Time for solutions is now

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This article was published 27/04/2021 (1597 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Something is currently broken with the Winnipeg Jets. And as is the case for all problems, it’s about finding a solution.

But if the Jets plan on righting the ship Wednesday against the visiting Edmonton Oilers, they better have some answers for Connor McDavid and company — and whatever else has been ailing them in recent weeks.

“It’s tough because you lose a bit of that belief when you’ve lost a bunch of games, right? It can be a challenge in just staying focused and staying, in some times, staying relaxed and that’s an unusual word,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice said following practice Tuesday.

“But your energy gets the best of you, you want to try to do more and you get running out of places that you need to be. Or I think more appropriate to (Monday) night is you do things with the puck that are just not as patient as you need to be at certain times and you end up putting yourself in a tough spot.”

The Jets definitely find themselves in a tough spot at the moment. The loss to the Oilers was their fourth straight; prior to this recent skid, Winnipeg had not lost more than two consecutive games all season.

They’ve been particularly bad recently against the teams they’re chasing in the standings. That’s not exactly a great development as the playoffs inch closer, with just eight games remaining in this truncated regular season.

The Jets have lost their last two games to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the last pair against Edmonton — all in less than two weeks. It’s been particularly rough sledding against the Oilers, a team that has beaten Winnipeg in five straight games, including Monday’s 6-1 drubbing at Bell MTS Place.

“We definitely have to come out and play a better game. Obviously we want to beat them, but also we want to go back to playing a style of game that is going to give us a chance to be successful down the stretch here and in the playoffs,” Jets forward Mathieu Perreault said.

“So we’ve got to go back to keeping things a little bit more simple, obviously being aware when McDavid and (Leon) Draisaitl are on the ice. Sometimes you’ve got to cut your losses there when they’re out there and making sure you get the puck down in their end and try to keep their speed away. These are the things we’re going to try and get back to so we can get ready for when it comes playoff time.”

McDavid continued his streak of causing the Jets fits, scoring three goals and one assist for a four-point night on Monday. McDavid has registered a multi-point performance in all eight games against Winnipeg this season, totalling seven goals and 12 assists for 19 points over that stretch.

Draisaitl has also been a pain for Winnipeg, with the 25-year-old registering six goals and five assists in those eight games.

What’s most troubling about the Jets’ struggles against the Oilers is they’re most likely to meet in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Heading into Tuesday’s action, the Leafs (30-13-5) sit rather securely in first place in the Canadian division, with seven and eight points separating them between the Oilers (28-16-2) and Jets (27-18-3), respectively, and with games in hand on both clubs.

The Oilers have a one-point lead on the Jets but have played two fewer games. Winnipeg losing a sixth straight game is the opposite recipe for creating a mental edge over your opponent. Another victory for the Oilers on Wednesday and it will not only help secure possible home-ice advantage, it will also add to the momentum Edmonton has been building over Winnipeg.

“As far as timing, it’s not fun, but at least this is happening now and not in the playoffs. We have a little bit of time to correct it, but it has to start (Wednesday) night,” Jets defenceman Neal Pionk said.

“Their transition game is really good. That will be a focus for us. We may not be able to stop it completely but we have to slow it down and we have to limit chances, then go from there.”

The players who spoke after Monday’s loss pointed to the Jets inconsistencies going back as many as 15 games. Veteran Paul Stastny didn’t seem all that surprised by their slump, given their play even when they were pulling out wins.

Maurice offered some perspective to the Jets dip in the standings, noting they were still very much in the hunt for second place. While time is of the essence to fix whatever seems to be broken, the Jets coach isn’t rushing to slam the panic button.

“We came off the road a pretty good team; there were parts of our game that we’ve been working on all year. So, when you’re winning hockey games… I mean we are aware of what we give up in games, we’re aware of the fact that we need to work really, really hard not to give those things up,” Maurice said.

“That’s our challenge and has been all year. We’ve been pretty darn good with it and then you get into the two other extremely strong offensive teams and really struggle with it for sure. So it feels extreme, but I don’t think that’s indicative. At the end of the day, Edmonton is one point ahead of us.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca twitter: @jeffkhamilton