After winning four of five games to start the season, the Winnipeg Jets have crashed back to earth by beginning November by losing seven of their first eight games.
If the Jets are to return to the playoffs this spring, they’ll have to perform significantly better in the next three quarters of the season.
THE GOOD: If you aren’t prepared to get hit, it’s going to be a long night when you play the Jets. Physically, they’re one of the toughest teams in the league to play against. They’ve also got one of the league’s best lines leading the attack. The trio of Blake Wheeler, Bryan Little and Andrew Ladd have combined for 51 points through the first 20 games.
THE BAD: The Jets are a high-tempo team, but they’re often a half step behind the action. Head coach Paul Maurice wants his team to play with more pace without going over the top in terms of aggression.
“When you get into a habit of watching instead of moving…we’re just a little bit off it,” Maurice told reporters earlier this month. “We’re not attempting to cheat the game consciously. We’re not hanging guys out to dry because we don’t care. We push the envelope to try and score more goals. At times and you’re not left with anything you can control.”
Like Maurice said, the forward group is just a bit off its game. Another major issue for the team’s inconsistency has been poor goaltending. Ondrej Pavelec and Michael Hutchinson need to be better as the Jets are one of just five teams that are allowing more than three goals against per game.
Pavelec suffered what the team is calling a “lower-body injury” after colliding with the Coyotes Shane Doan on Saturday. As a result, the team recalled highly-touted goaltender Connor Hellebuyck from the Manitoba Moose on Sunday.
Also, outside of Dustin Byfuglien, the team isn’t getting enough production from its talented blue-line. Byfuglien’s five goals are more than respectable, but the rest of the team’s defencemen has a total of three though the first 20 games.
TRENDING: Based on their play in November, the Jets are trending downward. The Jets are in the mix in Travis Hamonic trade discussions. Perhaps shaking up the defence could be good not only for the short term, but the long term as well.
BOLD PREDICTION: Despite missing the playoffs, Wheeler will continue to score at his current impressive rate, finishing in the top 10 in the league in points, while setting a new career high in the process.
FIRST QUARTER GRADE: C+ The Jets are capable of more than they’ve shown. Their bottom six forwards leave much to be desired and it’s clear they miss the likes of Michael Frolik and Jiri Tlusty.
