Jets lighting the lamp under Bowness

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/12/2022 (1055 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Rick Bowness was hired in early July to be the new head coach of the Winnipeg Jets, it came with the perception that a boring style of hockey was on the horizon.

The theory was based on Bowness and his reputation for prioritizing the defensive side of the game above all else. It’s a philosophy that worked well during his run in Dallas, during which Bowness switched from assistant to head coach at midway through.

That defence-first focus seemed to take on a whole new life during last year’s playoffs, with the Stars seven-game, first-round series with the Calgary Flames averaging just four goals a night, including at an empty-net marker in all but two of those games. Dallas ended up losing in Game 7, leading to Bowness and the Stars deciding to part ways.

When Bowness took over in Winnipeg, the belief, at least in part, was he could end up limiting the Jets’ offensive weapons. Meanwhile, as that narrative made its way around town, it’s a theory that puzzled the Jets new bench boss.

“I don’t understand that,” Bowness said Tuesday morning, ahead of the Jets welcoming the Vegas Golden Knights to town. “It’s coming from Dallas, but in Vancouver we led the league in scoring. When I heard about it, I said, ‘Well, that’s interesting. I just left Tampa and we led the league in scoring (there, too.)’ I’ve been around a lot of great players, been around a lot of elite defensive players in my career. I know you let them play.”

For anyone who might have been concerned Winnipeg’s scoring would dry up under Bowness, that certainly hasn’t been the case through nearly 30 games. In fact, the Jets, while averaging the fourth-fewest goals against (2.56), are also just outside the top-10 in goals scored, with an average of 3.3 per game.

That overall number accounts for a slow start to the season, as the Jets worked through some of the growing pains of implementing new systems in all areas of the ice. Since Nov. 25, though, Winnipeg has been the NHL’s highest-scoring team, notching 38 goals in nine games, for an average of 4.2.

“We’re just getting contributions from everybody; we’re so deep. We’re just rolling lines right now; anybody can score whenever we put a line out there. It’s lethal,” said Jets forward Kyle Connor, the team’s most prolific scorer, including 47 goals in 79 games last year. “If we’re going to err, it’s on the side of aggression, being on your toes rather than sitting back.”

Connor said there was no issue among players during the off-season over whether the addition of Bowness would limit future scoring chances — “I don’t think you’ll find a single complaint” — and there’s certainly no problem with what’s happening now.

It helps that the Jet are winning, currently atop the Central Division with a record of 18-8-1. It’s also the result of playing a system that although thinks defence first, is also aimed at getting possession of the puck and turning up ice.

“You see it with our neutral zone, our forwards are way up the ice, our Ds are way more adept, and even coming back into the defensive zone,” said Connor. “We’re in a lot better position now than we were last year and it’s exciting. These are the games, the type of hockey you want to get to (come) the playoffs.”

There are other reasons the Jets are scoring at a perhaps higher-than-expected clip, including a power play that has scored at least a goal in seven of the previous eight games. Then there’s what Bowness is asking of the defence, not just encouraging but expecting his blue-liners to join the rush whenever possible.

You don’t have to remind Josh Morrissey of that. The Jets No. 1 defenceman leads the team in scoring, with five goals and 26 assists for 31 points in 27 games.

“The point of playing defence, checking is to get the puck back. The more you can do that well and get the puck back, the more you’re going to have the puck,” Morrissey said.

“When we play the right way and we’re playing the systems that Bones has put in for us, we’re giving them less time with the puck, we have the puck more, and transitioning faster. When you play hard all over the ice, try to be aggressive and play with a lot of pressure on the puck, it causes turnovers and then we have the puck more and our talented players can go to work.”

Despite the success the Jets are having, Bowness still sees room for improvement. Fittingly, he’d like to see his club play better on defence.

Bowness was particularly miffed after a 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals on Sunday. The Jets barely escaped a slow start, leaving the first period with a scoreless tie, before the Capitals took advantage in the second, leaving the frame with a 4-0 lead.

“We started (the season) slow, then we really improved for 10 games on cutting down the Grade A (chances), then last game I’m seeing guys walking down the guts scoring goals, which I hate to see,” Bowness said. “If you have five guys working together, regardless of your system, without the puck and you’re committed to getting it back, you’re going to create more offence. I think our guys are learning that.”

Far too often last season — and in previous years under head coach Paul Maurice — the Jets often abandoned their defensive duties in order to find offence. Bowness is here to change that mindset, which includes holding his players accountable each and every night.

“You don’t have to go chance for chance to get scoring chances. You take care of your zone, you take care of the neutral zone, you’re going to create more offence,” he said.

“The year we went to the (playoff) bubble with Dallas, we had trouble scoring goals in the regular season. That training camp was strictly focused on getting the D up. We had some success with it. Wherever these labels come from… this team is starting to learn that if you defend properly, you’re going to get more offence. That being said, I’m not happy with how we defended last game. That stuff is going to happen.”

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton