A quick chance to get even

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This article was published 01/03/2021 (1653 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Following the Winnipeg Jets’ 4-0 loss to the Vancouver Canucks Monday night, in what was one of Winnipeg’s worst games of the NHL season, there were predictably few silver linings to be taken.

The Jets were winners of four straight games, while the Canucks had come off two straight losses. The good news, though, is Winnipeg won’t have to wait long to seek revenge. With COVID-19 dictating a much different schedule than usual, the Jets and Canucks will be back at it tonight — same time, same place.

“Our team’s played really good hockey, for the majority of this year. There’s been maturity about our team from the start of training camp. We haven’t let things fester for too long, even losses that weren’t pretty. That’s what I love about this group, is we’ve shown the ability to bounce back,” Jets captain Blake Wheeler said after the game.

“That doesn’t guarantee it’s going to go our way tomorrow. But I do certainly think that we’ll have a bit better mindset in terms of what we’re trying to do when we get some of those scoring opportunities. Maybe a little bit more directness in our game, a little bit less trying to make the perfect play. That comes secondary. We’ve shown an ability to make those plays.”

If the Jets were guilty of anything against the Canucks, it was trying to be too cute, particularly around the net. It’s unusual for Winnipeg, given its top-end talent up front, to be shutout in a game. It happened just twice during the 2019-20 season, with both losses followed up with victories.

Jets head coach Paul Maurice has seen his team score a lot under his tenure. He’s not overly concerned with the lack of offence, if only because in hockey those games will inevitably happen. It also helps he seems to have a reason as to why, making it easier to make adjustments for tonight.

“I think we scored 277 goals about four years ago. And a whole lot of it was straight-line shots off the rush. There was a component there to that — just a shooter’s mentality. It’s not even shooting the puck, it’s thinking like you would. And it changes the way you move, it changes the way you attack the offensive zone,” Maurice said. “When you go on a run, you win a few games in a row, you put up six one night. You have a tendency to be looking for seams and when you do that you slow your game down. Every team has its own identity, its own strengths and weaknesses and some tells. For our team, what I liked about our 20 games was, I said was the style of offence. I liked it more than the past.

“But I think in the last two games you saw come a retro look from us from the last couple years where we were deferring an awful lot instead of shooting pucks. I still want them making those plays. You get a 2-on-1, I don’t want the coach in their ear telling them to shoot the puck. They are gifted players; they have room to make those plays. The last two games we really looked for a lot of plays that didn’t develop because the other team played a strong defensive game.”

The Jets were able to record 27 shots; only none of them were good enough to beat Thatcher Demko, who recorded his first career shutout. Mark Scheifele is just one of three players with double-digit goals already this season. He doesn’t seem all that concerned with the offence, and is ready for redemption against the Canucks.

“We know what we didn’t do well, we know what we did well. You’ve got to have a short memory in this league,” he said. “You can’t dwell on things too long, you’ve got to get a good sleep tonight and get ready for tomorrow.”

The good news for the Jets is they’ve shown an ability to bounce back after losses this season. In fact, Winnipeg is 5-0-1 after a loss.

“I don’t think you let yourself off the hook. I mean, the game’s over and we move onto tomorrow, have the chance to play them right away, try and get a split in our little mini two-game series with them,” Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey said.

“No one is walking out of here feeling good. We get a chance to come back tomorrow and have a shot at them right away. We’ll have to be ready to go.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton