Jets top line finding chemistry

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/12/2024 (299 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Outings like this one are part of the reason Rick Bowness put this trio together in the first place.

As the Winnipeg Jets delivered one of the most impressive bounceback performances of the entire season in Tuesday’s 8-1 blowout win over the Boston Bruins, the top line of Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Gabe Vilardi took centre stage.

By the time the final buzzer had sounded, the line had scored three times at five-on-five and were involved in one of the three power-play markers that beat beleaguered Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman.

Seven different Jets lit the lamp in this one, with Scheifele being the only player to score twice — moving him into a tie with Connor for the team lead in goals.

“Usually when they play like that, it leads to a win,” said Jets captain Adam Lowry. “They came up huge for us throughout the game, dominant shifts, some huge goals at critical times to get us the lead and things like that.

“So, their line, they’ve had a great year so far, and it kind of starts with Mark driving it down the middle. So in order for us to be successful, he started that, that’s the line that we look to and that was a big performance.”

Was it ever.

It came on the heels of a tough third period for that line in Sunday’s 4-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets — when turnovers in the defensive zone by Connor and another just inside the offensive blue line by Scheifele — led directly to goals that snapped a 1-1 tie.

Almost since Scheifele and Connor were put together on a full-time basis, the debate about keeping them together has centred around whether or not that can produce more than they give up defensively.

Scheifele and Connor have stepped up their defensive efforts over the past several seasons and that’s evident in the results this season.

With three goals at five-on-five on Tuesday and none against, the ledger now reads 21 goals for and 17 goals against — not an overpowering stat line, but a more impressive one when you consider it once read two goals for and nine goals against (minus-7) in those circumstances.

Scheifele and Connor have a long history of playing together and their offensive chemistry is undeniable.

There’s almost a sixth sense of knowing where the other person is going to be out there and because they play a direct game, the scoring chances they create are often of the high-danger variety — even if the volume isn’t always excessive.

Some looked at last season’s results and were quick to dismiss Vilardi as the type of player who helps turn the line into a net-positive.

The forward, who came over in the blockbuster deal with the Los Angeles Kings, only played17 games with both Scheifele and Connor last season, mostly due to injuries that had Vilardi and Connor on the shelf for extended periods of time.

“What you’re seeing now is what we hoped they would get to. The injuries killed it last year,” Bowness said during a recent conversation. “You had the vision that this line should be a good line. I know some analytics last year didn’t work in their favour, but you had to believe that the combination of those three guys should work and it’s working this year and I love that.

“If they stay healthy, all three of them should have great years.”

The traditional counting stats back that up, with Connor and Scheifele tied for the team lead in goals (16) and sitting one-two in points — with 36 and 34 respectively.

Vilardi is third in goals (12) and sixth in points (22) while appearing in all 30 games so far.

There are still times when the line can give up too many scoring chances on extended shifts in the defensive zone, but progress is being made on that front as well.

“You can see him as a person, getting comfortable with his teammates and being himself and that translates to his game and just being comfortable with what he is and what he brings to the table,” said Connor. “He’s a hound on that puck. We haven’t spent a ton of time together as a line and it’s been really nice to see what everybody looks like when we’re on. When we’re off, we’re trying to help each other out and pull each other together to bring the most out of each other.”

Vilardi admits there was a bit of a feeling-out process that was hindered by the fact he hurt his knee three games into his Jets’ tenure.

“Those two have played together. For me, it was kind of new and I wasn’t used to playing top-six minutes as much in LA,” said Vilardi. “It was a big change. Then we all had our injuries. It takes time to build chemistry, things just don’t happen automatically.”

So, why has Vilardi fit so well this season?

“He gets to the net. He gets himself into the corners, he wins battles. Somebody has to stay close to him when he’s around the front of the net,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “He does a good job of helping out on faceoffs, getting into the corners, (and with) puck possession. Using his size and his hands.”

Going into the season, Vilardi made a point of saying that one of his goals for this season was to score a bit more from distance and his marker on Tuesday was a prime example of that.

Taking a pass from Connor at the offensive blue line, Vilardi showed great patience as Connor and Scheifele drove the net on the odd-man rush and he eventually ripped the puck home to make it 5-1.

Vilardi’s career high for goals is 23 (in 63 games with the Kings in 2022-23) and he’s well on his way to chasing 30.

“If you play with those guys, it’s a great opportunity to get more space because they bring guys into them and they’re so smart at reading the game,” said Vilardi. “They’ll wait that extra second, so that way you get the extra second when you receive the puck.”

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @WiebesWorld