So is anyone else worried about how the Jets will contain the Landeskog, MacKinnon Rantanen line? That should be concern number one given how the Jets have played defence as a whole and with almost a week off and some international travel. Add to the fact they had their annual charity gala dinner this past week and it's almost like hockey has been the furthest thing from their lives.
The Jets now have games in hand on their division rivals and sit in the 7th spot in the wild card race with 17 points. Two points out of third behind the Stars and three behind the second place Wild. They are tied with the Avalanche and the Blackhawks and Blues are only two points behind them at 15 apiece. It's tight again in the Central and the Jets are going to have to play their way out of the doldrums they have been experiencing.
With the time off, hopefully some practicing and detailed oriented work around video and structure has occurred. This team needs it. They are not operating efficiently and more importantly seem to be less interested in being cohesive as a group and perhaps focussed individually.
Would the real Winnipeg Jets please stand up?
That's what fans are waiting for- the team they remember from last year that controlled play, poured shots at the opposition net and had elite goaltending. It has not shown up yet and if more of the same happens win two and lose two the Jets could be looking at a harder, steeper hill to climb.
If you can remember last Thursday and Friday, Patrik Laine came alive and had 4 goals in two games including a hat trick in game one. The Jets though still had all sorts of trouble with zone play, turnovers and of course Brendan Lemieux. Needless to to say he will not be in the lineup tonight as he serves his two game suspension and hopefully a line of Petan Copp and Roslovic becomes something that can anchor the fourth line and make something happen.
As of right now it appears that Kulikov might be in for Morrow as he stayed after the morning skate to do some extra work which means he will likely slide in beside Myers on the third pair.
The Avalance are tied for 3rd in the Western Conference in goals scored with 53, 12 more than Winnipeg has scored in one extra game. When it comes to 5vs5 play the Avalanche rank 16th in the league and the Jets are 29th. And as any observant Jets fan knows the home team is having trouble scoring away from the power play.
What do we want?
5 vs 5 scoring!!
When do we want it?
Right now!!
That should be the latest chant at the Bell MTS Centre now as it's the biggest hinderance to the team's performance and record- they simply cannot score enough goals at 5 vs 5. To compound that problem the Jets have given up 26 goals in that situation.
If you look at any of the cool charts that some of the cool smart people make available for us lemmings you will see the Jets seem to be treading water in terms of driving play. They are not good, bad fun or dull, just there. In case you haven't, see below.
And..
Finally...
If you look at the second chart you see Vegas appears to be busting out as they are starting to push the pucks in the right direction yet they are not finding success. Look at chart three then and you will see that they like the Jets have a ridiculous low shooting percentage at 5 vs 5. Vegas is the worst and Winnipeg is second worst in the league.
There's something that needs to change and likely will given the talent on both teams but at least Vegas has started to push their shot volume up. That's a good sign and it's something Winnipeg lags behind on. By some accounts the Jets are often playing at even strength like they do on the power play losing to set up perfect shots and scoring chances rather than creating any chance and seeing what can happen. If you believe in creating your own luck then the Jets really aren't doin much to allow themselves to be lucky and perhaps looking more for quantity will lead to better quality.
As for the game tonight the Jets have to remember the Avs are far more than a one line team. They are dangerous, fast, and effective. They have played recently and are probably ready for the Jets, a team that should be itching to get on the ice, make amends for sloppy play and prove to the league they are who everyone thinks they are. Are you going to hold your breath for that?
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