Playoff Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down: The Jets Are Down 0-2

The Jets fell to the Blues in game number two by a score of 4-3. There were a number of positives that came out of last night’s game despite the loss, but there are also some warning signs to go along with it. It was a more complete effort from the team although Hellebuyck wasn’t his usual self in the crease. Let’s break it down in the thumbs up, thumbs down.

Thumbs up to having Dustin Byfuglien back on the first powerplay unit. Everybody knew this change needed to be made to get the powerplay working again. It worked to perfection in this one as they struck multiple times. Even though Byfuglien wasn’t directly involved, his presence helps open up the passing lanes. This was evident on both goals as Wheeler was able to set up Laine on the first one and Scheifele and all sorts of time and space on the second one.

Thumbs down to the penalty woes. The Winnipeg Jets let their emotions get the best of them in the early going with some terrible penalties. Scheifele in particular had two needless plays where he should have let up before making contact. The penalty kill was excellent, but it’s never a good idea to keep giving the opposition chances. The Jets need to find that balance between playing with emotion and taking bad penalties. They haven’t been able to do that yet, hopefully they can solve that for the rest of the series.

Thumbs up to the high end talent for Winnipeg. It’s always important in a seven game series to get the best players in your lineup performing at high levels. The Jets had that in this game as Scheifele, Wheeler, and Laine were contributing on the scoresheet. It appears the difference right now is the depth scoring for St. Louis as Winnipeg is finding it tough to match up against. It will take an entire team effort if the Jets want to win a game in this series.

Thumbs down to Hellebuyck’s performance. Defense and goals against are a team stat, but the goaltender still needs to make the routine saves. Hellebuyck wasn’t able to do that as he looked really shaky in game two. He had a few highlight-reel saves, but he followed those up with some softies that gave the Blues the lead. As far as the goalie duel is concerned, Binnington easily takes the cake for the first two games. Specifically looking at game two, the Blues only generated 2.37 expected goals yet they managed to score four. Hellebuyck’s performance deserves a thumbs down in this one.

Thumbs up and down to momentum swings. The Stanley Cup Playoffs have a mind of their own and we’re just along for the ride. The momentum swings throughout the game were enormous as the Jets poured on all kinds of pressure during the second period before getting scored on by two inches. That was all the Blues needed and a few minutes later, the Jets were the one’s on their heels. Every single shift has the opportunity to change the outcome of the game and it’s fascinating to watch the ebbs and flows of the momentum throughout the game.