“Stick to our structure and our gameplan”: Josh Morrissey discusses how the Winnipeg Jets can be successful in the playoffs
7 days ago
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The Winnipeg Jets are gearing up for what should be a great 1st round matchup against the Colorado Avalanche. Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey sat down with the Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli to discuss to Jets upcoming playoff run.
Fresh off an-all star game appearance last season, Josh Morrissey was able to have another successful year for the Winnipeg Jets. Morrissey is in his 9th season with the Jets, the organization he’s been with since being drafted 13th overall in the 2013 NHL entry draft. That being said, Morrissey believes that the Jets have as good a chance to make a run for the Stanley Cup as ever before in his time with the team.
Before getting into any specifics about the playoffs themselves, Morrissey described what the vibe is like for the Jets going into these playoffs, and he said that
“We’re excited, obviously it’s the best time of the year and you work hard from the moment you’re eliminated in the year before… till the off season, training camp, and obviously a grueling 82 game regular season to be ready for the playoffs. For us we had a good regular season to put ourselves in a spot to be in the playoffs and we feel that the improvements we made this year… gives us a chance to be competitive in the playoffs.”
Despite a 6 game losing streak in March, the Jets tied their franchise-best win total with 52. The Jets finished with 110 points, just 4 points shy of their 2017-18 season, making it their 2nd most successful regular season in franchise history. Compared to last season, where the Jets got 46 wins and 95 points and barely grabbed the final wild card spot, this team can say that they exceeded expectations so far.
Every team goes through some level of adversity at some point in the season. For the Jets, one of the biggest moments where they faced adversity was during that 6 game losing streak in March. Josh Morrissey said that they found a way to overcome this tough stretch by
“[Getting] back to our structure, I think the excitement of you know, we have to get our game right now before getting into the playoffs and into game 1… but what I liked about our group was even when we were going through a period of time when we weren’t playing our best, I don’t think we lost any confidence.”
Like Morrissey mentioned, the idea of confidence cannot be underestimated when it comes to any team getting ready for the playoffs. Every team will hit a moment in their season where it won’t be going how they’d like it to be going, but not losing confidence can be the key to overcoming the challenge in that very moment.
Even before the season began, Jets fans had some worries about their team when it came to what they were going to do with Pierre-Luc Dubois (before the trade), and what would happen with Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck. Not only did management find a way to address these concerns before the season began, but the team found a way to be resilient throughout the process. Morrissey spoke about the resiliency of the Jets, saying that the common thread behind it all was
“Our leadership was great, Adam has done an amazing job at captain this year… and I think the players we brought in at the deadline… [we were] bringing in quality players that have experience in the league. The depth of our team has really been huge… we’ve had other guys who are ready and able to step up.”
The depth has been another key contributor as to why the Jets have been able to succeed this year. Another part of every team’s season is dealing with unexpected injuries and absences, and the Jets have been able to have players on the team ready to step up when called upon. From the depth on the NHL roster, young players on the Manitoba Moose stepping into the lineup, and even a coaching shift when Rick Bowness took an absence from the team, everyone played their role in helping the Jets.
Another team who has a lot of depth is the Colorado Avalanche, the 1st round opponent for the Jets. The Jets have matched up nicely against the Avalanche this season, going a perfect 3-0. However, this will be the first time ever the Central division rivals matchup against each other in the postseason. In terms of how Morrissey thinks the Jets will matchup against them, he said that
“I don’t put a lot of thought into the record in the regular season vs. the playoffs, I think it’s an entirely different animal. Realistically, whether you finish 1st or 8th, obviously there’s some seeding things, home ice advantage… but once the playoffs start no one cares what you did in the regular season… so it’s gonna be a great series.”
It’s true that you need to erase most of what you’ve learned about any given team in the regular season, because everything changes once you enter the post season. All 16 teams have a chance to win the Stanley Cup, and you have to have a mindset in each series where you just focus on 1 win at a time.
So we know that Morrissey and his Jets teammates are excited and ready to go for the playoffs this year. But how could everything that could be said about what the Jets need to do to be successful in the playoffs be summarized in one sentence? Josh Morrissey said that if the Jets want to have a successful playoff run the 2024 playoffs, they need to
“Stick to our structure [and] our gameplan… I think if we do those things and win the special teams battle, all the little things that come in the playoffs… I think that gives us a chance to be at our best and see what happens.”
You will get to see what happens when the Jets begin their series against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday afternoon. Josh Morrissey will look the lead the defence, likely being played in key scenarios throughout the game. There’s a special sort of feeling around the Jets organization this year. A deep playoff run is not out of the question if they play the way they’ve shown that they’re capable of this season.
Check out the full Josh Morrissey and Frank Seravalli interview below!
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