‘We can be quite a bit better’: After stealing one, Jets plan on winning another

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This article was published 28/04/2018 (2694 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NASHVILLE — It’s definitely not how coach Paul Maurice and his staff drew it up: get outshot 48-19 (87-39 on shot attempts including blocked shots and misses), out-hit 29-22, win just 18 of 53 faceoffs, give your opponent three power plays and earn none of your own.

Yet for one night, anyways, it worked. Somehow. And the only statistic that really matters is the win column, which the Winnipeg Jets currently lead following Friday’s 4-1 victory. They can double that advantage tonight when they face off against the Predators at Bridgestone Arena.

“I don’t know. It’s unanswerable,” Maurice said Saturday when asked whether his team could win the whole series by duplicating their play from Game 1. “We won a game like that, so it’s possible. It’s not a game plan for us, by any means. We can be quite a bit better. They played very well. It turns out they’re a pretty good team.”

By taking the series opener, the Jets have put themselves in prime position. At worst, they return to Bell MTS Place for Game 3 Tuesday with a split and home-ice advantage against the NHL’s No. 1 regular-season team. But you get the sense this team wants to be as greedy as possible and get firmly in the driver’s seat, especially considering they all seem to agree they can find another gear.

“You come on the road and you steal a game in their building, the pressure is going to mount. But it doesn’t change anything for us. We approach every game like it’s a must-win for us. We just try to apply as much pressure as we can all over the ice, to force our game on them. We’ll see what happens. There’s only so much you can control out there, but it’s given us good results so far this year,” captain Blake Wheeler said following his team’s optional practice Saturday.

One of Winnipeg’s biggest strengths this season has been their ability to deal with injuries and potential adversity by tapping into their depth and versatility. And it was on full display in Friday’s win.

Look no further than the trio that combined for Winnipeg’s pivotal opening goal late in the first period, which came with the Jets under siege from the Predators. Bryan Little, the former No. 1 centre on this squad, was now playing the wing on a third-line checking unit with shutdown centre Adam Lowry and energy winger Brandon Tanev.

Maurice had only put this line together leading up to the game, as Joel Armia was unable to play due to an injury suffered in the series-clinching win over Minnesota. And any concerns about a lack of chemistry were quickly put to rest, as Little fed Tanev for the tally in a period where the Jets were outshot 20-4.

“Honestly, I’ve had some experience in the past playing wing, so that’s not a big deal. But we have so many guys in this room that are capable of that, which is really nice. Guys that can switch between wing and centre and kind of interchange between lines. It’s just something that I’m ready for in case he wants me to move anywhere,” Little said Saturday.

“(The goal) was really big, especially from a guy like Tanev. He works so hard all season long. One of the hardest workers on our team, he’s always skating, always ready to go. He gets one of those goals (Friday) night — hard-working, driving to the net, picking up that rebound. He deserves more like that.”

Lowry and Tanev have formed a highly effective checking trio in these playoffs while paired with both Armia and Andrew Copp. With Armia currently out, Little was moved in to that spot in what appears to be a seamless transition.

“Brandon’s played exceptionally well. It gives us left- and right-hand centremen on a line that has a bit of a shutdown role. I like the way they played, Bryan’s been an incredibly strong player in the playoffs for us. He’s played two or three different lines at centre. That was part of the idea, I wanted to give him the minutes. It just gives us a better chance to win,” Maurice explained of the move.

With Armia’s immediate status up in the air — he wasn’t among the 10 skaters on the ice Saturday — that line may stay intact for a while.

Lowry said there’s an extra confidence having another natural centre at his side..

“The style we play, you’re relying on being the first guy back — it’s always nice to have a guy that’s so used to playing down low in your end, it almost makes it more comfortable. It might take a bit just to get the chemistry early. There were some plays where we were cycling the puck and we’re not necessarily on the same page, yet. That’ll come. I liked where we started,” Lowry said.

Winnipeg is expecting an even more dangerous Nashville team tonight, as losing both games in their own building would create a huge hole that could be difficult to dig out of.

“Every game I feel like each team is going to be desperate, no matter if they’re up in the series or down in a series. But when a team is down, certainly they’re trying to even up a series. They’re going to play that much harder,” defenceman Tyler Myers said. “For us, we have a chance to really take advantage of our road games here to start this series. We’ll look at the good things we did and build off of them, and we’ll try to come out quicker than we did in the first game. That’s been a big talk for us (Saturday) morning.”

And that, perhaps, should put a scare into the Predators. A Winnipeg team that wasn’t nearly at its best managed to claw out a victory, so what will it take if the Jets actually bring their ‘A’ game this time?

“It was big to get that belief that we can win in here early. The main thing is we got a win, and we know we can play better than that. I think it’s good to get that one under our belts, but next game we’re looking to play a lot stronger game,” said Little, who bristled at the suggestion winning the first two on the road would give his squad a “stranglehold.”

“No, I don’t think there’s any such thing as a stranglehold against this team. They’re gonna fight back with everything they have next game. I think even if you were up 3-0 on this team, it wouldn’t be safe. They’re that kind of team, and they’re that dangerous. I don’t think there’s going to be any kind of stranglehold in this series,” Little said.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg