The Jets Day After: Hockey Is A Funny Sport

I needed a day to think about that one…

“That one” of course being the @Winnipeg Jets 4-0 win over the @Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night. Was it a good Jets game? I know for sure it wasn’t a bad one, or at least not as bad as we’ve seen during the brutal stretch of games we witnessed during December and January. It doesn’t feel like the Jets “stole” two points from Vegas, but at the same time this game could have been a much different story for Winnipeg in the first period (and the second period really) if not for @Connor Hellebuyck. They had a few fortunate bounces that led to goals, but those bounces happened because Jets forwards put themselves in positions to generate and take advantage of the good luck that received.

That game, much like the entire season has left me a bit confused. The Jets defeated a red hot Vegas team that had won nine of it’s last ten games so I should be filled with a lot of optimism after that game – a game some suggested may have been a “statement game” – which I am, but I have this little voice in the back of my head whispering “^{Unsustainable}” while a second voice says “Screw that! This is a playoff bound team that is gonna do some freakin damage now that they’re healthy!”

I think the 2019-20 Winnipeg Jets have broken me. A season that defies all kinds of logic and reasoning in so many ways and there are still 13 more games to go. I may not make it.

Here are some other thoughts from that game…

The Jets know that they don’t have to have a bad period of hockey if they really don’t want to, right?

Normally they are bad in the first period. Before Friday night’s game, the Jets had been out-scored in first periods by a 61-47 margin and as had been well documented recently been giving up more than their fair share of early goals. The script got flipped against Vegas with @Nikolaj Ehlers doing Nik Ehlers things with a rush, wraparound and then lucky bounce of @Ryan Reaves to give the home side a 1-0 lead 32 seconds into the game. 19:28 later, the Jets headed into the dressing room with a 3-0 lead.

It’s not like the Jets dominated the period. Shots in the first were 13-12 for Winnipeg. According to Natural Stat Trick, even strength high danger scoring chances in the first were even at six each. The Jets found the back of the net while Hellebuyck made sure that Vegas didn’t do the same. So even after the first with a three goal lead Jets fans had every right to feel a bit uneasy with how the game was unfolding, but all in all the Jets it should be said were the better team in the first frame.

And then the second period and a whole bunch of yikes happened. Out-shot 11-6, even strength scoring chances were 14-5 in favor of the Knights. It was as bad as any poor start we have seen from the Jets, only this time it happened 20 minutes later than usual. Sure score effects played a part in the sudden ice tilt with Vegas doing everything they could to get back in it, but the Jets were just… there. Hellebuyck stretching out multiple limbs to stop everything in sight and Jets defenders doing just enough to make sure the Knights didn’t get a bunch of second chance opportunities at least.

Funny enough, the Jets were the ones to find the back of the net again in the second thanks to a power-play goal from @Mathieu Perreault to make it a 4-0 lead and a Vegas comeback seem highly unlikely. The Jets made sure of that by having a slightly better third period where again Vegas did have the edge in shots and scoring chances, but it was far less than what they had in the second and a lot less quality given up.

The first period was good. The third period was good enough. That second period needed to be a lot better though.

The Jets “bottom six” forwards were hands down the best part of Friday’s win. Firstly, I think we need to admit that a lot of us could be wrong about putting @Cody Eakin between @Patrik Laine and Nik Ehlers… at least for now anyway. I mentioned last game that Eakin should be fine between those two, because it’s now 2020 and Laine with Ehlers can pretty much carry any center put between them and as long as Eakin plays at a high pace and limits mistakes, everything should be fine with that line.

The biggest game changer might be the returning Perreault, who is a big time upgrade over @Gabriel Bourque and as evidenced multiple times during the game – and during pre-game warmups – brings an infectious energy the team sorely needed. The Jets fourth line of Perreault with @Nick Shore and @Mason Appleton was the only line to be all on the positive side of relative corsi for and Perreault was the only Jet to have more scoring chances for his team than against when on the ice.

Not to mention the added talent and nose for the net he brings to the power-play.

All of this makes me wonder what Paul Maurice will do with a returning @Adam Lowry who seems to be a game or two away from getting back in the lineup as well. My first assumption is he comes in for Shore or maybe Appleton.

It also makes me wish Maurice wasn’t so adverse to putting Perreault at center to go between Laine and Ehlers, while having Lowry reunite with @Andrew Copp and putting Eakin with them, but the Copp / @Jansen Harkins / @Jack Roslovic line hasn’t been too bad either so maybe just move Lowry into Harkins’ spot and put Harkins with Perreault and Appleton and watch them remain the most dangerous fourth line in the NHL.

There I go being all positive and almost giddy at how balanced and really good the Jets forward group can be to close out this season.

At this point, the Vezina should be a lock for Hellebuyck. I know other goalies have better stats in other categories, but that Hellebuyck has the numbers he has this season, behind the defense he’s playing behind…

Oh, speaking of that, can we take a moment to recognize that Friday night’s defensive lineup was considered the “best” the Jets have had all season and it still gave up a bunch of shots and made the slot area in the Jets end of the ice look like one big blue radiation pool on the game heat maps?

This would be where my concern for the Jets playoff chances comes from. Don’t think I also didn’t notice Maurice splitting up @Josh Morrissey and @Dylan DeMelo after a particularly bad sequence that saw @Paul Stastny gifted a breakaway scoring chance… That Hellebuyck stopped.

You may as well get used to me saying this a handful of times over the next three weeks or however long the Jets find themselves in a playoff race: If the Jets make the 2020 NHL Playoffs, Connor Hellebuyck should be the NHL’s Most Valuable Player.

Because if the Jets are to make it, while the improved play from the forwards has been nice, they’ll need Helle to remain in MVP form.