Jets Nation Recap: Jets crash and burn deep in the heart of Texas

It was a game full of emotions for fans. The Jets trailed, the Jets led, the Jets had calls and bounces go their way, the Jets had calls and bounces go against them.

After it was all said and done, the Winnipeg Jets shift to a losing record the Central Division after a 6-3 loss against the Dallas Stars. 

The score started early with John Klingberg’s third goal of the season with only two and a half minutes of play.

The Jets and Stars continue to trade chances in a very adrenaline filled period. Blake Wheeler found the back of the net with a fortunate bounce from a wide angled shot, and Jacob Trouba was able to gain the lead with his first of the season on a rebound from Chris Thorburn.

The Jets comfort was short lived although with Colton Sceviour putting the puck past Ondrej Pavelec on his backhand.

In what was the opposite of the previous game, the Jets dominated much of the play in the second period. Despite controlling most of the second, the Jets were unable to generate much and allowed the only goal in the period. Ales Hemsky was able to score a goal off a breakaway pass after cheating out of the offensive zone.

Tyler Myers tied up the game about midway in the third off an excellent wrist shot, only to have any hope of victory being taken away from Dallas’ goals four, five, and six. In what was a iffy penalty call, and possibly a make up for a missed call on Mathieu Perreault with the Myers goal, Jamie Benn was able to score the game winning goal off of his own rebound with no defender in sight to contest him. Two empty net goals later, and the Jets finish 2-3-0 against their Central Division peers.

No defense: The Jets historically have been one of the better defensive teams in the league. They played defense well by never being in their own zone, being a top 3-5 possession team for much of last season. However, the Jets have struggled as of late. Not only in possession, but in limiting high-quality chances. The Jets have allowed equal or more High-Danger Scoring Chances by WAR-on-ice’s numbers in every single one of their last 8 games. They have only out-chanced their team in HDSC three times this entire season.

No goaltending: Now don’t get me wrong, no one is blaming the loss on Pavelec here. Pavelec gives a league average save percentage and the Jets still lose this one. Kari Lehtonen was solid and Pavelec was not as much. While Pavelec had some tough shots, so did Lehtonen. Pavelec saved 6/9 shots from the slot, while Lehtonen saved 8/9.

No secondary scoring: The Jets did receive two goals from defenders with Myers’ and Trouba’s firsts, but it has been quite some while since the Jets have received support from their second and third line. The Jets are not supposed to be a team driven by star power, but by depth. They are going to need to stop relying on Andrew Ladd, Bryan Little, and Blake Wheeler.

Winnipeg Jets individual statistics:

Shot attempt chart for all minutes:

Shot location for all minutes:

Charts courtesy War-On-Ice.com)

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