Rambling Moose hit speed bump

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This article was published 12/01/2018 (2913 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It hardly qualifies as a slump. But given the way the Manitoba Moose had been laying waste to their opponents, their recent stretch of play has at least brought them back down to Earth a bit.

Manitoba has just one win in its past four games (1-1-2) and two in their past six (2-2-2).

This comes on the heels of a franchise-record 16 straight games in which they collected points (15-0-1).

Sure, the Moose still lead the American Hockey League with a 25-7-5 record. And yes, that gives them a double-digit cushion within their division. But as they hit the halfway point of their schedule today by hosting the Iowa Wild at Bell MTS Place at 2 p.m., head coach Pascal Vincent wants his team to get back to what has made them so successful.

“Our team hasn’t been playing as fast as we should be. If we play slow, or we try to slow it down, just like anybody in this league or in the NHL, you become an average team. So it’s just getting back on track,” Vincent told the Free Press on Friday following practice.

Perhaps it’s not surprising the Moose have hit a bit of a bump. After all, leading scorer Jack Roslovic has been up with the Winnipeg Jets for nearly two weeks.

He was near the top of the AHL scoring race at the time of his recall. Power forward Brendan Lemieux, who has averaged a point per game with the Moose this season, also is with the Jets.

Manitoba is also without Cameron Schilling, who leads the defence in scoring, as the result of an injury. Same goes with versatile forward J.C. Lipon. Both players will remain out of the lineup this weekend but could be ready within a week.

The absence of those four was especially noticeable earlier this week. Manitoba was thumped 5-1 on home ice Wednesday by the defending Calder Cup champion Grand Rapids Griffins.

“You expect those kinds of games at times in the season, and you need to learn from them,” Vincent said.

With the callups and injuries, new opportunities have been created for players. One of those has gone to Jimmy Lodge, a 2013 third-round pick of the Jets who was sent to the ECHL at the start of this season.

After putting up 28 points in 30 games (10 goals, 18 assists) with the Jacksonville Icemen, Lodge was recalled last week by the Moose. He’s recorded one assist in three AHL games so far this season.

“I was on a good roll, and feeling good overall,” Lodge said Friday of his time down south, where he was logging big minutes in key roles with that team.

Lodge was with the Moose all of last year, scoring eight goals and adding 10 assists in 63 games. But greater depth within the organization has pushed him down a level.

“These guys have been doing well. They were sticking to the little details and playing the game hard. I think if we get back to that, we’ll get back to the winning ways,” Lodge said of the Moose.

Forward Chase De Leo said he believes the club is well-equipped to handle a bit of adversity for the first time all season. He said some sloppiness was creeping into their game, even when they were still extending their point streak, which they’re now working to erase.

“We know this is how it’s going to be in the second half of the season and going into playoffs, it’s only going to get harder and harder,” said De Leo, who has eight goals and 14 assists in 37 games this season.

Manitoba’s most recent victory occurred last Saturday in Iowa. The Moose face the Wild this afternoon and Sunday at 2 p.m. Manitoba finishes up a six-game homestand next Friday and Saturday against the Texas Stars before hitting the road for a season-long eight-game trip.

“Big matchup this weekend. We’re going to be ready to go. Had a good couple days of practise and video. We’re refreshed and ready to go,” De Leo said.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg