Doghouse to Penthouse in 4-2 win over Leafs
That was the line in the post game interview from Paul Maurice as he described Alexander Burmistrov taking a late penalty in the game and then scoring the eventual game winner as he came out of the penalty box. “That was a perfect example of going from the dog house to the penthouse’ was the direct quote.
The Jets often looked like they were in the doghouse themselves throughout the game as they fought the tenacious forecheck and system of the Leafs, one that forced the Jets to a dump and recover tactic as opposed to carry-in possession.
The fascinating thing about the game was that the Jets looked to struggle with the Leafs at times, getting hemmed in and not being able to get the puck down to the other end of the ice. But they did not seem to lose the possession battle and even the scoring chance battle. The number don’t lie here, yet last night my eyes told me differently.
This may be due to how the Leafs prevented zone entries by the Jets and forced the visitors to play a different style that may have looked less effective. What happened after the first period was the Leafs were able to slow the game down from a shot attempt perspective but in doing so they too slowed down there production. In the end it appeared the Leafs were able to flatline the Jets offense but the trade off was they could not get theirs going either and thus the difference boiled down to some chance and goalies.
The Jets won on a play that was as likely to happen as a big win on a scratch lottery ticket. The powerplay was coming to the end and Bryan Little was able to get the puck and get it out as Burmistrov was coming out of the box. Timing is everything and this was timed perfectly if it was even intended.
As for the aftermath of the goal here’s the video of the exchange post-game between Maurice and Burmistrov.
The good news is the Jets won but there are some questions that linger as to how they are being shut down in certain ways by opposition. The other question, at least from those more numerically inclined is the possession disaster of Mark Stuart and Jacob Trouba, both of whom had very tough nights from a possession stand point. The conversations and murmur are about if Trouba is injured and playing through it, but if you want to look at something else read
NHL Defensemen and Aging. Perhaps the problem is not the younger player but his aging partner?
The sub question on this matter should be about Stuart and has time finally caught up to him? That’s a topic to be explored later but evidence is starting to mount Trouba might need to be separated from Stuart if the Jets want to benefit from his full skill set.
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