Winnipeg Jets Riding Mediocrity into Tough November Slate

Look, I thought the Winnipeg Jets should’ve gone with the backup in the second game against Florida. I know it’s the NHL Global Series, and they want to see stars, but the coach has to make the best decisions for the team, and that didn’t happen.

But the Winnipeg Jets are still in a playoff spot, even after dropping a winnable game to the Florida Panthers. I don’t care if it was on a back-to-back. Connor Hellebuyck played great in the first game.

Why not let him rest? Laurent Brossoit has been fantastic this year.  And hey, if he blows it, he blows it. Growing pains, or whatever. But I thought the decision to start Hellebuyck was stupid.

I get it, I think. He played well, you know energy will be high because of the Finland part,  he’s facing a lousy team. But we didn’t get Helly on a roll. We got another start with a save percentage that starts with an eight.

And yes, I know the offense has struggled.  I know the defense hasn’t been up to snuff. Usually when the offense, defense and goaltending have been inconsistent, you’re not a great team. Or your coach is to blame. Which one is it, boys?

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I’m confident in the offense, no question. I’m even confident in the defense. I think they’re fine, they’ll figure it out. And if not, they’ll trade for a vet to plug in. Now, my greatest concern is goaltending.

Lots of very good teams have been undone by goaltending.  Look at the Blues from a few years ago. Connor Hellebuyck put the team on his back last year. He didn’t even have to,  but he did.

They gave him a six year extension for it. I thought he deserved it but, like many others, had worries about his ability to replicate that season. Not because I’m skeptical of him, but because that year was so great. Thats what we call a career year, kids.

I’ll get into his struggles and their options later, though. For now,  we need to worry about the team as a whole. Yes, they’re in a playoff spot. But their +3 goal differential doesn’t inspire confidence.

Their next four games are on the road, and against three teams currently in a playoff spot in Washington, Colorado and Buffalo (!!!). Oh, and New Jersey, who is 5-1-1 at home. Winnipeg is 3-3-0 on the road.

What can the Jets fix soon?

The Jets are lucky they have this elite power play, accounting for a third of their goals. Patrik Laine deserves a great bit of credit, scoring four goals over the two games in his home Finland.

Nikolaj Ehlers looks like he might be ready to figure it out, Blake Wheeler has three points that  have come on 5 on 5 with the opposing goalie on the ice. Hellebuyck’s save percentage is .907%.

There’s more to dissect than I have time right now, but I’ll get to it, don’t you worry. We’ll figure out a goaltending plan for Paul Maurice and Kevin Cheveldayoff. We’ll figure out how to fix Bryan Little and his -5 rating. Well, we might not.

Thing is, this team has a lot to be working on. This break is great for them, they don’t play until Friday.  If they come out and drop a clunker in Colorado after this huge layoff, we know not much has changed. This team was not built for mediocrity. Their window is only so big. Things have to change soon.

If they don’t change on their own, changes will be made up top. Nobody wants that.