Most fans will stay up late to see how the Jets rebound after a disappointing SO loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night. It's a game where Carter Hutton certainly earned his first star despite not facing as many shots as his counterpart Laurent Brossoit. That being said perhaps the attention or focus on the Jets needs to be placed on the one line that seems to have the most trouble generating offense, Little Laine and ????

On ice Little has been an effective player yet not some one who seems to mix well with the sniper that is Laine. With zero 5 vs 5 goals and shooting percentage at 0, Laine's production woes should not be nothing less than alarming now that the team is almost 20 games into the season. Is it Little's fault for Laine's woes? Of course not, is it recent line mate Kyle Connor's or former line mate Nik Ehlers'? What about laying the responsibility on that of Lowry and Tanev?

What is happening with Laine is a bit of a mystery and frankly it makes almost no sense. He dropped weight in the summer (15lbs allegedly) and came to camp with a better attitude about nutrition (apparently) but has looked nothing like himself unless he's on the power play.


18-19 Stats (5v5)

CF 48.81%
SF 47.56%
GF 31.58%
SCF 49.75%
PDO .951
On-ice Sh% 5.13

16-18 Sats (5V)

CF 48.99%
SF 47.41%
GF 56.04%
SCF 48.96%
PDO 1.034
On-ice Sh% 11.51

Individual Stats

18-19 16-18

0% Sh% 15.25%
3.55/g iCF 3.36/g
1.83/g iSCF 1.67/g

It hurts when you do not score goals at 5v5 and that's what is killing Laine. If he moved up to even half of his shooting percentage form the previous two seasons things might be different but what's happening now is troubling and it has an effect on the team. Laine is a likable guy and he's as hard on himself as Paul Maurice ever is but something isn't right here. He's hardly engaged in certain plays, has very little motion to his game and seems to struggle on his positioning let alone decision making when in certain areas on the ice.

Zone exits are a particular sore point as are some of his passing decisions and then he's also a guy who wants the puck. None of these issues may be related and I don't think he is being frozen out of plays or opportunities but something is amiss.

Let's be clear too, Laine is being focussed on, and a lot. Teams are doing a ton to disrupt him and his play in many zones of the ice and it appears they are being successful. If goals are a key indicator then Laine had 4 by 18 games played last year and he was shooting 10% on his own. Take away his room, disrupt his space and he cannot join the play or help create it. That would seem to be the methodology employed by the opposition and it's hard to say its not working.

Without knowing what the coaches are saying to Laine the best guess is that they are giving him tips and ideas but wanting him to play through this phase, not worrying about production. They have moved him and then others to help disrupt some of the action against him but so far there are no immediate results.

Make no mistake that Laine is a shooter first above anything else. He is also a gifted puck handler but needs space to capitalize on his skills, so when it's gone so come the turnovers and failed plays. He only has 4 more giveaways (12) this year than after 18 games last year. What appears to be happening is Laine is not so much taking himself out of plays, his shot rates do not suggest that, but he is not capitalizing at the same pace as in previous seasons. He's on target more 74% of the time compared to 65% last year and his average distance of 36 feet has stayed the same.

Maybe he does need to play through this phase but he likely also needs some help and not by shifting lines or line mates but also tactics and that falls on the coaches.

Tonight the Jets get to see Elias Petterson for the first time this season. EP40 is set to break out of his mini 5 game scoring slump as the Jets visit the Canucks for the first time this season, Pettersn did not play in Winnipeg. The lines and defense combos remain the same and it will be curious to see if Maurice will use his 4th line in a more efficient capacity than on Friday.

Connor Hellebuyck has had three solid games in a row now and with Brossoit's stats now make up the best tandem in the league. Not bad for a guy Edmonton rejected and another who played to earn his deal last year.

If you haven't noticed the Jets are starting too look like the Jets a bit more in terms of their shot volume and pace of play. Last year after 18 games the Jets were 11-4-3 and currently they are 11-5-2 so they are not far off last year's point pace. In fact they have been a bit better in terms of underlying metrics but not on the score sheet. Last year Hellebuyck kept them afloat while they got sorted and this year it has been more on him to catch up. Now that he appears to be back in form, will the Jets go on their next run?

After 18 games the Jets were 2nd in the Central but by Christmas with another 9 wins they were only 3rd behind St. Louis and Nashville. It was after Christmas that the Jets began their rise to the top of the league and were in 4th place overall by January 25th 2018. Now is the time to watch and if Laine can start to figure his woes out, or perhaps just get some luck this team could be ready to take flight again.

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