Looking for home cooking

Jets hoping to match road success at MTS Centre during December

By: Paul Wiecek Posted: 3:00 AM CST Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014

They have shown themselves in recent weeks to be road warriors of the highest order.

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They have shown themselves in recent weeks to be road warriors of the highest order.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/12/2014 (4031 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

They have shown themselves in recent weeks to be road warriors of the highest order.

The question now, as the Winnipeg Jets embark on a month of hockey that will see them play nine of their next 13 games at home, is whether the Jets can also find a way to start winning consistently at home.

It is the quirk of these enigmatic 2014-15 Jets that they have done a lot more winning on the road than they have in the vastly more friendly confines of the MTS Centre. Consider the numbers:

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
The Jets' Matt Halischuk (15) handles the puck during practice at the MTS Centre Monday morning. The team plays most of its December schedule at home. — MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The Jets' Matt Halischuk (15) handles the puck during practice at the MTS Centre Monday morning. The team plays most of its December schedule at home.

The Jets are 8-4-3 on the road after picking up five of a possible six points on a three-game road trip last week;
But those same Jets are just 4-5-1 at the MTS Centre.

Now, it’s not entirely unheard of for an NHL team to have won more on the road than at home, especially this early in the season. Indeed, heading into Monday night’s action, the Jets were one of eight NHL teams who had done exactly that.

But what is unique with the Jets is how wide the gulf is between their road record — four games above .500 — and their home record — one game below .500. Indeed, the Jets and San Jose Sharks (3-4-2 at home, 8-6-2 on the road) were the only teams heading into last night that were simultaneously below .500 at home but above .500 on the road.

Any theories? Jets head coach Paul Maurice had obviously been doing some serious thinking about the subject judging by the detailed answer he gave following practice at the MTS Centre on Monday.

“Lots of theories,” began Maurice. “The block of time when we started to play well was probably the seven- or eight-game mark and we had played (prior to that) four or five home games already. So we weren’t playing the way we’re playing now…

“And then seven of the 10 home games have been against playoff teams. So we’ll take a look at our last six (home) games that we played (and we’re) 3-2-1. And possibly the best game we played was against Detroit and we lost.

“So we like playing here. We’d rather play 82 at home. And it’s good to have those road (wins) if you will to bank a little bit, that we’ve got that five-game spread (between the home and road records). It becomes more important as the season moves on.”

‘That first seven games (of the season), we didn’t have a great start. And our first three at home, we weren’t great, period… I’m not worried about it. I think it’s something where now we’re really comfortable with our game, whether we’re playing at home or on the road’

— Andrew Ladd

Finding a way to win more consistently at home will be key if the Jets are going to make the playoffs this season for the first time since the team returned to the NHL in 2011-12. While Winnipeg’s road record is among the NHL leaders right now, their home record is weighing them down and the Jets were clinging to the second and final wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference heading into Monday night’s action — just one point up on the Minnesota Wild, who had two games in hand.

With a rink in the MTS Centre that is sold out every night and widely considered to be one of the loudest in the NHL, there is, of course, nothing for the Jets not to like about playing at home. And yet this year’s quirky road-home record split is not unique in the history of Jets 2.0.

It was a similar story last season, when the Jets went 19-18-4 on the road but 18-17-6 at home.

So, is there something missing in the home cooking? “We have great fans, we have a great home building,” said Jets forward Blake Wheeler. “We have a full building every night, so you can’t complain.”

Jets captain Andrew Ladd said he thinks the wins at home will come soon, just as they have been on the road.

“That first seven games (of the season), we didn’t have a great start. And our first three at home, we weren’t great, period. But I think we’ve been happy with our game (more recently),” said Ladd.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Andrew Ladd (in blue jersey) — MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Andrew Ladd (in blue jersey)

“I’m not worried about it. I think it’s something where now we’re really comfortable with our game, whether we’re playing at home or on the road.”

We’ll find out soon enough if that new comfort level translates into success at home — the Jets play their next three games at home, beginning Wednesday against the Edmonton Oilers.

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @PaulWiecek