Can the Jets stark a streak tonight vs Avs?
Fans must be feeling a bit of optimism based on the fact the Jets have won 2 games straight, and on back-to-back nights. After lethargic and lacklustre performances on Sunday and Tuesday last week the Jets came back to life against Nashville and Minnesota with a 5-4 OT win and a 1-0 win.
Now before anyone gets too excited about the idea of optimism, it’s a relative idea based on some recent good news, i.e. two wins. Remember too that for a significant portion of fans keeping in the race is all they need, and for some all they want. They want a reason to cheer for ‘their Jets’ and while I disagree with that position it’s not something I want others to feel bad about. If the goal is to be a top contending team then there are more than a few ways to achieve that position and hanging on is not one of them. At least in my opinion.
Regardless of arguing about process the Jets are in the rare position so far this season of starting a win streak. Tonight they host the Avalanche at home and then the Predators on Thursday, a week to the day they beat them 5-4 on OT. That would be 4 wins over Central Division rivals and a huge 8 points while minimizing the direct competition in the division. Team ‘hang on’ would love this and so might management.
The issue tonight and perhaps a bit longer into the future is the absence of Scheifele, Stafford and Lowry who are all banged up and Scheifele is on IR too. Up from the Moose come Lipon and Cormier, but only the former is intriguing.
By now the Jets know what they have in Cormier and it’s not enough to hope he becomes something, he isn’t going to become anything now. What should be concerning is he is the goto call-up for some time now and that speaks to depth again, that old tired topic.
Lipon is a different case. This game should he play and it appears he will on the 4th line with Copp and Peluso, would be his first NHL game. For those who saw Lipon in the pre-season games he played with an edge and ferocity that is either something the Jets can learn from so as to not take penalties or adds to the disaster that seems to regularly happen.
The lines tonight as reported by Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun from the morning skate are:
Ladd Little Wheeler Armia Perreault Ehlers Thorburn Burmistrov Halishuk Lipon Copp Peluso
Trouba Byfuglien Enstrom Myers Stuart Chairot
#freepostma
It’s a patchwork on the front end, something that is far more common to the Jets on the back end. The depth is being tested and the abuse that Raffl has taken this AHL season and subsequent injuries have made it hard to use the one depth signing the Jets made. It’s not an ideal situation and with the extra defenseman that seems to sit in the press box night after night one has to wonder if Chevy is even taking calls to shore up his forwards. It’s not likely as injuries to all three players are not expected to be long-term which is good news. But it presents a dilemma: what if they are repeating short term problems? Does picking up a depth forward now hurt long term if roster gets healthy or does it hurt roster by not picking anyone up?
Rumours abound that many teams are looking for depth defense and the Jets have that in Postma, Pardy and Harrrison. Moving one of more of those players may not be the worst move but it comes at a risk too; can the Jets weather anything should injuries hit the defense? Depth is tested again.
Go back to the optimists and the group that just wants the Jets to hang on in case they can make a run to the post season- they love this kind of risk if the aim is to win now and fight on. That’s not what #teamjetstank wants- it flies in the face of treading water and hoping good things will happen.
A win tonight and one on Thursday though may shift the goal posts for Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff as he inches closer to the trade deadline. It might not be enough to solve the Byfuglien and Ladd contract riddles but it might be enough to get him doing something. The argument then becomes just what should that something be.