Cerebral Perfetti turns page on power-play miscue

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This article was published 12/11/2023 (693 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Cole Perfetti could have discarded the question entirely, or simply given a mundane, cliche-filled answer with limited depth.

When you lose a hard-fought game against a division rival, sometimes it can be difficult to find the urge to really dig into the details.

But on Saturday, after the Winnipeg Jets had been defeated 3-2 by the Dallas Stars, the skilled and cerebral forward wasn’t about to shy away from talking about one of the most important plays of the contest.

And he did so with a level of insight and maturity well beyond his age (21).

With the Jets enjoying a second-period power play, Perfetti found himself with the puck on his stick along the right-wing boards.

There was really no way of knowing he was about to be converged upon by Stars forward Wyatt Johnston, so Perfetti’s natural inclination was to secure the puck, make a spin move to buy himself some time and attempt to find someone in open space.

But before Perfetti was able to get the puck to a teammate, he had his pocket picked by Johnston, who walked in on a two-on-one rush with Jamie Benn and beat Connor Hellebuyck with a sneaky shot for a shorthanded marker that made it 2-0 for the Stars at 5:30 of the second period.

Well before he spoke to reporters following the game, not only had Perfetti processed what had transpired, he’d already constructed a plan for the next time he runs into a similar circumstance.

“They played it well. I got it on the wall and two guys came at me. You never want to just give the puck away or shoot it away,” said Perfetti. “Obviously, in hindsight, you’d probably just rip it back to no one and hopefully just regroup. You don’t know that. You never want to just shoot the puck away blindly on the power play, you want to control the puck. So I was just wanting to make a play and I had two guys on me. They made a nice play. Mistakes happen and they obviously capitalized on that chance. In hindsight, I’d do things different. But it was a tough read at that speed with two guys coming on. I didn’t just want to give it away.”

For the sake of context, Perfetti wasn’t asked the question for the sake of attaching blame for what had transpired, it was about trying to figure out what he saw on the play.

That he provided such an in-depth explanation wasn’t surprising.

Neither was his ability to quickly turn the page and put the play behind him.

Things happen on the ice, whether you’ve played in 83 NHL games like Perfetti has now or if you’ve eclipsed the 500-game mark, like multiple others on the Jets roster.

Just over three minutes after the Johnston marker, Perfetti drove to the net and buried a rebound after a Nikolaj Ehlers shot was tipped by Vladislav Namenstnikov.

The goal gave Perfetti four on the season and allowed him to extend a point streak to six games.

“I’m just feeling more comfortable,” said Perfetti, who is up to 11 points in 14 games to sit fourth in team scoring. “Obviously, as a line, I think we are creating lots and I think we have been creating since the week we got together. When you create that much, the points are going to come, the chances are going to come and the puck is going to go in the net.”

That the Jets second line is becoming more dangerous offensively is an important development.

After wrapping up a stretch of four games against Central Division opponents with a 3-1 record, the Jets have a big week ahead with matchups coming against the New Jersey Devils, Buffalo Sabres and Arizona Coyotes.

Perfetti finished with three shots on goal on Saturday and all three of those chances were of the high-danger variety, including his backhand move on a breakaway that ultimately clanged off the iron and went out of play after Stars goalie Scott Wedgewood got a piece of it.

“I think he got a tip of the top of his glove on it. He just nicked it and then it hit the crossbar after that,” said Perfetti, whose average ice time has been up significantly during the past seven games and is now sitting at just under 13:59. “It’s a game of inches.”

During his past two seasons with the Jets, Perfetti has shown the ability to chip in offensively when he’s been healthy.

He’s not only being asked to be a complementary contributor to the Jets this season, Perfetti has accepted the additional responsibilities that have been added to his portfolio as a primary point producer.

“(Perfetti) is just great, a huge part of our team. The organization really,” said Jets defenceman Brenden Dillon, who has produced four goals during the past four games. “He’s learning and getting better every day. He’s adding. For him he’s just so smart and always knows where to go. He just creates so much room for himself.

“That line, they have so much skill. (Perfetti) knows where to go to those right areas, and he’s making them count. He’s a great kid. You root for those guys to have success. It’s nice to see him put the puck in the net.”

CHISHOLM ON CONDITIONING ASSIGNMENT: Jets defenceman Declan Chisholm, who sat out the first 14 NHL games of the season as a healthy scratch, was assigned for a conditioning assignment to the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League on Sunday and was in the lineup against the Laval Rocket. Chisholm will continue to take up an NHL roster spot and be paid his NHL salary for the assignment, which can last up to two full weeks. The timing for the move made sense, since the Jets are not back in action until Tuesday and the Moose are scheduled to play four home games this week alone. Chisholm was full value in earning his spot on the roster, but since he’d gone so long without playing, it’s important for him to get some reps for when his number is called by the Jets. Chisholm was held without a point and had one shot on goal as the Moose lost 6-2 to the Rocket on Sunday. The two teams meet again on Monday, with puck drop scheduled for just past 10:30 a.m.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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