Back in 2011, remember those heady times that wonderful autumn, when the Jets were streak breakers and teams would watch their streaks come to an end. That happened again 3 years later but this time it was the Jets laying down the welcome mat for the Devils to break their Shoot Out loss streak, one that stood at 18 games.
Don't put this one on Pavelec, however you may want to put the captain, Andrew Ladd under some scrutiny.
It was Ladd who could not handle an easy pass at the top of the circle in the Jets end, one that Jacob Trouba made in an attempt to get the puck out of the Jets zone. Not only did Ladd bobble the pass, he looked (at by his reaction on the ice) to not care as Ryder picked it up and came back in on Pavelec and undressing Mark Stuart. Ladd did not stop and turn to make an effort to hustle back, he did a fly-by and then reached with his stick. It was Ovechkin-like.
While that goal tells you all you need to know about he Jets effort in the final five minutes to put the game away let alone prevent a goal it does not really tell you how they got there.
Missed Opportunities.
The Jets had their chances, oh did they ever, but Cory Schneider of the Devils locked it down. He kept everything out and faced all shots and rushes head on. Blake Wheeler will probably have nightmares as will Mark Scheifele. I'd add Kane in too but I doubt he's scared of anything.
The issue at hand is how the Jets could not capitalize on play they appeared to match in trap style and opportunity. But until the end the Jets were matching the Devils in play.
What you won't see here is the chance vs opportunity the Jets had to win this game. There were chances and then there were opportunities. I look at these words as different parts of the game when it comes to scoring.
First the puck as to have a chance of going in for a scoring opportunity to be a chance- at least as I see it. So when one looks at the 'home plate' area of the ice as the scoring chance area I see it as the scoring opportunity area; meaning that's where you get the puck for the best chance to score.
The Jets did that a lot last night. They moved the puck up the ice, regained possession deep and had their rushes but could not, with any meaningful frequency turn opportunity into chance. Enstrom was on the guilty parties as late in the game he had the puck in the slot almost at the hash marks and dished it off! No shot in prime position at all. He killed a chance and that was really the theme for the Jets.
Passes were unnecessarily made, shots not taken and opportunities were lost. That's hockey and while the Jets had opportunities they did not have the luck when they turned those opportunities into chances. Mark Scheifele beat Schneider but could not beat the post/crossbar in the second period. Blake Wheeler undressed the Devils defense and Schneider but could not beat the net and post. Passes, that were the right ones to make didn't get through clean or were off target as well.
All of these things add up to luck and last night the Jets didn't have it last night despite a good effort and that's the way some games go. Could they have won? Yes the opportunity was there but it was not the missed shots that cost them the game in the end it was the bobbled pass and lackadaisical effort to recover the puck that did. One of those things is more easily corrected than the other let's see if that happens.
Winnipeg Jets Blogger •Winnipeg Jets Writer • 
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