Patrik Laine: A Special, Special Player

It's not like he doesn't deserve it, but here's some more sycophantic, pedestal-placing for Patrik Laine.  Hey, give me a break.  It's not like I've had a legit NHL phenom on my team since, oh, I don't know, 1994?

So cut me some slack if I want to praise the kid.

Morrissey Still Being Noticed

A while back, I posted a column by Tim Campbell on how Winnipeg Jets defencman Joshua Morrissey was quietly being noticed by the powers-that-be that he was a talented up-and-comer.  His work and commitment to excellence is still being noticed.  The Jets are going to be okay.

Jets Stopped By Leafs

Late post.  Sorry about that.  Especially to my daily reader in France.  One dude in France.  Awesome.  Hey buddy!

The Winnipeg Jets once again failed to put together a three-game winning streak during this past four-game road trip through the Eastern conference.  If they had defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs last Tuesday, the 21st, it would have been the Jets' second such accomplishment this season.
As it was, the Jets were able to secure six out of an eight possible points (two overtime losses versus Toronto and Pittsburgh and two regulation wins against Montreal and Ottawa) in this 5-4 overtime loss, to accumulate 62 points on the season thus far, but remain in fifth place in the Central division and remain six points behind Calgary and five behind St. Louis for the first and second wild-card spots, respectively.  The Jets grabbed five more points than I thought possible (given that Ottawa and Montreal are in a battle for first place in the Atlantic division)
Kudos to them.

It was a very good game, and for the fourth game in a row, the Jets were mostly disciplined and played a very. very good road game.

One thing about the Laine/Matthews "competition," is that Laine is winning.  More goals, more points and head-to-head, Patrik Laine has fared better.  Period.
In the first game against the Leafs on October 19, Laine had three goals, including the overtime game-winner.  In this game, he had two goals.  That's five goals in two games against the Leafs.  Matthews scored zero goals on Oct. 19, and had one assist.  Last Tuesday, he had three helpers.  The mighty Austen Matthews has yet to score on Winnipeg.  So in two games, Laine has five points:  5G, 0A, including a game-winner, mind you.  Matthews has four points: 0G, 4A.  Just sayin'.

So, once again, it was the Patrik Laine show against the Maple Leafs.  If Laine was playing in "the center of the universe," how much more attention and press adulation do you think he would be receiving?
Laine reached goal #30 for the year, setting a new Winnipeg Jets franchise record for goals in a season by a rookie.  That's right.  Not even Ilya Kovalchuck could best Patrik Laine in the rookie goals department when the franchise mark was set at 29 in 2001-02.

So Laine once again leads all NHL rookies in goals scored.  Mark Scheifele set up both of Laine's goals and has 37 assists this year to go along with his 25 goals.  Scheifele leads all Jets scorers with 62 points.  Bryan Little added to his total with his 17th on the power-play.  Nikolaj Ehlers got his 20th, on assists from Josh Morrissey and Blake Wheeler.


                
Through all the tribulations of this season, remarkably, the Jets still have a slim hope of reaching the NHL playoffs this season.  With other members of the Central division faltering even more than the Jets so far, the Jets still have a mathematical chance of slipping in.  Personally, as I've stated numerous times before, I still think they'll be edged out by Calgary or Los Angeles/Nashville; but right now, nobody is making any golfing reservations, so there's still hope.

Trouba Suspended

Jacob Trouba has been suspended two games by the NHL's Department of Player Safety for an "illegal check to the head" of the Ottawa Senators Mark Stone.  Trouba will not receive pay during this suspension.

Game Plan Continues As Jets Down Senators

Wow.  Was I ever wrong about the points being acquired on this recent road trip.  And am I glad I am.  I thought the Jets would maybe sneak a point out of Ottawa and nothing out of the other three games.  As it is, the Winnipeg Jets have continued their game plan of smart, hard-checking road hockey.

They defeated the Ottawa Senators this evening, 3-2.  It's the Jets fifth point out of a possible six so far on this trip away from the MTS Centre.  I think the success of this trip thus far is  not only the commitment of the Jets of this hard-nosed style, but the fact they always play up or down to the level of their opponent; or it seems.

They have one or two-goal games against Chicago, St. Louis and Pittsburgh, but lose to Arizona, Buffalo and Colorado.  That might explain the competitive vigour shown by the Jets on this four-game trip.  Pittsburgh and Montreal are clearly two of the upper echelon teams this season.  Ottawa isn't too shabby either.  It appears the Jets have continued that philosophy.  The Toronto Maple Leafs and Austen Matthews close out this road trip before the Jets head home to meet the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, February 28.

Mathieu Perreault scored for the second consecutive game about 11 minutes after Dustin Byfuglien scored his ninth of the season.  Josh Morrissey got the game winner with his third of the season.

Once again, I heard a fair amount of cheers from Jets fans in enemy territory.  The biggest crescendo seemed to have come at the end of the game when the Senators thought they scored when Jean-Gabriel Pageau pushed Hellebuyck's leg into the net, forcing the puck across the red line.  Sorry, that doesn't count.  It didn't when Byfuglien did it against Pittsburgh and it still doesn't.


               

Solid Game Lifts Jets Past Habs

Another solid road game from the Winnipeg Jets, this time resulting in a win by the score of 3-1 over the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre.

It could have been better for the Jets, as Patrik Laine was robbed twice by the glove hand of Carey Price. Laine did, however, net the empty-net insurance marker and his 28th goal of the season.  Laine now has five goals in his last three games.

Mathieu Perreault notched his fifth of the season, that ended up being the game winner. Joel Armia opened the scoring for he Jets with a neat short-handed, break-a-way deke on Price.  By the way, Dustin Byfuglien's assist on Perreault's goal was a beauty.  In his usual attempt of a strong-handed wrap-a-round, Buff managed to fight off three, count them, three Canadiens with one hand on his stick until he passed the puck to himself from his stick to his skates and kicked it to Perreault open in front of the net for his neat back-hand passed Price.

Connor Hellebuyck got the start and played solidly.  The Habs only managed five shots in the third period. Great defence by the Jets.

With this surprising win (the Habs seventh loss in eight games) the Jets now have three out of a possible four points on this current road trip.

As a side note, watching the game on CBC, it sounded like a fair amount of Jets fans in Montreal today when Armia popped that shorty past Price.

Presently, the Jets sit in fifth in the Central division, 10th in the Western Conference, with 59 points.  Two points behind Calgary for the second wild-card and three behind Nashville for the first wild-card.

Next up are the Ottawa Senators, who have been coming on as of late.

           

Jets Give Valiant Effort In Loss To Pens

The first period wasn't the best they did, as the Pittsburgh Penguins took a 2-0 lead by the end of the frame, but the Winnipeg Jets played a very good, disciplined, smart road game in a 4-3 overtime loss where Penguins captain Sidney Crosby captured his 1000th career point.

Of course it had to be against the Jets, right?

It had to be though.  Sidney Crosby wasn't going to be denied, especially at home.  He got the assist on Chris Kunitz's goal to secure his 1000th NHL point to make it 2-0.  Evgeny Malkin opened the scoring at 59 seconds in.  It looked like it was going to be a long night for the Jets.

But then the Jets took over.  They started banging and crashing, especially Adam Lowry who registered double digits in the hitting department.  It had an almost immediate effect, as the Jets took the momentum before scoring late in the second from Patrik Laine's 27th goal of the season.  He is now tied with the Maple Leafs Austen Matthews for the NHL rookie goal-scoring lead.

Paul Postma scored his first of the year and Dustin Byfuglien added his eighth, as the Jets took a surprising 3-2 lead.  With just over 11 minutes left in the third period, you know that wasn't enough to hold off the Stanley Cup champions.  They have too much talent and there was too much time left.

Before the Pens tied it up, the bigger Jets were smashing their way through the Penguins line-up as was said.  It was to the point where Malkin decided to try and rally the troops and do some hitting of his own.  He did so by laying out Blake Wheeler with an obvious, but un-called contact to the head when Malkin left his feet to deliver a big shoulder to Wheeler's jaw.  There came the dutiful retaliation by the Jets before Wheeler came to and tried to find Malkin beneath a pile of bodies near the Penguin bench.
Malkin sat for two for "interference."  I fully expect a review of that play by the NHL's Department of Player Safety.

Connor Hellebuyck got the start again as obviously expected.  He played very well and deserved a better fate.  Although I did clearly notice many Penguin shots close in were directed at Helle's five-hole.  As I have stated, that is his bane.  But he covered it well and plainly speaking, he can't be blamed for the tying and winning goals.  He didn't really have a chance on either of them.

So one point in game one of this four-game road trek.  Next up are the Montréal Canadiens at the Bell Centre.  A win last night would have given the Jets some much-earned momentum going into the Belle De Provence.  Will the Jets build on a good game or focus on a heart-breaking loss?  I believe they will do the former, but will add some extra zip if they're going to face Carey Price.  A win against the Habs, although unlikely, will secure three points overall on this trip (already squashing yet another one of my brave "predictions") and give the Jets their first win in Montréal since Feb. 2, 2014.  The Jets franchise is 8-21 against the Habs all-time in Montréal, so don't bet on it.

          

Laine's Third Hat Trick Gives Jets Win Over Stars

  In his first NHL season, Winnipeg Jets rookie sensation, Patrik Laine has now collected his third hat-trick of his career.  This time it was at the hands of the struggling Dallas Stars, helping his teammates to a much-needed victory by the score of 5-2.  It was Laine's second hatty against the Stars this season.

Laine opened the scoring in the first period with the help of a nice patient pass from Andrew Copp.  His second was with 5:07 left in the third, resulting from a wicked wrist shot from the face-off over the left glove hand of Antti Niemi. His third, and the game-winner, came from his own end on an empty-net.  The second empty-netter for the Jets tonight after Blake Wheeler got his 17th goal.

Mark Scheifele had a three-point night, as he helped on all three of Laine's goals.  Scheifele continues to lead the Jets with 25 goals and 28 assists for 53 points.  Laine sits in third in team scoring with 26 goals and 21 assists for 47 points.  Josh Morrissey had a terrific night as he added an assist as well as made key defensive decisions and blocked a scoring chance from the Stars'

Joel Armia also had a great game, as he was rugged in the corners while registering two shots on goal, including a one-timer from the high-slot off of Shawn Matthias' centering pass.  Armia now has seven points in eight games against the Stars.

Connor Hellebuyck got the start for the Jets and although he made 34 saves, including a couple of beauties off of John Klingberg and Tyler Seguin, and got the win; the Stars scored both of their goals through the five-hole which is a continuing problem for Hellebuyck.

Seguin continues to play well against the Jets as he scored his 15th goal in 18 contests against Winnipeg.  Jason Spezza recorded his 500th NHL point.

       

       

 The Jets finally turned the numbers on the points speedometer to reach 56 points for the season thus far at 26-29-4.  They're four points behind Los Angeles for the second wild-card spot and six behind Nashville for the first wild-card.  Close.  But not enough to the wild-card bunch to be a threat just yet. But it does get them closer.  However, the Jets need points like never before this season, and unfortunately, their next stop is facing a surging Sidney Crosby and his Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

I don't expect any luck against the Pens, especially when Crosby will be hungrily looking for his 1000th career point.  At home.  Sorry Jets, another crucial two points will evade you Feb. 16.  Two nights later in Montreal doesn't offer much more hope.  Les Canadiens are first place in the Atlantic division with 70 points and have Carey Price.  Add the fact that Winnipeg hasn't won in Montreal since Nov. 11, 2014, and you can kind of throw that one away.

I can see the Jets picking up one post-regulation point against the Ottawa Senators the next evening, and I really don't know what to expect in Toronto to rap up the four-game road trip, considering Laine and Austen Matthews will want to out do each other; especially Matthews, as you know he must want some redemption from the Leafs loss in Winnipeg on October 19th.

One to three points for the Jets in the next four games is my prediction.  I hope I'm wrong.

Four Straight Losses Have Jets Out Of Playoff Picture

With four consecutive losses, including the last two at home against the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday and tonight against a Tampa Bay Lightning squad that should have been ripe for the picking, the Jets are fading fast out of the hunt for the last playoff spot in the Western conference.

Before Friday, the Chicago Blackhawks trailed 4-0 in the season series against the Winnipeg Jets.  by the end of the night, the Hawks showed why the Jets domination over them may not have been a fluke, but the Hawks showed that they are still the better team.  A 5-2 loss not only snapped that streak, but put the Jets at a point that they now must win at last the next three games to have any chance of staying in the wild-card hunt.

       

Even after the loss on Friday night, the Jets remained at 54 points and were still only three points out of the playoff picture.  After tonight's 4-1 loss to the Lightning, the Jets are now officially in dire straights.

       

They face the Dallas Stars at the MTS Centre Tuesday, then embark on a four-game road trip to Pittsburgh, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto, before coming home to face the Minnesota Wild on February 28.
I do not expect the Jets to come home with any points from the trip.  In fact, the next time the Jets play at the MTS Centre after this next game against the Stars, I fully expect the Winnipeg Jets to be all but out of the playoff picture.  Perhaps not mathematically, but, they'll be done.

Jets Fall To Wild

It had to be this way didn't it?  it had to be that the Winnipeg Jets couldn't put a four-game winning streak together.  Was it because Minnesota is simply a better team?  Why, yes, it is frankly.  Or is it because the hockey gods simply don't want Jets fans to feel any semblance of satisfaction?  Maybe both.

In any event, the Winnipeg Jets were embarrassed yet again by the leaders of the Central division, 5-3 at the MTS Centre.  Starter Ondrej Pavelec let in three goals on 11 shots, and pulled himself out of the game with a lower-body injury.   Connor Hellebuyck, who came in for relief, fared better and actually gave the Jets a chance for the comeback.

The Jets made it interesting in the second period, as they drew close, scoring two before the period expired, but that's all they would produce, as they ran out of time and surrendered an empty-net goal to the Wild for their insurance marker.

Patrik Laine was invisible in this game, and coach Paul Maurice let him know it by cutting his ice time substantially for the rest of the game.  Laine took it in stride, acknowledging it was the coach's decision.

That brings up the point of, is Paul Maurice handling Laine (as well as Josh Morrissey, Nikolaj Ehlers and Nic Petan  the right way?

The Jets remain five points out of the last playoff spot, but incredibly still remain in the hunt.

Next up are the Chicago Blackhawks at the MTS Centre on Friday, February 10th.  Let's hope the Jets continue to have success against the Hawks for some desperately needed points.

        

Myers Out Another Six To Eight Weeks

Winnipeg Jets defencman Tyler Myers had an unknown procedure done to fix the lower-body injury that has kept him out of the line-up since November 11.

He's going to miss at least another six to eight weeks.

Jets Mail It In Versus Avs

In their first opportunity to win four consecutive games since April of last year, the Winnipeg Jets decided to play like a tier two junior team and a give a gift to the lowly Colorado Avalanche, losing 5-2 today in Denver.

Ondrej Pavelec should take some of the blame for the loss today as he went back to his old ways before he was sent down to the Manitoba Moose after training camp.  But he wasn't alone in this one.  The Jets defence core was anaemic  Pavelec was left hung out to dry too many times.  If it wasn't for him making more saves than he should have didn't help.  The stand-out save for him today was a wicked glove save off of Matt Duchene on a rebound from Jerome Iginla.

         

The fact that the Jets were out-shot 14 to 7 in the first period tells a big story.
The Avalanche were on a nine-game losing streak.  Combine that with the Jets unable to put more than three wins together and it was almost a given that the Jets were going to gift-wrap this one.

Adam Lowry was the loan Jet to bend the twine this afternoon, as he was able to score twice in the losing effort to up his total to nine on the season.

The Jets missed a big opportunity at some much-needed points today.  The loss leaves them remaining in fourth in the Central division for the time being.  They remain at 54 points, three behind the Calgary Flames for the second wild-card spot, with the St. Louis Blues in between with 55 points.

The Jets now come home to the MTS Centre to host the dangerous Minnesota Wild on Tues, February 7.

               

Jets Beat Stars To Win Three Straight First Time This Season

For the first time since April of 2016, the Winnipeg Jets have won three consecutive games.  It finally happened tonight in a very entertaining game against the Dallas Stars, taking two points out of the American Airlines Center, 4-3.

It was only the Jets second successful attempt at winning three consecutive games after going 1-17-2 in 20 tries, going back to last season's last-ditch attempt in the last four games of the season.

The last time the Jets won three consecutive games was when they won the last four games of the season last year.  It was a too little too late then, as the Jets missed the playoffs, but secured the lottery ball numbers they needed to jump four spots in the NHL Lottery to the second spot and secured Patrik Laine into their roster.

Mark Scheifele scored a couple (his 24th & 25th) after having a goal overturned due to an offside, extending his points streak to four games, with four goals and three assists in that span, taking the team lead in goals over Patrik Laine by two.  His second goal on the power-play turned out to be the game winner.

Along with Scheifele, three other Jets extended point streaks in this game, as Bryan Little scored to continue his streak to seven games, with eight goals in that stretch.  Patrik Laine extended his streak with two assists, to six games.  Laine also set up the opening goal by Bryan Little.  Mathieu Perreault also assisted on Little`s goal, as returned to the line-up after missing three games with a broken thumb suffered January 23rd. The third player is captain Blake Wheeler, who extended a point streak that includes seven points in four games, including five assists.

Laine made up for a penalty that resulted in a power-play goal by the Stars, with a nice feed to Ehlers, who one-timed it past Kari Lehtonen for his 19th of the year.

Ondrej Pavelec was outstanding tonight, although he let in two goals off of jicy rebounds, he twice made unbelievable glove saves, and a game-saving toe save on Jamie Benn, after Benn stole the puck from Lane and went in on a breakaway.
Right after that, Scheifele scored his second and game-winner.  The Stars out shot the Jets 14-3 in the third period, and Pavelec stood his ground to steal the win, making 39 saves.

With this win, the Jets remain in fifth place in the Central division with 54 points, one point behind the St. Louis Blues, who leap-frogged the Calgary Flames in the standings with a win over the Maple Leafs tonight, for the second wild-card spot.  After 54 games, the Jets sports a record of 25-25-4.

         

Jets Beat Blues For Fourth Time This Season

Just like their success against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Winnipeg Jets have dominated the St. Blues this season.  Last night's 5-3 victory was the fourth consecutive time this season the Jets have been victorious over St. Louis.  In fact, the Jets have been surprisingly dominant against the rest of the Central division this season, sporting a record of 12-4 against their division-mates.  This being the Jets' eighth straight against the division.  Their record against the Pacific division is another story all together.  And it's not a pretty one.

Patrik Laine, Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers all scored, putting in their 23rd, 23rd and 18th, respectively. Blake Wheeler (16th) and Jacob Trouba (4th) rounded out the scoring for the Jets.

Ondrej Pavelec had his fifth start in six games and played well.  He was solid on rebounds and flashed the leather on a wicked glove save off of Vladimir Tarasenko with just seconds left in the first period.

If only the Jets could play every game against Central division opponents.

The Jets now sit sixth in the Central division with 52 points, tied with the Dallas Stars.  They are still in the playoff hunt, as they sit two points out of the second wildcard spot, which is presently held by the Calgary Flames.