The Winnipeg Jets have been limping along lately. The only teams they’ve really beaten have been lower-tier teams. The lone exception is Toronto, a squad that was on the second half of a back-to-back. The Jets received a similar treatment, squaring off against Seattle and Vancouver before the weekend. After thumping Seattle 3-0, the Jets had a chance to gain a bit of momentum and see off the Canucks. Instead, a strangely-managed game and some stellar goaltending from Thatcher Demko led to Winnipeg falling in the shootout 4-3. The Jets are clinging on to the final wild card spot and, though it’s still early, the odds of a playoff trip are mildly concerning. Read on for a few takeaways from tonight’s frustrating game.
Seven Takeaways
- The CSW line finally had a performance worth crowing about. Wheeler turned the clock back and showed off some of his prime playmaking form. Connor and Scheifele added a few goals of their own, leading to a dominant showing from the top line. It came at a heavy cost, however, as Wheeler went down with what could be a long-term injury.
- Eric Comrie had a comeback performance of his own after allowing some wretched early goals against. The Garland marker wasn’t great either, but he rebounded and kept the Jets alive enough to earn a point.
- The line-up deployment seemingly utilized very little of the bottom-6. Svechnikov, in particular, recorded less than 5 minutes of ice-time. I’m baffled by this, considering Evgeni has been among the better forwards on the team.
- Dillon-Stanley has got to go. It’s a nearly-unwatchable pairing.
- Free Heinola. I don’t need to say much more on that.
- Winnipeg may have collected 3 out of 4 points between these last 2 games, but they will need to replicate that success against genuine playoff contenders. Good teams still run rampant against this squad.
- The Jets won’t play until Tuesday. Hopefully, Pionk returns soon because Beaulieu and Stanley are struggling mightily.
