With two wins in a row, albeit one being a shootout win, suddenly fans are upbeat about the Jets as they head into Vancouver for two games, tonight and Thursday. In the last outing the top line had 7 points combined, the goalie played well and all of a sudden everyone has short memories.
Never forget.
On any given night in the NHL one team can beat another. The only difference between the good and bad teams is the good ones do more winning than losing. It sounds simple enough but it really is, and so far after 34 games played the Jets have shown no real tendency to being a winning team or a losing team. They are simply a middling group.
So what's to think that the Jets will somehow come in and take two wins from Vancouver while on the road? They have a 5-10-2 road record with some big wins in Chicago and St. Louis but that's not saying much. They have also lost on the road to some dubious teams too.
Let's look at the ingredients that are present in this recipe for disaster.
Away game- check Christmas break coming- check Same city for 4 days- check Coming off two wins- check Played most games in league- check
At least we can take injuries off the list.
There's too many things that both the team (players) and fans need to consider with these two games and that's why it's no a freebie despite Vancouver's record.
Consider that the Canucks just lost in OT to the red hot Blue Jackets what makes Jets fans confident? These are trap games, with organizations and their fans lulled into a sense of security and then it's too late.
Be honest, how often has that happened to this franchise since it moved from Atlanta? Too many and why does it stop now? Here's some reasons.
The team is getting rest, finally. Paul Maurice may have been right when after the loss in Edmonton he gave his charges two days off to regroup. Now they have had Monday as a travel day and Tuesday as game day with Wednesday likely a light day too.
They are on the road. Yes there could be a little pre-christmas hi jinx but it could also be some R & R time too with a chance for players to relax and recharge away from the distractions at home.
It's the same opponent twice. While there are adjustments and changes to tactics that can be made between games the benefit of not having to adjust to a new opponent a day later can be a bit of a mental break.
It's also the Canucks. They are a mess from the coach to the roster and with injuries and let's not even get into the GM. This is a team the Jets should believe they can beat.
There's the big part though, having that belief. It's one thing to believe it's whole other to simply believe you should win without understanding how you need to play to win. That's where the fear comes in, and the reason the Jets may be where they are in the standings: believing they can win but not following through to support that belief.
The next two games are not a 'test' in any way but if the Jets are to change the trajectory of this season these games present a good opportunity to start that change. They are an indicator of if the team has caught up on rest, learned from mistakes and adjusted accordingly. If not it's back to the drawing board for the fans and team if they have perhaps there's a little more reason to be optimistic as we head into 2017.