Jets flying high after road trip

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This article was published 08/11/2023 (863 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Eight days. Three time zones. More than 7,000 km. Two big divisional wins. Four valuable points in the bank.

The numbers don’t lie. Add them all up and the longest road trip of the young season so far for the Winnipeg Jets — both in duration and distance — should be viewed as a success.

It didn’t start as well as the squad would have liked with a loss in Vegas against the dominant Golden Knights, but a comeback victory in against the Coyotes in Tempe, Ariz., and a sound performance against the St. Louis Blues ended it on a high note.

Here are some analysis, quotes, news and notes as Winnipeg prepares for an extended homestand that begins Thursday:

1) On a roll: It took them a few games to get going, but the Jets have shaken off a 1-3-0 start and are cooking with gas.

Don’t look now but they are on a rock-solid run with just one regulation defeat in the last eight (5-1-2).

The key has been terrific five-on-five play. While other important areas (power play, penalty kill, goaltending) still have room for improvement, the Jets have largely been in control when all things are equal. Both the eye test and the underlying analytics back that up.

As a result, their overall record of 6-4-2 isn’t the product of smoke and mirrors, which would be hard to sustain over the long run. In fact, a sound argument could be made that they’d be in even better shape with improved special teams, a few more timely saves and maybe a bit of puck luck.

That’s a good sign.

2) Going deep: Captain Adam Lowry sits eighth in team scoring through 12 games. That’s not really noteworthy.

The fact he has eight points certainly is. It underscores just how much offensive depth is on the roster, where any given player or line can step up.

It was Lowry, Nino Niederreiter (nine points) and Mason Appleton (nine points) who led the way against the Coyotes.

Then it was Kyle Connor (12 points), Mark Scheifele (12 points) and Alex Iafallo (10 points) blitzing the Blues.

Throw in all-star defenceman Josh Morrissey (10 points) and young forward Cole Perfetti (nine points), and there are plenty of weapons firing right now.

Imagine how potent the Jets might be once Nikolaj Ehlers (just five points so far), who missed most of training camp with neck spasms, breaks out of off an early season funk. On top of that, power forward Gabriel Vilardi is expected to return in a few weeks from a knee injury that has limited him to just two full games so far.

3) Divisional dominance: The Jets have picked up right where they left off last season when it comes to the Central Division. They are now a perfect 3-0-0 against their closest rivals, with 23 more games on tap this season (including the next two).

True, they have yet to play the two perceived heavyweights in the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars. The early returns, however, are promising.

Winnipeg went 18-8-0 in the Central last year, which is a big reason they made the playoffs.

The division looks to be as competitive as ever this season. The Jets are currently sitting third, one point behind the second-place Stars and two behind the first-place Avalanche. There’s no real separation just yet, with Arizona, Minnesota Wild, St. Louis, Nashville Predators and even Chicago Blackhawks all in close proximity.

All of which further underscores the importanceof these so-called “four-point games.”

So far, so good,

4) Coming together: There’s no question the group that returned to Winnipeg in the wee hours of Wednesday morning is even tighter and more unified then when it left.

There was plenty of bonding during the journey, with a Halloween party, several dinners and a golf outing on top of a couple of solid on-ice performances.

We also saw players rally around several teammates who were deeply impacted by the Adam Johnson tragedy, especially Neal Pionk who was overcome with emotion after scoring against the Blues just a day after speaking at Johnson’s celebration of life.

The scene on the bench was a major post-game talking point.

In a first-class move, the organization flew Pionk, Iafallo, Dylan Samberg and Dominic Toninato from Arizona to Minnesota so they could attend both the funeral and public memorial of their good friend, who died during a professional game in England. The quartet then rejoined the Jets in Missouri.

“Very emotional. Loved Adam, I owe it to his family and everything,” said after tying a Jets 2.0 franchise record with a career-high four assists against the Blues. “He was a hell of a player, hell of a friend. So, I could go on and on about that but it was good to be there and see everybody.”

There’s no statistic to quantify the value of team unity, but it’s one of those intangibles those who play the game for a living will swear up and down goes a long way.

5) Home cooking: After playing six of the last eight games in enemy territory, players will finally have a chance to unpack their suitcases and get settled in Winnipeg.

The next five will all take place in the friendly confines of the downtown arena.

“It’s just about building and competing and getting better,” said Kyle Connor. “It feels like we’ve been on the road for quite a bit. (We) came home for one and (then) back on the road for a long trip here. We’re excited to get back in front of our fans and, hopefully, have a good homestand.”

If the Jets can make some hay at home, a strong start to the season quickly becomes a super one.

“We took care of the business on the road here. We did what we had to do to win on Saturday and (Tuesday), but we’ve got to come home with the same kind of effort,” associate coach Scott Arniel said following Tuesday’s game.

Arniel is still at the helm as head coach Rick Bowness remains on a leave of absence to be with his wife, Judy, who suffered a seizure last month. He’s missed the last seven games, and there’s no timetable for a potential return.

Up first is Nashville, and the Jets will try to avoid the “slow start after a long road trip” trope that often gets trotted out by teams after they come out with a stinker the first game back.

To perhaps help that cause, Winnipeg cancelled a scheduled practice on Wednesday to focus on rest and recovery (and likely plenty of laundry).

“We’ve got to make sure that we’re ready to go,” said Arniel.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg