Turnovers costly for Jets in lacklustre loss to Blue Jackets

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/12/2024 (346 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Jets have finished off the most gruelling part of their schedule not with a bang, but with a whimper.

A lacklustre 4-1 loss to the rebuilding Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday at Canada Life Centre was low on energy and execution from the home side, not to mention excitement for the 13,887 fans who braved some ugly winter weather to make it to the downtown rink.

“Made two mistakes. Turnover in our end, turnover in the neutral zone. They turned around and put them right back in our net,” is how coach Scott Arniel summed up the latest one to get away.

Indeed, this followed a near identical script to recent defeats in Las Vegas (Nov. 30) and Dallas (Dec. 1) in which the Jets were deadlocked with their opponent in the third period, only to come away empty-handed.

So what’s behind these costly errors? Mental and/or physical fatigue?

Although the Jets haven’t had much time lately to stop and catch their breath — they were playing for the second time in as many days, the third time in four days, the fifth time in eight days and the 10th time in 17 days with extensive travel mixed in — nobody was taking the bait and pinning blame in that direction.

“No. We’re never going to use that one,” said Arniel.

“You know what, it’s three in four nights, that’s all the more reason to simplify what you’re doing, making sure that, you hope that you do the right things, that it doesn’t turn into offence for the opposition.”

Winnipeg had won two straight games which had also been tied entering the final frame, both on the road, including a 4-2 triumph on Saturday afternoon in Chicago. Columbus, meanwhile, had been in Winnipeg since early Saturday morning after playing Friday night in Vancouver and looked like the group with a lot more jump.

“We’ve talked about it as a group. We’re not looking for excuses based on the schedule. This is hockey,” said Arniel.

“There’s things that happen out there that you’re in charge of and you can handle, whether that’s not having your legs one night or maybe you’re not feeling, maybe there’s some injuries, whatever it might be. You have to grind your way through it. Everybody else does.”

On this night anyways, the Jets didn’t do a very good job in that regard as they fall to 20-9-0 on the season. Columbus improves to 12-12-3.

Let’s break this one down further:

Comrie deserved better: It would appear Eric Comrie’s luck has turned. The backup goaltender won his first three starts of the year, and it says here his play has been remarkably consistent in the four which have followed. However, Comrie has now dropped all of those despite doing his best to give his team a chance.

That was certainly the case on Sunday, where he flashed leather to make a spectacular save off former Jets centre Sean Monahan with just over 13 minutes left in regulation and the score tied 1-1.

You’d think that might have given the Jets some momentum, with the crowd buzzing about what they’d just seen. But only 23 seconds later, Columbus forward Kent Johnson was left all alone in front of Comrie to backhand a rebound created off another Comrie save off Monahan.

Johnson struck again just 2:27 later as the Jets got caught up the ice and gifted the Blue Jackets a two-on-one rush, with James van Riemsdyk feeding his linemate for a one-timer that Comrie had no chance on.

“It felt like we gave them those two,” said defenceman Dylan DeMelo.

“Sure, they went and got it, but we, equally, gave it to them. We weren’t in our structure and we didn’t do what we needed to do in certain roles. That is really what it came down to.”

Sean Kuraly iced the game with an empty-netter with 1:22 left to play.

Comrie is now 3-4-0 with a 3.05 goals-against-average and .901 save-percentage.

“We’re not getting the run support for him. He’s been really good for us,” said Arniel. “He certainly isn’t any of the problem that’s for sure.”

Special teams saw-off: Winnipeg’s power play came in ice cold, having gone 1-for-14 over the past five games. It looked like that drought would continue as they whiffed on their first three chances against Columbus, spending far too much time trying to get set up and looking for the perfect shot.

However, the fourth time on this night was the charm, as Kyle Connor ripped home his team-leading 15th of the season at 11:51 of the second period to put the Jets up 1-0.

“Earlier in the year, a lot of those pucks were getting through. Now the opposition is trying to get in and make sure we’re not getting those shot opportunities,” Arniel said of what’s changed for his team.

“We know what our mindset needs to be when we have the puck. We’ll continue hammering that home.”

The lead would be short-lived, as Brad Lambert took a high-sticking penalty just 71 seconds later and Blue Jackets forward Dmitri Voronkov poked home a loose puck at the side of the Winnipeg net for the power play equalizer.

The Jets penalty kill has also regressed after a hot start to the year, and this was another example of that.

Two for fighting? There was a strange sequence in the first period when van Riemsdyk caught Connor with a dangerous leg-on-leg trip that sent the Jets forward tumbling to the ice.

Teammate Neal Pionk immediately responded by confronting the veteran Columbus forward, with both players dropping their gloves and exchanging punches.

Incredibly, referees didn’t deem that spirited exchange worthy of a fight, giving them just two minutes each for roughing (plus the initial tripping penalty on van Riemsdyk).

“We were giving it to (Pionk) for sure. It looked like a fight to me,” said Connor, who luckily escaped any injury on the play.

Putting it in perspective: Sunday was the annual Military Appreciation Night game for the Jets, with hundreds of active members joining the players on the ice for a post-game photo.

“I just spoke with someone who was just in Iraq for six months. We’ve got a pretty good gig with what we’re doing here,” said DeMelo.

“Even in a tough night where we maybe didn’t have our best, there’s no bad days in this league. You’ve got to cherish every moment. The men and women that fight for our country and let us play a game for a living… we’re not able to without their sacrifice and the people that sacrificed before and the people who will sacrifice in the future for us.”

Key play: Johnson’s second goal of the third period essentially put this one to the bed, with the Jets getting burned for their needless aggression on the play.

Three stars: 1. Columbus C Kent Johnson: 2 goals. 2. Columbus G Elvis Merzlikins: 24 saves. 3. Columbus LW James van Riemsdyk: 2 assists.

Extra, extra: The Jets made one other lineup change besides Comrie going in for Connor Hellebuyck, as defenceman Ville Heinola was scratched in favour of Colin Miller. Arniel said this is a case of some load management for Heinola, who had played the previous three games (over a five-day span) and is coming off ankle surgery in the preseason.

Forward David Gustafsson and defencemen Dylan Coghlan were the other healthy scratches.

Sunday marked the first time in 15 games the Jets don’t have to hop on a plane to fly to another city to prepare for the next one. They’ll take Monday off away from the rink, then host the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night in the second game of a four-game homestand.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg