‘We still haven’t come close to playing our complete game yet’: Arniel

Scott Arniel chose his words carefully.

Asked for a bigger-picture assessment of the 10-game block to open the season, the head coach of the Winnipeg Jets made it clear that as happy as he is about the 14 points that have been put in the bank, but further improvements will be required to sustain a pace that includes a .700 winning percentage.

“I’m happy with 7-3. I don’t ever want to talk down on being 7-3, but we still haven’t come close to playing our complete game yet,” Arniel said after the Jets defeated the Minnesota Wild 4-3 in overtime and before using Wednesday to recharge the batteries. “There’s signs of things that we’re doing better, but sometimes it’s two steps forward, one step back.

“But it’s early in the year and if we’re going to do it, do it now. Get it out of the way. But I like the fact that, even though we haven’t played our best hockey, we’re still sitting at 7-3.”

There’s the rub.

Arniel knows there are going to be ups-and-downs to navigate over the 82-game marathon that is the regular season. There will be injuries to battle through and adversity to attack.

Even with some important things that have been ingrained into the DNA of the Jets since the arrival of Arniel four seasons ago, there’s a reinvestment in some of the core beliefs and values that is required — no matter how sound the foundation appears to be.

The Jets play a style where commitment to being on the right side of the puck is essential and paying particular attention to the minute details can pay huge dividends.

This group has turned its ability to defend from a weakness to a strength, but it doesn’t happen automatically and the uncharacteristic lapses in areas of puck management and defensive-zone coverage have proven costly at various points in each of the three losses and several of the wins as well.

No, this isn’t a major cause for concern, but it’s been noted by both players and coaches alike.

And that’s a good thing, since an important step in solving a problem is actually acknowledging one exists.

That’s another area of massive growth of the Arniel era, where the ability to provide a critical self-assessment is another trait that’s been woven into the fabric of this group.

Accountability is nothing more than a buzzword if a team doesn’t actually put in the work needed to improve the deficiencies that pop up.

“We’re still growing as a team. We’ve got to work on our consistency a bit,” said Jets left-winger Kyle Connor. “That being said, we’ve shown spurts of the identity of the team, but it’s definitely a work in progress.

“Everybody’s motivated in here to get better and push each other. And I would just say, yeah, we’re kind of building our identity, still working on it.”

Now, Arniel wasn’t expecting the Jets to be a finished product by Game 10.

That’s just not realistic, whether you have team filled with returnees or are working to integrate a number of newcomers up front like the Jets are in the midst of.

That aforementioned motivation to push one area to reach higher heights is something the Jets can count on as they push toward the quarter point in this next block of games that includes visits from the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday afternoon.

“The good thing is we’ve won more games than we’ve lost. But at the same time you can’t be super pleased with how we’ve been playing,” said Jets winger Nino Niederreiter. “We have to find a way to pull a full 60 minutes together. I think that’s going to make us feel a lot better than we do right now.”

The pending return of captain Adam Lowry during the next week or so and the ahead-of-schedule recovery for forward Cole Perfetti will surely provide a boost to a middle-six forward group that is still in search of its optimal deployment.

And when defenceman Dylan Samberg returns at some point in the month of November, some additional stability should be provided to the defence corps.

While the Jets are still in the business of providing solutions and not leaning into excuses, it would be foolish not to suggest some of the slips in the structure might not be happening as often if several of the Jets most reliable defensive players had yet to appear in a game this season.

On the opportunity came knocking side of things, Logan Stanley has provided some important minutes, often playing on the second pairing while chipping in offensively with two goals and six points in 10 games, getting into a couple of scraps and providing the physical element the coaching staff has been asking of him for quite some time.

Further consistency is needed, but Stanley has shown the type of progress that will have him under consideration for full-time duty once Samberg is back to full health.

Josh Morrissey has been outstanding to open the campaign, both offensively (eight assists in 10 games) and defensively, as he’s been on the ice for seven more even-strength goals than the Jets have allowed.

Dylan DeMelo is also off to an excellent start after making the declaration during training camp that he wanted to get back to the level he’d established for himself before taking a step back last season.

Although Neal Pionk chipped in a pair of assists on Tuesday to move him to three helpers in 10 games, he’s looked a bit unsettled without his regular defence partner (Samberg).

Pionk has been known to be extremely hard on himself and while he continues to work on that, you can be sure he’s motivated to raise his level of play as things move forward.

As for the forwards, a tremendous start for Mark Scheifele has been an important development.

With eight goals, 15 points and a diligent two-way effort, Scheifele’s push to be an Olympian has surely caught the attention of Team Canada’s decision makers.

Connor has been outstanding, including a hat trick in the season opener and the 61st game-winning goal of his career on Tuesday.

It was a slow start on the goal-scoring front for Gabe Vilardi, but he’s now found the back of the net twice in the past three games and he’s operating at nearly a point per game piece (with eight points in 10 games).

While the first line has carried a big portion of the offensive load, the secondary scoring is on the rise, with Morgan Barron taking another step forward and Jonathan Toews showing positive signs that he can handle the responsibilities thrust upon him after a layoff that lasted two-and-a-half years.

Special teams are another aspect of the game that has allowed the Jets to overcome some of their missteps.

The power play has been solid once again and the penalty kill has moved from 13th overall last season and comfortably into the Top-10, while spending some time in the top spot.

“Our power play has continued to be strong, to help us win hockey games, stay in hockey games,” said Arniel. “Our PK has been really good and it’s helped us a ton. It’s given us a chance to stay in hockey games and that’s what you need.”

No mention of the Jets start would be complete without a nod to the goaltending.

Backup Eric Comrie has won both of his starts, while posting strong numbers (2.50 goals-against average, .926 save percentage) and getting exceptional run support (10 goals for, compared to five allowed).

As for Connor Hellebuyck, the reigning Hart Trophy winner has simply been exceptional, with a goals-against average at 2.26 and a save percentage that once again has him among the league leaders (.926).

Having goalies that can mitigate the damage is always welcome, but the Jets will be looking to lower the volume and quality of opportunities Hellebuyck and Comrie face during this next block of games.

“It’s a resilient group here,” said Connor. “Showing parts of it every game this season, of what this team could be. We’ve stuck with it and we’ve just found a way to win.”

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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