Takeaways From A Tough Trip

The Winnipeg Jets are heading home after recently wrapping up their first road trip of the season. The trip got off to a decent start as they downed the St. Louis Blues in the first game of the year before getting thoroughly pounded by the Stars two days later. While the end result isn’t too bad, the Jets left plenty to be desired in a number of different areas across both games. Here are some of the takeaways for the first games of the year.

The St. Louis game could best be described as follows:

The end result was great as the Jets ran away with a 5-1 victory in the first game of the year.

However, not everything was sunshine and roses as the Jets played very poorly for the first two periods. One of the biggest takeaways from game number one is the poor defensive zone coverage. The Jets struggled all game at limiting cross-seam passes as Hellebuyck had to slide wildly across his crease far too often.

One of the reasons for the cross ice passes was how close together the Jets played. The Jets forwards seemed to be playing very close to the crease which allowed the Blues’ defenders to creep in and find the open lanes.

One of the positive aspects of the first game is the ability to win despite getting outplayed. The Jets managed to be up by a goal after two periods even though they were getting out-shot and out-chanced by the Blues. Once the third period started, it only took one shot from Lowry before the Jets opened up the floodgates to bring home the ‘W’.

The other positive thing of the first game was Connor Hellebuyck. Many people were wondering if the new contract or expectations were going to get inside his head this year. He answered all questions with save after save until garbage time when the Blues were able to squeak one through.

Speaking of Hellebuyck, that brings us to game number two. While Hellebuyck was the main reason why the Jets won in the season opener, he didn’t do much to help the team against the Stars in game two. It could be argued that most of the goals weren’t his fault, which is true, but he wasn’t at his best against the high powered line of Benn, Seguin, and Radulov who combined for five goals and five assists.

While Hellebuyck wasn’t at his best, the biggest storyline against the Stars was the penalties. The Jets were shorthanded five times against the Stars and allowed three power play goals.

Being shorthanded nine times through two games is far too many penalties and this seems reminiscent of the Jets of a few seasons ago who were near the top of the league in penalties taken. Taking penalties certainly didn’t help the cause, but the other main issue against the Stars was the amount of chances given up.

The Jets were badly out-shot against the Stars through the first two periods and the results showed on the scoreboard. The defensive coverage was very poor once again, especially on the power play where Benn and Seguin both scored goals from right on the door-step.

While these are the main trends through the first two games, there are a number of smaller things to mention as well:

Lastly, the biggest thing to keep in mind is that it’s only been two games. There is no need to panic even if the Jets haven’t been at their best. If anything, playing poorly to start the year is a good thing as the Jets are realizing the season won’t be easy just because TSN thinks they will be good. The team will have to show up every single night if they want to stay near the top of the league.

As always, let us know your thoughts! What did you think of the first two games? Is the poor defense cause for concern? Throw a comment on the post or hit us up on twitter.