Winnipeg Jets Convincing Wins Show The Tide May Be Turning
The Winnipeg Jets looked like a team on the verge of a terrible collapse, but after a couple of solid wins against good teams, they look like they might be turning the tide at just the right time.
The Winnipeg Jets opened the season on a bit of an uneven note, but looked like they were settling in as a top tier team by midseason.
They something happened, and Connor Hellebuyck stopped having regular good starts, the offense was scoring in bunches and going flat at times, and the defense couldn’t stay healthy.
While that last part is still quite troubling, we can hang our hats that help is possibly coming before the end of the season. There’s only 11 games left in the season, but the hope is Dustin Byfuglien can return by the end of March.
Josh Morrissey will definitely be held out until April, but it seems like he’ll be back in time for the playoffs, or at least the middle of the first series.
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If the season ended today, the Jets would match up with the Dallas Stars, who lead the head to head 2-1 between the two teams, but they play next week in Winnipeg. The team also has one game left against Nashville, and that’s shaping up to be quite a big matchup.
But while I’m not convinced the team has completely turned the corner, things look better. Kevin Hayes has fit in exceptionally well, the defense could get reinforcements, and Connor Hellebuyck just held the Calgary Flames to one goal.
You know, the team that’s fourth in the league in goals scored and is at the top of the Western Conference in points. And their goal came on a shorthanded odd-man rush, though it was certainly not an impossible save.
Perfect on the powerplay, perfect at 5-on-5. I haven’t seen Hellebuyck look that good in quite some time. Let’s hope it continues as the games mean more and more. We always hold out hope that teams can ‘turn it on’ when the games truly matter, though it rarely ever works out that way.
Hellebuyck also put up a rock solid performance against Boston, keeping the Jets in first place these two games. The last time Winnipeg won a game while scoring fewer than three goals was all the way on December 22, a 1-0 victory over Vancouver.
So, it was really nice to see. Especially against a quality opponent. Does it mean they’re turning the tide on the struggles? Who knows. A west coast road trip at this point in the season isn’t what anyone wants to see, but that’s what we have.
Next. The Prodigal Son (Almost) Returns. dark
Winnipeg faces LA, Anaheim and Vegas before a four game homestand to close out March. Four points feels like a necessity. Anything less than three is disastrous. But if they keep playing like they have the past two games, I’ll be a bit more confident.