Jets aren’t Good, Yes they Are!
Winnipeg is abuzz lately because something that hasn’t happened since the return of NHL hockey to the prairie city is happening: the Jets are fading. Maybe an 8-2 win over the Panthers, a game in which the lone significant free agent singing from last summer had 4 goals, masks problems but something is different.
Even though there was doom and gloom just a week ago as the Jets had lost to the Sharks at home, albeit with 4.5 seconds left in the game, then a 4-1 loss to Arizona before two shootouts vs LA and Anaheim. Yes we’ve looked backwards at the road trip and moved on when Perreault nearly made a school principal in Brandon a millionaire through the Safeway Score and Win contest but have we really understood what the Jets are about now?
James Mirtle had some recent thoughts on the Jets and how they are the Real Deal. This is not some in depth fancy stats piece, rather it's a smart well constructed essay by one of the best hockey writers in Canada.
Here’s why using non-traditional data in the process of analytical analysis is important and necessary now: it explains this past 12 days for the Jets very well.
Long before this season no one would have expected the Jets to compete with the likes of the Sharks, Kings and Ducks. In fact previous meeting haven’t been that spectacular this season but the Jets moved on under the systems and guidance of Paul Maurice. They weathered injuries to their top 5 defense players and still kept pace. Their have been recent lumps but go read James Mirtle’s piece, if you haven’t already, and come back here for my next part.
Progress Explained
In the previous meetings between the Jets and LA, SJ and ANA the Jets had been outscored in 15 to 5 with one points to show for it. Since December those first 4 games the Jets allowed 12 goals (including a SO goal) and scored 11 (including a SO goal) and earned 3 points in 3 games. What they did between the beginning of the season and now, through significant injuries, is close the gap between them and some of the NHL’s best and consistent teams in terms or results and possession.
The Jets are what so many in the ‘numbers’ game are trying to say and perhaps those who are still hold outs may begin to see it- improve your possession and some other key metrics and you will have a better chance to win. Is that not what is happening with the Winnipeg Jets right now?
In fact, it’s exactly what the Maple Leafs are trying to do under their new interim head coach. It’s what so many across the blogosphere and beyond have been saying for a while, give the process a chance. As for Winnipeg do we know how they achieved this change?
Through some effort it’s been said to me that the Jets may be employing a new process or two in terms of managing the data from the NHL and what they collect themselves. While the exact information is still much like the KFC recipe or that of Coca Cola, hidden and protected, what the Jets are doing with it is starting to become known. Caution though nothing is confirmed here, just some speculation from people who have some limited knowledge.
The belief is that head coach Paul Maurice is getting live updates or information between periods to help him adjust tactics in-game. That same information is used to develop the overall strategy and player usage for the Jets over the course of the season and aligned with systems of Maurice. What happens now is that there is rarely a deviation from the plan. Certainly events happen in the game that force short-term deviation but the Jets are able to stay the course and follow the flight plan. That plan is keeping them in more games than out and giving them ore points where in the past they have had few. That’s progress and it’s part of the reason why media outside of Winnipeg are beginning to take notice of the Jets.
As we head into the all-star break and move towards the trade deadline and stretch it’s something worth watching as part of a personal eye-test. Are you seeing what Mirtle and others are detailing? It’s not so much a plea to accept statistical work and the analytics process but give them a chance. The Jets did, and the results are beginning to pay off.