KILLERS on the ROAD

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/11/2014 (4033 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A couple of days into the Winnipeg Jets’ latest successful foray out of Manitoba, a reporter in Buffalo asked a simple, but poignant question of Bryan Little.

It went like this:

Do you have any explanation as to why you’ve been so good on the road?

Little, a soft-spoken man who doesn’t just spit out clichés, thought for a moment, shrugged his shoulders and then offered this:

“Honestly, I have no idea. We keep it simple on the road. We bring our work boots and just keep it simple.

“We’ve been in a lot of these one-goal games this year. It’s a place where we’re comfortable. We’re not going to go out there and make pretty plays all night. We’re going to win some ugly ones.”

They did it that way against the Sabres that night, 24 hours after following the same blueprint in Columbus. The Jets went 2-0-1 on their three-game jaunt east, the only point lost coming in an OT setback against the Boston Bruins on Friday.

Interestingly, the Jets awoke Saturday morning with the top road totals in the entire National Hockey League, with 19 points on an 8-4-3 record. Granted, because they’ve already played 15 games away from home — more than any team except San Jose — that ranking may drop. But road points in the bank in October and November are critical. and with nine of 14 at home in December, it’s a heckuva start.

So, what have the Jets been doing on the road that has made them such a tough out? The answers are as simple as their game.

Here are three critical factors in the Jets road success:

1. GOALTENDING

Michael Hutchinson was outstanding Friday in Boston, kicking out 36 of 38 shots against his old club. The 24-year-old Barrie, Ont., product leads the NHL in both goals-against average and save percentage and since being pulled in his first start of the season in Los Angeles, has stopped 168 of 175 shots, for a sparkling save percentage of .960.

Now, here’s the thing for all those who want to anoint Hutchinson as the new No. 1 puckstopper while kicking Ondrej Pavelec to the curb: Pavelec was solid in the win over Buffalo and — combined with Hutchinson — the Jets have a team goals-against average of 2.12, fourth best in the NHL heading into Saturday’s action.

A goalie controversy? Yeah, maybe. But just don’t expect anybody in Jets colours to throw Pavelec under the bus.

“It doesn’t really matter who we have back there,” said Dustin Byfuglien after Friday’s win. “I mean, we’re a team in here and we stick together. If it’s Hutch or Pavs, we believe in our goalies. (Hutchinson) did a great job and both of them have been there all year for us. We’re a team and we’ve got to stick together.”

2. UGLY WORKS

Boston coach Claude Julien pointed out the Jets improved defensive play — beyond the numbers — prior to Friday’s game. And that script unfolded again at TD garden.

“I really think they’re pretty strong in the back end. I like their (defensive) corps, a mixture of everything,” said Julien. “They’ve got some good speed and good size up front. When you watch them play, they put teams on their heels if you give them space, and they can certainly do that with their skating. Paul (Maurice) has been in the league for a long time. He usually looks at the strengths of his teams and works with that.

“The other part is, I think they’ve done a much better job defensively. They’re a little stingier than they have been and they do a good job of coming back to their positions and making it hard for teams to have quality chances.”

That’s been especially true on the road. Since the season-opening trip where the Jets were loosey-goosey in implementing their system — falling 3-zip to San Jose and 4-1 to Los Angeles — Winnipeg is 7-2-3 on the road, including two shutouts, four games in which they limited their opponent to one goal and three games in which they yielded only two

“We’re just concentrating on defence and getting goals when we can,” said Mark Stuart. “Our offence isn’t quite where we want it, but it has gotten better.

“It’s a process. Our defence can get better, too. We’re just going to continue to build. As long as we’re winning games, how we’re winning them doesn’t matter. We feel that we have gotten better and can continue to get better.

“We know how to play and if we play the way we can we’re going to give ourselves a chance to win every night.”

3. PUTTING THE ‘SPECIAL’ BACK IN SPECIAL TEAMS

The Jets power play showed a pulse on the road trip, scoring four times after a horrid 0-for-25 run. And the penalty kill pitched a shutout in Buffalo and Boston. There’s room for improvement here, too, but worth noting is this: The road numbers for both the PP and PK are significantly better than those at home.

Consider: Seven of Winnipeg’s 10 power-play goals have come on the road (19th overall); the home PP percentage is 29th. In fact, it’s been said before the home power-play struggles have effectively become a buzz kill for the diehards in attendance, essentially stealing away from the work done 5-on-5. That has to change in the remainder of the regular season.

The Jets penalty kill, ranked eighth overall at 85.4 per cent, is third on the road and 21st at home.

All three of Winnipeg’s short-handed goals have come on the road.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @WFPEdTait