'We expected a long series': Jets well prepared for momentum swings vs. Golden Knights

LAS VEGAS - Punch, meet counterpunch.

As the Winnipeg Jets got set to fly home after splitting the first two games of the best-of-7 series with the Vegas Golden Knights, Josh Morrissey took a few moments to address a group of reporters at a downtown hotel on to explain where he felt his team was at on the heels of a 5-2 loss on Thursday night.

“Coming in here we expected a long series and we’re excited to have home ice advantage coming home,” said Morrissey. “There are some things we can clean up. We’re a hard gap defensive team. Throughout the first game and certainly the first period I think we took away a lot of time and space and didn’t give them a lot of room.

“They’re a very good team, they finished where they did in the standings for that reason, and there are going to be momentum swings in the series. They played well, give them credit, and now it’s a five-game series.”

The Jets landed the opening punch, surviving an early push before settling in and playing a fast and structured game as they cruised to a 5-1 victory in Game 1.

On Thursday, the Jets had an outstanding start, building a significant edge in shots on goal as they scored first and had several opportunities to extend the lead.

Golden Knights goalie Laurent Brossoit stood tall, thwarting those efforts while allowing his teammates to find their respective footing before William Karlsson evened the score.

Jack Eichel entered the chat, Mark Stone did some Mark Stone things and the Golden Knights stars took centre stage.

The Jets’ big guns never really found an answer - and now it’s time to find out what they will respond as the last change will now belong to head coach Rick Bowness for the next two games.

Through the first two games, the Jets have no issues whatsoever with secondary scoring, with Adam Lowry leading the way with three goals and fourth-line pivot Kevin Stenlund adding the tying goal on Thursday.

As the series continues, the Jets need contributions throughout the lineup, but the stars are going to need to shine brightest.

“Every team relies on their top-line players. It’s not just our team, it’s every team in the playoffs,” said Jets head coach Rick Bowness. “Your better players are the difference makers. They had great games coming into the playoffs, they had a great Game 1, and those top guys will get going again.”

Jets left-winger Kyle Connor scored the first goal of this series and racked up eight shots on goal through the first period and a half of Game 2.

His best chance came after a beautifully executed individual effort that saw him dance past Alex Pietrangelo and make a move to the backhand that was ultimately stopped by Brossoit.

Mark Scheifle has not recorded a point in the series thus far.

A strong opener didn’t carry over into Game 2, but off nights happen, even to the most skilled players.

Pierre-Luc Dubois was involved physically, though he wasn’t quite as noticeable as he was when he was the best player on the ice from either team in Game 1.

"I can't really pinpoint one specific shift or whatever. I think it's just some mistakes,” said Dubois. “When you make one, you want it to stop at one. You don't want it to get further than that. One mistake led to another led to a goal, so on and so forth. We didn't play horribly. It's some easy mistakes that we can fix."

The Jets’ second line, which provided a critical insurance marker from Blake Wheeler in Game 1 with Vladislav Namestnikov and Nino Niederreiter, had a quieter night on Thursday as well.

Whether the Jets could get a boost from the return of dynamic winger Nikolaj Ehlers (undisclosed upper body issue) for Game 3 remains to be seen, though Bowness said he was hopeful medical clearance - the final hurdle - may occur.

The addition of Ehlers could provide a lift in a similar fashion to what the Golden Knights got from Stone in Game 2.

“Yeah obviously there are always injuries at this time of year and you’re playing without key guys. He’s a key player for us. We’ve had the same mentality all year, whoever is out of the line-up, whoever is in, we try to play the same way,” said Morrissey. “It’s that next guy up mentality. He’s a good player and we miss him, but when anyone isn’t in the line-up, there’s’ nothing you can do. You can’t hang your (head), you have to go out there and try to play the same way.”

Game 2 was a more physical game, with the two teams combining for 137 hits.

There were also plenty of post-whistle scrums, discussions and pleasantries exchanged.

"It's part of the playoffs. It's part of what makes it exciting. It makes every game very intense. You create little rivalries even within the game,” said Dubois, who was asked to weigh in on whether or not the amount of chirping was on the rise. "Yeah, maybe a little bit. That's usually where it goes. I feel like Game 1, you either go to the extreme because both teams are trying to set the tone or both teams are trying to feel each other out. (Thursday), we kind of got closer to the extreme of it."

That intensity only figures to get ratcheted up further, given what is on the line for both teams.

“Playoff hockey, I think. You look around the league and every series has that going on,” said Morrissey. “You have to manage your emotions and try to keep cool, or at least in control in those scrums. Power plays and PKs at big times are a huge part of winning and losing in the playoffs. I thought we did a pretty solid job of that.”

One thing the Golden Knights did a much better job of in Game 2 was pushing the pace and disrupting things on the forecheck, which helped make the Jets look slow at times.

“We lost body position too much on our forecheck. We were on the wrong side, which allowed them to play a lot faster than they did the game before,” said Bowness. “Puck battles behind nets, we lost, that we didn’t lose. So those are the things. And we didn’t drive the net like we did in the first game. There (were) times that we did. There (were) too many times that we could have and we didn’t. Those three areas have to be improved.”

To be blunt, the Jets actually put together four very strong periods, but things went a bit sideways during the second period of Game 2, which will force them to make the necessary adjustments moving forward.

“We’re a hard gap defensive team. I think throughout the first game and certainly the first period I think we took away a lot of time and space and didn’t give them a lot of room,” said Morrissey, who has one assist through two games. “They’re a very good team, they finished where they did in the standings for that reason, and there are going to be momentum swings in the series. They played well, give them credit, and now it’s a five-game series.

“We’re a confident team at home. We’ve played well at home this year. Certainly our fans bring us a ton of energy, confidence, and we’ve tried to make it a tough place to play all year. I think all those things, having that extra game at home is huge. We’re excited to have playoff hockey back in Winnipeg here.”

Several Jets players are about to experience their first full White-Out.

“It’s incredible. The experience, the atmosphere is like nothing else I’ve ever played in,” said Morrissey. “ It’s electric, an electric atmosphere and it’s a ton of fun to play in. It’s been a while since we’ve been able to do that and I know the fans are ready - and so are we. We couldn’t be more excited.”