time he’s coming into the play and there’s some risk involved in that. But his physicality can change a game for sure.”

Maurice, who served as an assistant coach on Ralph Krueger’s staff on Team Europe at the recent World Cup of Hockey, said Byfuglien’s reputation preceded him when he was a healthy scratch for the American team.

“The No. 1 comment by Team Europe (players) going into USA (game) was they were really happy Buff wasn’t playing,” said Maurice. “And then they all had a story. Everyone had a time where they couldn’t believe what happened after they thought he was going to skate by them instead of finishing the check.”

Notes: The condition of defenceman Tyler Myers, on injured reserved since Nov. 11 with a lower-body injury, has been improving.

“He’s getting better,” said Maurice. “He’s getting closer to getting back on the ice.”

The same could not be said for forward Marko Dano, who appeared to suffer a serious leg injury Thursday.

Maurice expects the injury to be a longer-term situation and the club bolstered its lineup by recalling forward Andrew Copp from the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.

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