|
2nd Loss in a row- questions for team and coach |
|
|
|
|
|
Last night the Winnipeg Jets faced a team that in theory they should have beat considering the conditions with the Panthers roster and the need for a rebound after a lacklustre effort by the Jets versus Detroit.
Rookie goalie Eric Comrie, who was called up from the Manitoba Moose, started and the team in front of him seemed to mirror the nerves he might have had. Within the first 4 minutes it was 2-0 for the Panthers as Comrie could not stop a shot and then the rebound after another. His efforts were only compounded by the confusion in front of him by his team as the Jets looks more like the start of the Detroit team, and unfortunately Jets teams of old.
By the end of the first the team had come back to tie the game 2-2 and then managed to get a lead in the second before Florida tied it up again with a goal from Malgin. The Panthers took the lead before Laine tied the game with his 15th of the year but again the Panthers were resilient and but the Panthers responded again taking the lead before Trochek sealed the win with an empty net goal.
So there is the summary but what does it all mean?
The Panthers controlled the possession game until the third period when the Jets poured it on and obviously some score effects/protecting a lead came into effect. The Panthers had for High Danger Chances and with their success early made the Jets play catch-up.
Is it too early to be concerned about Comrie? Yes, but there is reason to suggest he's also not ready either for the speed of the NHL. To quote a phrase from a few years ago, 'he's just not ready yet'.
The interesting thing about the game was the Panthers came out exactly as one would expect, looking to make life difficult for a rookie goalie after a lop-sided loss the game before. It worked and the Jets were seemingly oblivious to the obvious strategy against them. To their credit they did no buckle and managed to take the lead but they could not hold it.
Was that a case of the goalie or the team? That's for Paul Maurice to figure out but now that he and the team face the first real adversity since the 0-2 start.
At this point, facing the best team in the league next game, the Jets have an opportunity to play a 'character game'. Oh what a cliche that is but how else does one describe it?
The challenge will be what Maurice does to rally his team. Is it to make them take a conservative approach to the game, slowing the pace and trying to eliminate scoring chances while keeping shots to the outside? This was what the team did at the start of the season when they lost to Toronto and Calgary.
Since then the Jets have slowly built a positive possession approach to games while scoring and and managing shots- basically they have increased their pace of play and had success with it. Does Maurice change that, do the players bring a more cautious attitude and approach? Cautions versus complete seems to be the concern and one can allow for far more action against you while the other, complete, can enable players to see the details needed to be managed to be better. The details the last two games have not been managed well.
Call this next game whatever cliche works best for you but also take a closer look at the game. Look at how Tampa plays the Jets and how the Jets respond and adapt. Both the Wings and Panthers played a high pressure game forcing the Jets into mistakes and taking risks. The Jets lost their control of the game to a certain degree and if they want to find success they have to get it back. That's on them but it's also on the coaches giving the players tactics to use to overcome what the opposition presents.
It's not just on the players anymore, these games are like chess now and strategy and tactics are just as important as execution- maybe more important when facing a team like Tampa Bay.
Winnipeg Jets Blogger •Winnipeg Jets Writer • 
Join the Discussion:
»