Lowry adjusts to life on the wing

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This article was published 11/11/2021 (1520 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Fewer than 15 games and two months into the 2021-22 NHL season and there have already been several surprising developments for the Winnipeg Jets.

Few would have predicted centre Pierre-Luc Dubois and his resurgence to the top line following a mostly down season last year, in the same way not many would have pictured Andrew Copp taking over the No. 2 centre spot and filling the role admirably, including 12 points in as many games.

But the biggest surprise, at least when it comes to the lineup, has to be the formation of a third trio that has Mark Scheifele at centre, with Blake Wheeler and Adam Lowry on the wings. Scheifele and Wheeler are very familiar with one another, playing most of their career in Winnipeg on a line together; it’s the addition of Lowry that makes the line a new-look combo.

“He’s a smart man. He loves to talk the game, he loves to talk about certain things, he wants to have communication on the bench, which is great,” Scheifele said of Lowry following the Jets morning skate, ahead of Thurday’s home game against the San Jose Sharks.

“He’s such a big body; he has a good stick; he’s in the right spots all the time. He makes the good little plays — little chips in the D zone, little chips in the O-zone that a lot of people wouldn’t notice. He gets down on the puck; he’s physical; he opens up a lot of space; and he’s going to hold onto the puck, which is great for guys like me and Wheels to get the O-zone time.”

Scheifele also noted that having Lowry on his line has made it easier on him as a centreman. That’s an obvious bonus, as Lowry has played down the middle for most of his NHL career and had been a staple on a Jets third line that, prior to this season, was often tasked with shutting down the opponent’s best forwards.

Given Lowry’s experience at centre, Scheifele can trust him to take on the defensive zone responsibilities whenever he’s the first forward in on the back check. Because Lowry shoots left-handed, the opposite of Scheifele, he’s also tasked with taking defensive and offensive zone faceoffs at the left circle. That way, he can execute his backhand on draws.

Lowry, though, is no stranger to playing the wing, even if it’s been some time. He played on the left side for most of his minor hockey, and for years as a standout with the Western Hockey League’s Swift Current Broncos. It’s been a slight adjustment, but Lowry understands the benefits and freedom that often comes with playing on the wing.

“You’re starting a little higher in the zone, you might be able to, not necessarily cheat the game, but you get on a few more odd-man rushes where when you’re the centreman low and you start that play, you’re 20-30 feet behind it,” he said. “I’ve been able to get to the net a lot more, to kind of hang around there a little more on the forecheck, it’s a little more direct.”

The line was formed for a couple different reasons, one of those being circumstance. Wheeler and Scheifele contracted COVID-19 during the Jets season-opening, three-game road trip, which required them to quarantine for 10 days, with no outside activity permitted. Because they were off the ice for so long, both required extra time to get up to game shape.

During that time, Dubois excelled playing with Kyle Connor and Evgeny Svechnikov on the top line, while Copp, Nikolaj Ehlers and Paul Stastny made up a productive second trio (Jansen Harkins has since replaced Stastny, who is out with a foot injury).

When asked if he hoped to move back to centre eventually, Lowry wasn’t about to complain about his new opportunity to play with the Jets most prolific scorer in Scheifele and its most respected leader in Wheeler, who is also leaned on to score.

“I’m getting an opportunity to play with two all-stars,” Lowry said. “You want to contribute. Mark and Blake, that’s what they’ve been paid to do over their careers, is carry the load offensively. We’ve got a lot of guys that can do that as well, but they feel their best when they’re scoring, when they’re getting points and it’s certainly your job to not hold them that back in that respect.”

Despite generating several scoring opportunities in the four games they’ve played together, the puck luck just hasn’t been there. Lowry is without a point, while Wheeler has two assists and Scheifele one assist, none of which were produced as part of their line.

That doesn’t appear to be an issue to Jets head coach Paul Maurice, at least not yet. Maurice is encouraged by the opportunities they’ve generated, and he also likes that with Lowry’s size, which clocks in at 6-5 and 210 pounds, it allows the line to play against heavier opponents, while also possessing enough speed to play against faster lines, too.

“There’s enough offence there. And they know that, because Blake will have told (Lowry) that,” Maurice said.

“On each line now, we have a player maybe whose main role isn’t point production. Those last two periods that we played (St. Louis), against a good team, were some of our best offensive production, and it looks slightly different. And we want to get to that. Adam will go to the net, and he’ll stay net-front, and Mark and Blake can use that. So, it doesn’t have to be them all the time. Or we don’t end up playing on the outside all the time. We’re going to get Svechnikov to get to the net and Andrew will get to the net on that line. So, each line will have somebody to go hard to the net.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton