Jets looking to get back to their standard of play against desperate Predators

WINNIPEG - So, what’s going on with the Winnipeg Jets?

As the Jets dropped consecutive games for the first time in nearly two months, the theories were swirling around about why the recently red-hot team had returned home on a high, only to suffer losses to injury-riddled versions of the Vegas Golden Knights and Washington Capitals.

There is a level of pessimism from segments of the Jets’ fan base that one might not expect from a team that’s rocking a record of 18-9-1 and still sits second in the Western Conference in win percentage (to the Golden Knights) and two points out of first place in the Central Division behind the Dallas Stars (while holding two games in hand).

For all of the discussion about putting last season in the rearview mirror, some folks simply can’t get over the recent trend of strong starts giving way to dropping back to the pack.

Ultimately, the Jets need to show they can continue to be a resilient bunch and not allow losses to fester into lengthier streaks as they continue a busy month that will soon spill over toward the midway point of the campaign.

There were some things that already had Jets head coach Rick Bowness standing at attention going into the 6-5 loss to the Golden Knights on Tuesday, as it pertains to the defensive structure.

He noticed some lapses against the Capitals and hoped things would be corrected, only to see multiple players sneak behind the Jets defence in the opening period to go in either on clear-cut or partial breakaways.

Although none of those opportunities alone resulted in goals, it reinforced Bowness’ belief that things have been a bit out of sync when it comes to the sorts of plays that have led to odd-man rushes of late.

Essentially that the forward highest in the zone (F3) has not been in lockstep with the defenceman that has been pinching down on the wall.

It’s not as blatant as ignoring the responsibilities altogether, but the timing has been a tad off and it’s resulted in some high-danger scoring chances that weren’t happening nearly as often just a week or two earlier when the systems play was getting faster and the reads becoming more instinctual.

“We're a step behind sometimes. And sometimes, the structure… Everything revolves around that F3 being high. Sometimes he's just getting caught too low and then it's a footrace,” said Bowness. “If you're above him, it's not a footrace. If you're too low and you get caught, it's a footrace, so we've really got to focus on getting that guy -- and that's what we did in the second and third -- getting him much higher, so that we're not getting into those footraces and our D has to make those reads so that nobody does get behind them.”

When the Jets are at their best, they’re playing fast - getting through the neutral zone with pace - in both directions.

The Capitals did an excellent job of clogging up the neutral zone on Sunday, an important step in ensuring the Jets struggled to find their skating legs.

The Golden Knights were also pretty efficient when it came to zone exits, which meant that both of those opponents minimized the impact of the Jets’ forecheck.

Goal scoring hasn’t been an issue, as the Jets produced seven goals during the past two games (even if one of those goals came with the goalie out in favour of an extra attacker with 1.7 seconds remaining on Tuesday).

Widening the sample size, the Jets have notched five or more goals in seven of the past 10 games.

That outburst leaves them just outside the Top-10 in goals per game (3.36) and the Jets have five players producing at or near a point-per-game pace - Josh Morrissey (who is fifth in the NHL in assists with 27 and also leads all D-men in that category), Kyle Connor, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele (who notched his sixth career hat trick on Tuesday and leads his team with 18 goals).

As much as he’s enjoyed the increase in offence, Bowness believes it’s important for the Jets to gain some more experience in those low-scoring, tight-checking games - the kind that becomes more prevalent when the stakes are higher.

“Go back to the last Stanley Cup winning games, they’re 2-1, 1-0, not 6-5 or 6-4. You have to be comfortable playing in those games when you get there,” said Bowness. “You have to be able to play that game throughout the regular season, so when you get into a 1-0, 2-0, 2-1 game, you’re comfortable with it, knowing you’ll still get plenty of scoring opportunities.”

One of the many reasons the Jets have built some breathing room is the substantial improvements shown while shorthanded, but the penalty kill gave up one power play goal on Sunday and two more goals in the third period on Tuesday, breaking a 4-4 tie on a pair of man-advantage markers from Jonathan Marchessault, including one that ultimately provided the game-winning goal after initially acting as an insurance marker.

Even with the Jets’ PK springing that leak, they went into Monday’s action fifth in the NHL in terms of efficiency (81.6%).

On the subject of rare off nights, the Jets’ undisputed backbone - goalie Connor Hellebuyck - wasn’t as dialled in as usual on Tuesday, allowing five goals on 32 shots on net.

He’s given up nine goals during his past two starts and judging by the look on his face as he walked briskly out of the arena on Tuesday, he figures to be highly motivated to get back to the form he’s shown in quickly working his way into the Vezina discussion.

Recent hiccup aside, Hellebuyck is 14-7-1 this season with a 2.45 goals-against average and .926 save percentage while remaining among the league leaders in goals saved above expected (13.0, which leaves him fourth in the NHL behind Karel Vejmelka of the Arizona Coyotes, Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders and Linus Ullmark of the Boston Bruins), according to Money Puck.

Hellebuyck had given up two goals or fewer in his five previous starts, including a 5-0 shutout against the Colorado Avalanche, so his overall body of work indicates that he can be counted on to deliver results.

Another way to potentially help clean things up in front of Hellebuyck against the Nashville Predators on Thursday to wrap up this three-game homestand might come after another subtle tweak to the defence pairings.

Although Bowness was looking for a bit more scoring balance when he made the last switch, reuniting Brenden Dillon and Nate Schmidt while putting the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs pairing of Dylan Samberg and Neal Pionk back together might provide a little jolt.

Though coaches would never openly welcome a series of losses with open arms (at least not publicly) the reality is that every team in the NHL goes through challenging stretches over the course of the season and how those teams combat the incoming adversity often is a determining factor in whether or not they can remain among the contenders.

The Jets will surely be focusing on getting back to their own standard when they face the Predators for the first time this season.

And while it won’t have the same cache as a first-place showdown in the Western Conference, you can be sure the Jets recognize one of their rivals is already in desperation mode, scratching and clawing to remain in the playoff race.

That means starting on time and playing a crisper game will not only be an objective for the Jets, but rather a necessity to avoid the first three-game skid of the campaign.