These are interesting times for the Jets, when pressed by the better stronger clubs they seem to rise to the occasion so far this season. Even when coming up short they have battled hard and kept the game close, but what happens now when you play the outhouse and then visit the penthouse the next night?
The Jets play the Canadiens tomorrow night but not before the Blue Jackets tonight in Columbus. Ondrej Pavelec gets the start, so it is expected that Michael Hutchinson who has yet to lose a game starts tomorrow in Montreal.
The questions the Jets seem to be answering revolve around allowing the first goal in the game. It's a genuine curiosity but should it be concerning or is there a bigger thing to worry about?
I'd propose that the shot volume is more worrisome, both for and against, or that's what I thought.
The Jets are close in the shots attempts against vs shot attempts for in all situations at 562 vs 523 but when it comes to actual shots the spread becomes even less at 337 vs 299. The problem is the Jets are allowing more of them towards their goalies than they were last season and at what point does their on-ice shooting percentage and save percentage come back to earth? 10.7% and .923 respectively for a PDO of 103. All numbers from 'all situations'.
Are the Jets that great at shooting and stopping the puck now?
Last season the Jets had 100.5 PDO comprised of .913 save percent and 9.1 shooting percent- thus they were slightly above average but doing so differently. For the 2014-15 season they had a +89 shot differential right now they are -38 after 10 games. By shot attempts they were a +329 on the year vs -59 right now.
The bigger point here is when does the so-called shooting and save bubble burst? I ask this because what evidence do we have that anything the Jets are doing is historically sustainable by them or any other 15-16th ranked team from the previous season. Calgary is a great example of regression catching up to a team and will a micro version of that happen to the Jets?
IT would seem the game tonight is a let down game based on playing the worst team in the league to open a road trip, one that might be due for a bounce or two to go there way. When you face the best team the next night it would be easy to believe players are looking past the Blue Jackets towards the Habs. Thats the lesson the Jets have to learn, to find the target and leave them as road kill after you have left.
It's not as easy as that as depending on bounces, any team can and will beat any team on any given night in the NHL. If you are a team like the Jets you want to be one of those teams that wins more against the worst teams than you lose or tie in regulation. That's the goal tonight and the players know it but aren't really talking about it.
That's why the fear exists with the Jets, their winning based on hard work, effort and good fortune and only 2 of the 3 are controlled variables. Yes it's more cliche ideas about games but topics become cliche because they are so frequently relevant. In this case the PDO of the Jets is relevant and they will have to do more between the two nets if they want to keep their winning sustainable and that should be on display tonight. If it isn't there's some other questions that will need answers tomorrow.