Jets enjoying life on the road

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This article was published 26/11/2019 (2115 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Delivering no-frills hockey on the road suits the Winnipeg Jets just fine.

The Central Division team’s road record is one of the best in the NHL, and the Jets can enhance it with some success during three stops in California this week.

The Jets are 14-9-1 and in third place in the division but have earned eight victories away from Bell MTS Place to go with four defeats. Only four teams — the Washington Capitals (21), Edmonton Oilers (19), Arizona Coyotes (18) and St. Louis Blues (17) — have generated more points performing in hostile territory.

The Jets have posted a 6-5-1 mark at home, hardly the makings of a toxic work environment for visiting teams and barely worth a “Home sweet home” welcome mat on the front porch, either. They are creating space for themselves as a top-five team in the Western Conference because of their work as road warriors.

During the team’s 11-game stretch (8-2-1) since a 3-2 victory over the Sharks in San Jose on Nov. 1, head coach Paul Maurice’s group has won five of six on the road, carving out an identity that won’t charm hockey fans in other cities or create a frenzy at the box office when the Jets come to town.

The Jets repeatedly get outshot by their hosts and can get trapped in their own zone, but a revamped defence has done yeoman’s work keeping shots to the outside, blocking shots and allowing goaltenders Connor Hellebuyck and Laurent Brossoit a clear view.

Meanwhile, the forward group doesn’t freewheel as in recent seasons and the overtly pretty plays have been harder to come by. But there’s an art to putting in a gritty effort shift after shift, winning battles along the wall, forcing pucks to the net, burying the odd chance and protecting a lead. Basically, doing more with less.

In a results-based business, the visitors don’t care if their style lacks flash if the wins keep coming.

“We’re not trying to impress anybody out there. We’re just grinding to get the two points and get out of there. That’s been our mindset lately,” forward Mathieu Perreault said following practice Tuesday at Bell MTS Iceplex. “We’re not showing off for any fans. We’re just trying to make it hard on teams, and that gets frustrating for teams to play against a team like us that just grinds.”

The Jets begin the three-game road swing tonight in San Jose (9:30 p.m. CT), continue on to Anaheim for a Friday afternoon meeting with the Ducks (3 p.m.), and then finish the back-to-back on Saturday night against the Los Angeles Kings (9 p.m.).

Defenceman Nathan Beaulieu isn’t on the trip and will miss seven to 10 days as he recovers from an upper-body injury. He was injured in the second period of the Jets’ 4-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday after blocking a shot with his right hand.

Expect either Anthony Bitetto or Carl Dahlstrom to slot in alongside Luca Sbisa on the third defensive pairing in San Jose.

NHL rules are set up to benefit home teams in hockey. They get the last change, so Maurice won’t get the matchups he most desires. But Winnipeg has scored 41 goals on the road and has yielded 41 — a saw-off — and keep hanging in to post one-goal wins.

Maurice likes what he’s been seeing from his club in opposing buildings.

“Good road team and good one-goal-game team. Standing behind the bench is more fun right now than the score might tell you or the stats might tell you. Yeah, we’ve had some ugly stretches in games and they’re all tight games, but the bench is right, they’re playing for each other and — I don’t know if you’re allowed to say it in the NHL — but it’s fun,” Maurice said.

“I know we’re not 20 games over .500 and San Jose, if it’s anything like our last game there, it’s gonna be all we can handle in there, but I’m looking forward to it.”

No. 1 netminder Hellebuyck put on a show that night, blocking a franchise-record 51 shots, including 27 in the middle period. It was a 2-2 game late when Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers scored the game-winner, but not before Bryan Little poked the puck from forward Tomas Hertl and Jack Roslovic protected it down low, spun and found Ehlers in the slot.

A microcosm of the Jets’ success this season on the road, indeed.

“That was a night we found a way to win, had great goaltending from Helle, phenomenal goaltending, really. He won us that game, for sure. We’re going to go in there, it’s a tough building to play in, and we know what to expect,” said defenceman Josh Morrissey, who felt the sting of a puck to a leg against Columbus in the second period and did not return, but practised Tuesday and is cleared to play.

“(The Sharks are) playing good hockey. It will be a good test to start the road trip and we’re going to have to be ready for that same environment we’ve been facing in Nashville, in Dallas, tough buildings to play in.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell