Jets go streaking in Florida

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/11/2023 (685 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TAMPA – Adam Lowry knew exactly what was being asked of him and while the Winnipeg Jets captain didn’t end up winning the defensive-zone draw against Brayden Point in overtime, he did author the signature moment in what was a thrilling victory.

Out on the ice for a second time early in the extra-time session, Lowry got to the front of the net and buried a perfect seam pass from Neal Pionk that snuck through the legs of Tampa Bay Lightning centre Anthony Cirelli for the decisive marker at 1:38 of overtime in a 3-2 triumph for the Jets.

“I was sent out there to win the draw and I didn’t do that,” said Lowry, who is up to 12 points in 18 games this season. “We had some good patience. Sometimes in 3-on-3 you get caught trying to reach, trying to create against (Brayden) Point and we tried to give him a little bit of space and stay under it and we were able to force the turnover on a bobble puck and kind of took off.

“Just tried my best not to miss and it was nice to see that one goes in.”

Lowry was quick to point out his marker wouldn’t have been possible without a patient play by Vladislav Namestnikov, who carried the puck into the zone, drove behind the net and spun back, getting the puck to Pionk.

“He does so many little things right and he adds so much value to that line. He’s had a great start for us and there are so many subtleties to his game that go unnoticed,” said Lowry. “The poise with the puck and kind of the patience in traffic and stuff. So, there’s another great play by him and Pionk finding that seam was unbelievable.”

The goal – Lowry’s third of the season and first career OT marker – allowed the Jets to improve to 11-5-2 on the season and extend this current winning streak to five games as they continue to battle for top spot in the Central Division.

“One-hundred per cent faceoffs,” said Jets associate coach Scott Arniel, asked about the strategy to get Lowry out twice in the opening two minutes of the three-on-three session. “It ended up working out even better than we thought.”

The Jets continue a three-game road trip on Friday night against Paul Maurice and the Florida Panthers.

Here’s a closer look at the nuts and bolts of Wednesday’s game:

VINTAGE PERFORMANCE – In wins over the New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres last week, there were signs that Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck was settling back into a groove.

Wednesday’s showing was vintage Hellebuyck, as he needed to make 15 saves in the first period alone, including a breakaway to Brandon Hagel and a dangerous shot from Nikita Kucherov, before finishing with 29 saves as he improved to 9-4-1 on the season, lowering his goals-against average to 2.84 and raising his save percentage to .900 in the process. “Just what he does, timely saves that we see all of the time with him,” said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey, who had a goal and an assist to pace the offensive attack. “We’re 2-2 or 2-1 there and he makes some huge slot saves that he had in the second period that kept the game even or right around that score when they were pushing. That was massive by him. He had some big saves in the third as well. Such a stabilizing, calming guy back there that makes everyone else in front of him relax and play.”

THE FRENETIC PACE – For reasons unbeknownst to the players and coaches on both teams, this was another high-event hockey game between two teams that only face each other twice in the regular season. The scoring chances were plentiful, the pace was frenetic and the momentum swings were fully on display. “Yeah, that had a little bit of everything,” said Arniel. “Both teams kind of had momentum for stretches. There were six or seven minutes that we would dominate and then all of a sudden, they took over for a while. Then, I really liked our third period. I really thought we did a great job in the third of trying to stay above them and trying to create some offence from that. That was a heck of a game to watch.” It was also a fun one to play in, as it turns out. “They’ve got a great team. They’ve proven that over the past five or longer years. The Cups, the calibre of play, the team that they have, some of the best players in the world,” said Morrissey. “It’s always a tough game, especially in this building. I thought we did a good job getting the lead. They pushed back. The best part was probably us settling in after it went 2-2 and just playing a really solid game. There were some chances either way but we didn’t break.”

GONE STREAKING – For the first time this season, the Jets have put together a four-game winning streak, an important development for a team that’s trying to gain some separation in the tightly-bunched standings. “When it’s going well, you’ve got to embrace that, enjoy that and try and create that ride as much as possible,” said Morrissey. “You can win one or two games, not necessarily playing the right way. But usually when you put a few together it means a lot of good things in your game to win different ways, (you’re) getting a lot of contributions from different guys and different special teams and stuff like that. It only gets harder trying to keep piling on wins.”

THE WAVE OFF – The Lightning thought they had tied the game at 4:39 of the second period, but after a conference involving the men in stripes, it was deemed that goalie interference had occurred on the play, nullifying the potential goal. The puck had caromed off the post and Jets defenceman Dylan DeMelo pushed the puck underneath Hellebuyck, though the whistle was not blown on the play. So, a pair of Lightning players were jamming at the pads of Hellebuyck and eventually pushed the puck over the line. However, that’s not allowed, which is why the goal didn’t count, much to the chagrin of the crowd – which voiced its collective displeasure with the referees after the explanation was given inside the arena.

THE (PHANTOM) PENALTY – It’s one of the toughest jobs in sports, since the slow-motion replay isn’t available to the men in stripes in real time. But replays clearly showed that the cross-checking call on Jets defenceman Nate Schmidt was of the phantom variety. Lightning forward Tanner Jeannot was standing in the slot when Schmidt pushed him in the middle of the back. Jeannot went down easily, so it was natural to think that a cross check had occurred. However, the minor penalty proved to be costly for the Jets, as Kucherov made a deft cross-ice pass to Lightning captain Steven Stamkos for a patented one-timer that got his team on the board. The goal helped them earn a point in the contest. For Stamkos, it was the 31st goal and 58th point in 43 career games against the Jets and Atlanta Thrashers.

EXTRA, EXTRA – The Jets went with the same lineup as Saturday, meaning the healthy scratches for the Jets were defenceman Logan Stanley and forward Dominic Toninato. Before the weekend is over, the Jets should get D-man Declan Chisholm back after his conditioning stint with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League comes to an end.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X: WiebesWorld