No Really, THESE are the Jets Lines VS the Stars?
So after a brutal performance by all who wore non-goalie skates with a Jet image on their jersey the Winnipeg Jets regroup for a game tonight versus the smoking hot Dallas Stars. This is of course with new lines, or rather adjusted lines.
If you follow me on Twitter you will know that periodically I retweet some cool charts that are produced by DTMAboutHeart and others. One thing that those various charting models show is the Jets play a high-risk high reward game, i.e. ‘Fun and Good’. However that style of play had them taken to the woodshed in Minnesota.
The problem being is that the Jets are worried more about scoring than they are defense or that’s what Paul Maurice is talking about. It was clear in Minnesota as two consecutive Wild goals came via breakaways, one a shorthanded goal. Is that on the defence, the forwards or the system? I’d say Maurice needs to be asked about that too.
The Jets have been riding some ridiculously good goaltending of late and weather you believe that Pavelec was hung out to dry or not something was bound to change it’s just unfortunate that it came is such a dramatic and potentially confidence smashing manner.
Against Philadelphia at home Pavelec played well enough to have his team win with a .909 save percentage but then dropped a .667 against the Wild. Were the scoring chances that good? Well let’s assume that those two breakaways do not happen the bad news is still the same .800 with 2 goals on 10 shots.
This is not about ripping Pavelec but it’s fair to say that he was due to show some numbers that have many would say are historically accurate of his play. Leopards don’t change their spots. It happened and it should have been expected, but just not in that fashion.
What happened was the defensive zone coverage and play was abysmal- some one or thing has to answer for that and I’m not sure it’s just players who should be accountable. As Maurice was quoted saying “it’s not that we didn’t score 6 goals, it’s that we gave up 5,… and that should be something he and his assistants focus on. If the Jets are putting so much pressure to score goals, where is that coming from?
The discussions today have been about who should start tonight after the debacle in Minnesota and the point that most are missing is this… it’s not about confidence of one or the other. If a bad loss where most observers agree the goalie was left to fend for himself triggers a ‘who starts next game conversation’ the problem already exists!
The concerning thing tonight against the Stars is the apparent line shuffling that has been done.
Ladd Little Wheeler Perreault Scheifele Ehlers Stafford, Lowry, Thorburn Petan Copp, Burmistrov
And the subsequent quote from Stafford that says he hopes Thorburn will help him create more offensively. Oh boy.
The biggest issue here is the Jets need to be far more aware of their positioning from the defence and not allowing the Stars to stretch the game out. No doubt they have been practicing those stretch passes since Tuesday when the Wild carved the Jets up with them time and time again. Start there. That’s why the Jets are often looked at in those aforementioned charts as ‘Good and Fun’. They play a fund style of game and thus far have had good results because they are scoring (most nights) and getting the saves.
That being said when they don’t get the saves and they can’t score it gets pretty ugly. Tonight versus Dallas sets up to be a telling game, can the Jets adjust enough to fix an obvious and repeating flaw?