Improved Oilers bringing ‘A’ game to Winnipeg

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This article was published 12/12/2018 (2460 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Paul Maurice remembers it all too well. It was only a couple short seasons ago that all seven NHL teams north of the border missed the Stanley Cup playoffs, the first time the land of maple syrup was frozen out of the annual spring hockey fling since 1970.

“We were all getting pounded in our individual city for failure and incompetence,” Maurice, head coach of the Winnipeg Jets, said Wednesday of the 2015-16 season.

Woe, Canada.

How quickly things can change. Fast forward to the present day, where five Canadian-based clubs currently occupy playoff spots with the mid-point of the 2018-19 regular-season on the horizon.

The Toronto Maple Leafs (21-9-1) have the second-best point percentage in the league, while the Jets (19-9-2) are right behind them in third. The Calgary Flames (19-10-2 prior to Wednesday night’s game) were tied for sixth overall, the surging Edmonton Oilers (17-12-2) are 11th, and the surprising Montreal Canadiens (15-11-5) are 16th.

Even the Vancouver Canucks (14-16-3) and Ottawa Senators (13-15-4), expected to be basement-dwellers as they undergo painful rebuilds, are hanging tough. Vancouver is four points below the playoff line, while Ottawa is five.

Woah, Canada!

“We don’t have to agree there’s less incompetence, but we can at least argue that there’s less failure,” Maurice joked following his team’s optional practice.

All of which creates a pretty juicy plot every time a pair of Canadian clubs go head-to-head, as they will tonight at Bell MTS Place. The Jets, 6-1-0 in their past seven games, welcome the Oilers, 7-1-0 in their past eight.

“For the fans and this country, it’s nice to see teams be able to compete. Eventually maybe one of them can bring a Stanley Cup back. It’s been a while. It’s definitely nice to see for our Canadian fans,” Jets forward Mathieu Perreault said Wednesday.

However, you’ll forgive the Quebec native for not wanting to spend a lot of time fawning over the strong play of the other Canadian clubs, who the Jets have gone just 2-3-1 against this season.

“For me personally, I play for the Jets so I only care about the Jets,” said the always candid Perreault, adding “good for them” when Edmonton’s hot streak is brought up.

“Honestly, I don’t really care very much about other teams in this league, I just care about us,” he said.

The Jets haven’t forgotten about their previous meeting with the Oilers on Oct. 16. Winnipeg built a 4-1 lead through two periods, then watched as Edmonton rallied for three goals in regulation, then the overtime winner. Connor McDavid led the way with two goals and two assists.

“He’s the best player in the world. Last time he kind of took it to us. We’ve just got to make sure we play that strong defensive game we’ve been playing the last four, five games. Play him hard,” said Perreault.

“We thought we were controlling the game and we might have sat back a little bit. You give their good players some space, their skill guys some space, and they’re going to create. That’s what they were able to do,” said Jets forward Adam Lowry.

Lowry, who was born in Calgary, said it’s nice to see things going well for their northern neighbours.

“It’s obviously good for the game and good for the fans in Canada to have some competitive teams,” he said.

The Oilers look like a different team under new head coach Ken Hitchcock, going 8-2-1 since he replaced Todd McLellan. They’ve drastically reduced their goals against with a more defensive focus of late.

“I know they’re playing a really heavy game right now. They’re competing really hard. They’ve had strong goaltending lately and have kind of found that scoring touch. They have the best player in the league. Coming in (McDavid) is going to be a focal point for us to try and shut him down. But they have a lot more to offer right now, I think,” said Lowry.

“All four lines are playing a lot better than they were earlier in the year. Any time your goalie is playing well, you have a chance to win. So we know it’s going to be a good test for us.”

Winnipeg will be looking for the same kind of strong start they got Tuesday night against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Jets built a 3-0 first-period lead, made it 4-0 early in the middle frame and skated away with a 6-3 victory. The Jets are just one point behind the Nashville Predators for first place in the Central Division, with a game in hand.

“Now they (Oilers) look like a Western Conference team. Defence is important. They bring a good balance, they still have great offensive players but they’ve got the balance right, in my mind, in terms of defending when they don’t have the puck as a cohesive unit. Five guys moving together. So that is different,” said Maurice.

“Ken Hitchcock’s teams have a certain look to them in terms of systems. There’s not going to be a lot of cheating above the puck, there’ll be good decisions made through the neutral zone, and they’ve got some players that can beat people through the neutral zone, and there’s a certain physicality to those teams. So they look exactly like his teams.”

Tonight’s game begins a stretch of three games in four nights for the Jets. The team will fly to Chicago immediately after the game for a rematch with the Blackhawks on Friday, then return to host the NHL’s top team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, on Sunday.

Then it’s back on the road for games in Los Angeles, San Jose and Vancouver before the Christmas break.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg