Random Jets Thoughts After The Weekend…
4 years ago
Just some thoughts I had about the @Winnipeg Jets after they dropped a 2-1 loss to the @Boston Bruins but rebounded for a solid 5-2 win over the @St Louis Blues…
- I know there are some fans out there who wouldn’t actually mind seeing losses in a bit of a ‘tank’ effort, but I don’t think the Jets are at that point yet. Despite the awful 3-8-1 January, this team is still only three points out of a playoff spot with still a fair amount of season left to right the ship. As I’ll explain below, the Jets could also make a move at the Trade Deadline which should include getting help on defense, but shouldn’t include a first round pick…
- Speaking of trades, was Saturday a showcase game for @Jack Roslovic? Let’s not forget he already asked for a trade once, but it was because he wanted to be on a team that didn’t keep him on the fourth line. As good as he and his line of himself, @Andrew Copp and @Jansen Harkins was, Roslovic only had slightly about 12 minutes of ice time in that game.
- Look, I’m not the type of person to tell anyone how to ‘fan’ at a game. Do whatever you think is cool within reason and as long as it doesn’t take away enjoyment of the game from others around you. That said, The Wave™ is evil and it was scientifically proven on Saturday when Jets fans did The Wave™ and St Louis came back to score two quick goals. Sure, you could blame the Jets poor rush defense, or bad coverage in their zone… But we all know the real issue was The Wave™. Maybe, probably don’t do it.
Now let’s get to some of your post-game takes, starting with this one from after the Boston game…
As great and as deep as the 2020 NHL Draft is looking to be, I would strongly caution on thinking that the draft is going to help the Jets with immediate needs that they have at the moment. Do the Jets need help on defense? Of course, but it’s important to remember that this team has guys like @Ville Heinola, @Declan Chisholm, @Leon Gawanke, @Dylan Samberg and even @Logan Stanley in their system right now and a lot closer to the NHL than any 2020 first round pick would be. Same thing could be said for a second line center.
I will say one thing though, with how good the 2020 Draft is looking to be, trading a first round pick like Kevin Cheveldayoff has the last two seasons should be an absolute no-go. Even if the Jets do make the playoffs, it’s likely as a wild card pick and if they are a first round exit then it’s a decent enough pick.
You noticed the tighter defense in front of the net too huh? I don’t know if we can truly say they’ve tightened up things or if they’ve just gotten fortunate over the last two games. Both Boston and St. Louis aren’t exactly teams that drive to the net overly well as both teams are with Winnipeg in the lower 1/3rd of teams with even strength high danger scoring chances. (Try saying that five times fast.)
And yes, they still get victimized way too easily not just on odd-man rushes, but also on rushes where they have numbers to cover everyone on defense, yet make bad mental errors. There was one example in the game against Boston where the Jets had a two man rush into the Jets zone with the puck, but the Jets had two guys back to cover the play and yet @Patrik Laine ended up with tunnel vision on a crossing play by the Bruins and left the Bruin who he would have easily had covered had he just followed @Sami Niku’s call out, for a wide open for the pass that @Laurent Brossoit was a bit fortunate to make a save on.
The goalies were great this past weekend, it’s a shame Brossoit didn’t get a better result.
I can appreciate “hard work” but what I appreciate more is “working smart” and that to me is what will ultimately determine how the Jets do the rest of this season.
To suggest they are just *now* working hard I feel is missing the mark on what’s been wrong and it was something I believed before the week long break…
There were plenty of examples of good effort from Winnipeg on Wednesday night. Was it better than it was in Carolina the night before? Perhaps, but it’s kind of hard to measure these things. The Jets have shown plenty of effort in the last couple of games and though the entire season . Save for some duds against Tampa Bay or Detroit, there haven’t been many games where anyone could sit there and suggest that the Jets didn’t at least try to win the game.
I’ve had to laugh at the notion as well that the Jets have “quit” on Paul Maurice. Again, there may be examples (the game against Tampa Bay sticks out the most) where it felt like the club just packed it in for the night, but the Jets are 8-15-2 when trailing after two periods which is actually 13th in the NHL win percentage wise. If this was a team that didn’t give an effort, it wouldn’t have that many comebacks in them.
What we can say though goes back to the point I just made about how this team defends things like opponents rushing into the Jets zone. It’s not that players are constantly giving up on these plays, it’s that they are switching off to the wrong man to cover, or they aren’t communicating properly, or they don’t make a proper read in how the other team is attacking.
There is something to be said for the need for the Jets to pick up the intensity of their games for sure, but I don’t think it boils down simply to not working hard. I think it’s a result of how Paul Maurice and the coaching staff want the team to play to start off games, and build from whatever they are presented with in the first five minutes or so of each period.
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