Buckle up, this road will be bumpy

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This article was published 24/11/2016 (3271 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg Jets fans should get used to that queasy feeling in their stomachs due to the roller-coaster ride the team has them on — it’s likely to remain a staple of their season.

Last week, I talked about how speed kills, enabling the Jets to go on a 4-0-1 roll. That, however, was stopped cold in its tracks in Boston last Saturday and the Jets haven’t recovered, having now lost four games in a row.

I certainly didn’t expect it, especially after they outplayed the Philadelphia Flyers in the opening game of their five-game road trip despite losing 5-2.

The team has played 22 games now, a fair length of time to provide a more accurate analysis:

OffenceThere’s cause for concern with the Jets, having scored just five goals in their last four games, particularly when their previously small but steady increase in puck possession numbers have also taken a dive. While they were improving, they were far from good — now they sit around 24th in the league, depending on your preferred statistic.

While the Jets were a quick strike team early on (although scoring at unsustainably high rates in some cases), their transition game and any creativity moving the puck has evaporated lately. “Winging it” isn’t a system, and the Jets need to improve in all three zones.

Looking at the complete body of work, Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine take away any thoughts the Jets don’t have the big guns to compete, as do Nikolaj Ehlers, Blake Wheeler and the ever-moving Dustin Byfuglien.

I’ve already pointed to the call-ups from the Manitoba Moose making significant contributions, and secondary scoring had been on the upswing, helping the Jets win some important games.

Offence from the blue line is big in this league and is something that can easily improve. Josh Morrissey has shown great instincts as he moves forward (it’s coming), Byfuglien will get his goals and Tobias Enstrom will chip in. For Jacob Trouba, it’s wait and see as to how his offence turns into points.

DefenceForwards and defencemen need to work together, and the Jets have a ways to go on this. Major breakdowns have turned into quick, momentum-killing goals. While changes happen all the time during a game, limiting the big mistakes are imperative, whether it’s bad coverage from a communication breakdown or they just don’t get the system in place.

A team’s best defender should be the goaltender — Connor Hellebuyck still needs to find that good zone (like his 4-0 shutout against the Chicago Blackhawks) on a nightly basis for the team to succeed. The Jets also need him to steal the odd game for them to have a shot at hanging around in the playoff race, and neither he nor Michael Hutchinson have done it. The shutouts against Chicago and Colorado Avalanche (Hutchinson, 1-0) weren’t that. The Jets have no choice here; they need to find out if Hellebuyck is a No. 1 goalie as they approach the NHL expansion to Las Vegas next year. I’m still betting on him, but not in Vegas.

 

Power playThe Jets sat 20th in the league in power play percentage going into Thursday’s NHL games. With so little time to prepare and coach them on the ice, it’s been on the players’ and video coaches’ back — there’s an expectation this will get better. One thing I’d like to see disappear is that long Byfuglien pass from his own zone under little pressure and his teammates trying to tip it into the opposition zone and then attempting a retrieval of the puck. The Jets have guys who should be able to co-ordinate access into the opposition zone with total control of the puck. I’d let Ehlers be involved in that as a key piece, but give him some structure on the PP, and let him work from there. There is too much talent on this team for this not to get better.

Penalty killThe more pressure I see from the PK group, the better I’ll feel. They have the players to get this right all season long, even though they currently sit at 20th in the league. Because both units were so bad last year, there’s been a little improvement, but they should be much better.

Shootouts and overtimeNow that this is part of my special teams, the Jets are well-positioned to excel with some real skill guys. I’ll take my chances with speed and talent in 3-on-3 hockey. Giving hope for the coming shootouts was that goal by Laine against the Los Angeles Kings, followed by Scheifele’s snipe to win it. Of course, it’s a tiny sample, but they now have some guns that can give them an edge on many nights.

SummaryPower play and penalty killing units that flirt with the bottom third of the overall standings combined with possession numbers ranging around 24th in the league is not a recipe for success. The Jets welcome Bryan Little back soon — while I’ve cautioned in the past of expecting too much from team results when call-ups have been significant contributors, he’ll be a terrific addition as he didn’t even play three minutes out of the first 22 games.

The once-mighty Western Conference isn’t nearly as powerful as in the past — the East has been much better so far. I’ve leaned on the fact that there are many ordinary teams in the league before and the wild West is full of them, some because of injuries and some because of average play that may continue.

Even though the Jets are every bit their 9-11-2 record, I look for more this season. You know by now I don’t accept excuses overall, so while the Jets may be “owed” something due to their schedule and injuries, they will have to take advantage when their time comes against those who are “suffering.”

If they are what they were supposed to be, they will at the very least be a bubble team just missing the playoffs. Consistently good goaltending would lift them right into that coveted sphere.

It’s ridiculous to panic about their chances, just like there’s no reason to excuse every loss. I don’t think expectations should change, the Jets need to look like they are improving on a weekly basis, and they failed this past week.

That can’t become acceptable.

Chosen ninth overall by the NHL’s St. Louis Blues and first overall by the WHA’s Houston Aeros in 1977, Scott Campbell has now been drafted by the Winnipeg Free Press to play a new style of game.

Twitter: @NHL_Campbell