Jets look for better result this time in California

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This article was published 25/10/2021 (1472 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Jets left California with a nasty burn but applied a soothing balm at home and will head back to the sunny south this week looking to shield themselves from a similar fate.

Back-to-back victories in downtown Winnipeg have not only elevated the NHL squad’s status in the Central Division but also have heartened its collective spirit.

The intention now is to build on that positivity during an upcoming three-game road swing.

“I think our group, when you look at our body of work through five games now, you’ve seen a couple different looks to it,” expressive defenceman Nate Schmidt said late Saturday, following the Jets’ 6-4 triumph over the visiting Nashville Predators. “I think you can see that we can play a heavy game, we can play an up-and-down game, and we can be solid defensively as well.

“I think that there are things in our game, when you look at the first three versus the last two, you can pick a lot of things that you like about it. And now you have to understand that when you go back on the road, you’re not going to have the hometown fans jacking you up again.”

The Jets (2-2-1) began the season with losses in regulation to the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks, and then ripped at the seams in St. Paul, Minn., settling for an overtime defeat to the Wild.

Returning home, the Jets avenged the loss to the Ducks, posting a 5-1 win Thursday, and then trumped the Preds in a wildly entertaining contest.

Neither crowd at Canada Life Centre was a sellout, however, the patrons injected a heavy dose of energy into the Central Division battle.

Schmidt said without that extra push from its fanbase, Winnipeg will need to find the drive from within.

“Now, you have to understand that when you go back on the road, you’re not going to have the hometown fans jacking you up again. You feel that type of road pulse, and when you see that road pulse (just) knowing what you’re going to get from your group,” said Schmidt, a nine-year veteran who was acquired in the summer from the Vancouver Canucks for a third-round draft pick in 2022.

He set up three goals Saturday night and has six assists in Winnipeg’s three most recent outings. He’s an offensive driver from the back end and, just as importantly, bleeds character.

“You have to bring a lot of energy from your room. It’s a big trip for us. This is a trip that sets you in the right direction as a group. And then when you come back home from this, hopefully we’re sitting here in, I think, seven days, and be coming back home with a head of steam,” added Schmidt.

Winnipeg begins the trip Tuesday in Anaheim — its third meeting with Ducks — and then hook up with the L.A. Kings on Thursday and the Sharks on Saturday.

An early glimpse of the Jets numbers suggest a .500 record is about right.

The team has scored 20 times (fifth-most in the NHL) — including 11 in its last two without the services of forwards Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler (COVID-19 protocols) — and has given up 19 tallies.

While head coach Paul Maurice’s team has exhibited some defensive foibles, it has surrendered just seven goals at 5-on-5.

Winnipeg’s biggest headache is its penalty-killing unit, which has allowed 10 goals in 22 shorthanded situations (54.6 per cent efficiency).

Veteran centre Paul Stastny, who led the club with his first goals of the season in the win over Nashville, was asked for his thoughts on what might spark a reversal of fortune.

“That sometimes happens. When it rains it pours and, obviously, that can be frustrating. But there’s gonna come a time when we don’t let in a goal for six, seven, eight games and it all evens out like that,” said Stastny, who spent more than three minutes on the penalty kill Saturday.

“But this early in the season, this tends to happen where you’re unbelievable or you’re very bad. You just have to fine-tune some things. For us, it’s about timely PKs, too. Sometimes, you might let in one or two and certain times we might get a big blocked shot or a big PK when we only up a goal and that changes the momentum for us.”

Connor Hellebuyck has started all five games in the Jets crease, and, after a couple of shaky appearances is starting to provide the top-tier netminding the team requires. He stopped 38 of 39 shots in the win over the Ducks before allowing four pucks past him on 30 shots from the Predators.

One thing to keep in mind is he’s been trapped in the penalty-killing tire fire.

The former Vezina Trophy winner will likely get called on twice on the trip south, while backup Eric Comrie should make his season debut against one of the Pacific Division squads.

Meanwhile, Maurice said there is no timetable on the return of Winnipeg’s top-line centre and his long-time linemate.

“I think almost the best way to think about it is it’s almost like concussion protocol. A bunch of steps have to get passed before you get back on the ice,” said Winnipeg’s bench boss. “You can’t really update those. You just wait until they hit the mile markers. You don’t know.

“They could be back playing 22 minutes the first day they’re available, you just don’t know. It’s that same idea. They’ll be in the lineup the day the doctors tell me they can be in the lineup and I’ll assume they’re ready to go.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell