Short-handed Jets fall 4-1 to Bruins

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/01/2024 (624 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BOSTON – This was a heavyweight tilt, one that included several haymakers that connected.

The Winnipeg Jets knew the Boston Bruins would be looking to avenge a lopsided loss from December and this was a classic case of turning the tables.

Instead of imposing their will on a Bruins team that continues to lead the Eastern Conference and is now back on top of the NHL standings with 67 points, the Jets were left to lick their wounds after a 4-1 defeat on Monday night before a raucous crowd at TD Garden.

“That was a tight game. Two good teams going at it,” said Jets defenceman Dylan DeMelo. “Both teams going up and down the ice and playing hard. You know when you get two teams like that going at it, it’s going to be a fast paced game. Sometimes when you have two teams like that going at it, you’re going to have a low shot count just because both teams have really good players making clean plays. And both teams defend really hard and obviously have great goaltending.

“There was more we could have done offensively.”

It was just the second regulation loss in 18 games for the Jets (14-2-2), who are 30-11-4 and continue to lead the Central Division.

“I thought we were really sloppy in passes and just not on the same page. You can’t do that against a team like this,” said Jets left-winger Kyle Connor, who had one shot on goal and three shot attempts in just under 20 minutes in what was his third game back after missing 16 with a knee injury. “Two teams that are very defensive-minded. Don’t give up a lot. We were patient with our game, and we knew that coming into it. But at times, too patient. We’ve got to have a sense of urgency right from the start. I thought we lacked that overall.”

Asked what the Bruins did well to make life difficult on them, Connor was in no mood to compliment the opponent.

“It’s all about us. We can play against any team, we’ve shown that,” said Connor. “We were just a little timid. For some reason, guys weren’t gapping up the way we needed to. I felt we sat back a little too much. We got to play on our toes and be a little more aggressive.”

Jets head coach Rick Bowness was impressed by his team’s ability to make a push in the third period, but made it clear there was plenty of room for improvement.

“I thought it was more us, to be honest. That’s probably the worst game we’ve had in a long time with our breakouts,” said Bowness. “We were slow moving it, the passes were soft, so that allows Boston to play that game. I think, if we had moved the puck quicker and harder, then you wouldn’t be asking me that question so I put more of this on us than I do on Boston. “But give them credit: They played hard. They didn’t get a whole lot of room, either. It was a tough game. It was a grind it out game. The best period we played was the third.”

The Jets will close out a three-game road trip on Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Let’s look at what else took place on Monday night in Beantown:

THE STREAK ENDS – A couple of streaks were officially put to bed on Monday, as the Jets gave up more than two goals for the first time in 15 games and allowed more than three goals for the first time in 35 games – which left them one shy of the modern day record set by the Minnesota Wild in 2014-15.

Those streaks were a testament to the Jets commitment to defence, but they’ve been a bit loose of late when it comes to puck management and it finally caught up with them.

The second streak officially ended when Bruins captain Brad Marchand scored into the empty net with 54.5 seconds to go in the third period.

“Empty-netter, so is there an asterisk on that? We’ll see, we’ll talk about it,” said DeMelo. “Yeah, you know, it was a great streak. Time to get it going again. We’ve got a lot to learn going forward from a game like this. So get some rest and (be ready for) another big game in Toronto.”

THE BLENDER IS ON FULL BLAST – As the Jets had issues generating much offence for much of the first two periods, Bowness trotted out a number of different permutations and combinations before landing on four lines that he liked for the third period.

The Jets started off the third with Adam Lowry back between Nino Niederreiter and Mason Appleton, then went with Vladislav Namestnikov between Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers, Dominic Toninato with Cole Perfetti and Alex Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari with Morgan Barron and Axel Jonsson-Fjallby.

With the Jets ability to create a few more looks, Bowness was a bit happier with how things ended up.

“Well, clearly we weren’t generating anything so we had to change something,” said Bowness. “In the third period we created a lot more chances and put a lot more pucks at the net so we got what we wanted. We just didn’t get that second goal.”

THE SLASH – DeMelo was shaking his left hand after taking a slash from Bruins winger David Pastrnak in the corner that went undetected by the officials, but he was sticking to the solutions, not excuses mantra in the post-game interview when he was asked about the play in question.

“Yeah, a little bit. But I’ve got to make that play. I had time to do something better than throw it in the middle there like that. Yeah, he did catch me a little bit but not enough to influence the play. I should have done a better job there.”

THE TIP – The Jets lone goal was a nifty redirection from versatile forward Vladislav Namestnikov after a blast from the point from DeMelo. The Jets moved the puck quickly from low to high, with Nikolaj Ehlers finding DeMelo open at the right point. He quickly unloaded the shot and was originally credited with the goal – which would have been his first in 42 games. Instead, it was the sixth goal of the season for Namestnikov, who is among a group of several skaters pushing to join the six others who have already hit double digits.

THE ALL-STAR ADDITION – Hellebuyck and Bowness will have company in Toronto early next month after Jets left-winger Kyle Connor was added to the NHL All-Star Game as an injury replacement for Chicago Blackhawks rookie phenom Connor Bedard. Connor leads the Jets in goals (18) and was off to a torrid start before missing 16 games with a knee injury.

“Great. He definitely would have been there if he wasn’t injured, I’m sure, right away,” said DeMelo. “It’s great to see him get rewarded. Such an electric player. Such a big part of this team and he does so much for our group offensively, all over the ice. Great to see him get rewarded for it, and good to see we don’t just have (Hellebuyck) and (Bowness) going. We’ve got a little bit more representation from our team, so it’s great to see.”

Connor was happy to accept the invitation when it came.

“Yeah. Surprised. Honoured. (Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff) said there were some injuries and just told me,” said Connor. “The league asked me if I wanted to be there. (When you) get a chance to represent your team and (go to) something like this, it’s no-brainer and you want to go.”

Connor is certainly a worthy replacement, though some observers have been left scratching their heads over why defenceman Josh Morrissey didn’t receive a nod as he’s having another outstanding season.

EXTRA, EXTRA – Jets centre Mark Scheifele missed a fourth consecutive game with a suspected groin injury, while Gabriel Vilardi joined him on the sidelines with a lower-body ailment. Bowness said Vilardi would be a game-time decision, but he didn’t come out for the warm-up. His availability for Wednesday’s game is up in the air. Laurent Brossoit is expected to get the call in goal against the Maple Leafs on Wednesday. Jets prospect Chaz Lucius had his season come to a premature end as he is scheduled to have ankle surgery. Lucius, chosen 18th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, had two goals and 13 points in 17 games with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League. “We’ll see Chaz around a lot in rehab here with the team and still be a big part of it here, but he is having surgery,” Moose head coach Mark Morrison told reporters. Lucius, 20, has shown a tremendous ability to produce offensively when he’s on the ice, but has been hampered by injuries with separate knee, shoulder and now two ankle issues that have all required surgery in the last four years. He’s played in just 59 games over the last three seasons in the NCAA, AHL and Western Hockey League and hasn’t played more than 24 games in a season since 2019-20 with the U.S National under-17 Team.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X: @WiebesWorld