Jets' Connor confident he'll start lighting the lamp soon

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Kyle Connor trusts that this dry spell isn’t going to last much longer, and there’s a good reason for that.

The Winnipeg Jets sniper has a solid track record to lean on when things aren’t going quite as smoothly as he’s used to. He also knows the work that he’s putting in on a daily basis to build on what he did in the off-season.

Connor recognizes how tough it is to score goals consistently in this league, but he also knows that it really only takes one shot or scoring chance for the next hot streak to arrive.

So when the Jets (3-3) open a three-game road trip on Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings (4-4), you can be sure Connor won’t be squeezing the stick a little harder and won’t be wasting any time wondering when his next goal is going to come.

As Connor mentioned earlier this week, when the scoring chances start coming -- like they did in Monday’s tidy 4-0 victory over the St. Louis Blues when he produced five shots on goal and eight shot attempts and even in Saturday’s 4-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he ripped a one-timer off the shoulder of Ilya Samsonov -- finding the back of the net usually follows shortly thereafter.

Since Connor scored an empty-netter in the season opener against the New York Rangers, the 2015 first-rounder has gone five games without a goal and has two assists during that span.

But he’s up to 20 shots on goal for the campaign and he doesn't figure to be hovering around a five-per-cent shooting percentage for much longer -- not when you create the type of scoring chances Connor does or own the set of hands that he has.

“It’s amazing how quick he gets out of his spins and out of his turns and how much space he can create for himself by doing that. It’s really impressive, the way that he’s able to create space for himself is up there with the top guys in the league,” said Jets defenceman Nate Schmidt.

“I mean, you remember the big shooting guys like Buff (Dustin Byfuglien) and Patty Laine on the team, but you don’t really realize it until you get on his team (just) how good (Connor’s release) actually is. It’s just the release. Obviously he’s got a hard shot, but his release is up there as well. It’s really special.”

Jets defenceman Brenden Dillon spent a season playing on the Washington Capitals with the best goal scorer of his generation, Alex Ovechkin.

Although Connor and Ovechkin do things a bit differently, they have an important thing in common -- they don’t need much room to beat a goaltender.

“For a guy like Ovi, it’s a heavy and hard release. For Kyle, it’s so quick and deceptive,” said Dillon. “He’s the kind of guy where if he’s coming down on you on a two-on-one or a three-on-two, he can pass it from the same position he’s shooting it.

“It’s an elite, very on target shot. For those types of players, to see a hole is one thing, but to put it there during the fastest game on earth, there’s a reason those guys are as good as they are.”

And it’s not just an elite release that Connor brings to the table either, even if his best quality is tough for even his teammates to pinpoint.

“I don’t know. I would say his all-around skillset, really. When I say that, it’s his speed, his scoring, hands, hockey sense,” said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey. “I think he’s underrated in that ability. Everyone sees the moves or the shot or the plays, but his hockey sense is what allows him to make those plays happen. You come across a lot of players with lots of high skill, but they can’t ever produce. His ability to have that hockey sense might be his best quality actually and that’s pretty high praise when you look at his hands and other skills.

“Although his game is sometimes flashy, he’s not a flashy guy. He just comes to work every day, is always ready to try and improve on his game. Every year he comes back the next season, he’s got more skill or ability in certain ways and he just goes about his business and does it at an elite level every day and that’s something that when you go through the rigours of the NHL season, that’s tough to do. But he’s found a way to be at an elite level very consistently.”

After delivering a career-high 47 goals and 93 points in 79 games last season, it was natural to wonder if Connor might be a candidate to hit 50 this season, especially when you consider a late bout with COVID-19 kept him out of three games.

Earlier this month, Connor was asked if he allowed himself to wonder if that three-game absence cost him a landmark moment.

“You can play the what-if game all you want but I don’t dwell on that. It’s a waste of thought,” said Connor. “Like I’ve said before, I don’t really put limits on (how many goals) I’m going to score because you put a ceiling on yourself. My sense is that there’s always another level (to reach). There’s always the sense (that) I should have scored on that shot. The way I’m shooting it and the way that I think in my brain, I want that one back.”

Connor has worked hard to diversify his scoring ability and not rely on one-timers as his primary source of production or to be predictable.

“You have to. In this league (players) are so quick and so they’re so good defensively, too,” said Connor. “They’ve got everybody watching tape and if you score two or three goals one way, (teams) are going to be keying on it or trying to shut it off. You’ve got to find different ice and different ways to score goals, whether it’s getting to the net for rebounds or being able to shoot with different releases or catching a puck on your backhand and making a play.”

Jets centre Mark Scheifele has been a regular linemate of Connor’s and has come to appreciate many of the things he brings to the rink on a daily basis.

“He's a guy that always wants to learn. He always wants to get better. You see after practice, he's a guy that always wants to work on new things. Work on his shot, passing, whatever it is. Under the radar, (Connor) works on his game more than anyone,” said Scheifele. “He's a fantastic player. He does it all and he's a really fun guy to play with.

“He can shoot, he can pass, he has a good stick, he can PK, he can do it all and that's what makes him so dangerous. Any time he's on the ice, there's a chance he can break free and score or break free and make a nice pass.”

Obviously, Connor isn’t flying under the radar these days and he’s garnering plenty of attention from the opposition’s top defence pairings and shutdown lines, but that’s not a new development.

“It’s something you take pride in, but it’s also something where I love the challenge. You want to go against the best and be the best,” said Connor. “You’ve got to outscore them and you’ve got to do what you can do.

“Nothing changes for me. I haven’t changed how I approach it or how I do anything. I still think I can improve every single day. It’s not like I’m relaxing or saying I got to a certain point. I’m a motivated guy when it comes to trying to get better as a hockey player every day.”

Jets associate coach Scott Arniel will continue to run the bench for this road trip as head coach Rick Bowness remains back in Winnipeg recovering from COVID-19.

Arniel told reporters on Wednesday that Nikolaj Ehlers is expected to miss all three games on the road trip, though he is travelling with the team.

That means Connor and Scheifele will continue to skate alongside Mason Appleton on the Jets’ top line.

“We obviously know the type of player (Ehlers) is. Not only us, it affects the whole team and everybody playing with him. That being said, that happens throughout the course of the year and you’ve got to be ready for it,” said Connor. “Every single year, you go through stuff like that. No excuse. We’ve got to play with what we have.”