Lowry an emerging star

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/04/2023 (916 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Adam Lowry is carrying himself like a captain, leading by example on and off the ice. He’s also looking like a future Conn Smythe candidate given the way he’s elevated his game on a big playoff stage.

Lowry, 30, scored for the third straight game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday, sending Canada Life Centre into a frenzy when he made it 4-4 with just 22 seconds left in the third period.

“Blackout,” is how Lowry said he reacted. “I’ll tell you what, I was pretty fired up. To kind of enter the third where we were at and get the building rocking and have a chance to win in overtime, it’s a pretty big high emotionally. It was nice to get the building back and tie the game for the guys. It’s too bad we couldn’t finish.”

Lowry is now up to four goals in the series (he had two in Game 1) while also being a pivotal part of a penalty kill that survived a pair of Pierre-Luc Dubois minors in overtime and double overtime. His four shot blocks led all Winnipeg forwards, and his six hits were third highest on the team.

“He is definitely a big leader. He takes care of business, goes out there and leaves it all out there every single night,” said former Central Division rival turned linemate Nino Niederreiter. “Good things happen to good people, and that’s why he’s out there.”

Jets coach Rick Bowness said Lowry is playing the best hockey of his career, dating back to the last few weeks of the regular-season where he helped Winnipeg stave off a collapse and qualify for the playoffs.

Exhibit A would be the way he stepped up to fight Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Reaves in the second last game of the year following an ugly, unpenalized hit against Dylan DeMelo.

“He puts his heart and his soul into every shift and it shows,” Bowness said Saturday. “He’s a big, mean, physical guy out there. He’s one tough guy to play against. He does so many little things to help this team win that he’s invaluable to this team.”

Lowry, a third round draft pick from 2011 who has played 621 regular-season games with the Jets, officially entered the leadership group in training camp when he joined Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrissey as alternate captains. Blake Wheeler had his captaincy removed, and Winnipeg has gone without a “C” since.

Should they chose to appoint one this summer, Lowry should be the leading candidate. He’s signed for another three years at US $3.25 million.

Nobody had a more difficult 2021-22 season than Lowry, who was put in the rare position of having his father coach the club once Paul Maurice re-signed midway through the campaign. Dave Lowry previously told the Free Press how much of a distraction that became, along with a strain on his son and their relationship.

But it was a much different story this year with Bowness at the helm. Lowry set a career high with 36 points this season (13 goals, 23 assists) while playing in all 82 games and being one of the drivers of a penalty killing unit that was among the NHL’s best.

Now, he’s taken another big step. Coming into this year, Lowry had five goals in 39 career playoff games. He’s one away from matching that in less than a week.

“I’ll be honest, I didn’t really love my first couple periods of the game,” Lowry said when asked to assess where he’s at right now.

“I think there’s another level that our line can get to, another level in controlling the puck in the offensive zone, kind of suppressing some chances. I think there’s parts of my game that I really like right now, but there’s other parts I want to improve upon as well. Just going to try to make some adjustments, watch some film, talk with (Morgan Barron and Mason Appleton) and see where we can kind of make some changes.”

In addition to doing a bit of everything on the ice, the modest Lowry seems to always have the right thing to say. So when he tells you the Jets will be ready for Monday’s Game 4, you believe him.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

The Warm-Up

Winnipeg Jets Game Days

On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.

Sign up for The Warm-Up

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

“It’s a test. You want to respond,” he said.

“We’ve kind of been running through the gauntlet the last month a half. We’ve had some big wins followed by tough losses. I think this is another kind of tough loss. We gave ourselves a good chance to win tying the game, but like I said, it’s our job now to be ready for Game 4. We’re excited for the opportunity, and there’s a lot of belief in this group that we can get it done and even the series.”

Spoken like a true leader.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg

Mike McIntyre
Reporter

Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.

Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.