Adam Lowry's scoring and crashing helping fuel Jets' high-flying start

WINNIPEG – Momentum shifts can come in many forms.

Sometimes, it’s a shorthanded goal that turns the tide.

Others, it’s a shot block amid a flurry of action in the defensive zone.

It can also come in the form of a glass-rattling bodycheck, one that can leave the opposition defenceman looking over his shoulder for the remainder of the game, left to wonder when the bus might be making another stop at the station.

For Winnipeg Jets centre Adam Lowry, he’s been able to contribute in all of the aforementioned areas for a team that’s off to a 7-3-1 start and is making noise in the Central Division going into Tuesday’s first-place showdown with the Dallas Stars (8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT on SN NOW Premium).

“I’m seeing pretty much what I thought I’d see from him: A big dominant guy in the middle,” said Jets head coach Rick Bowness. “Excellent penalty killer and big strong guy around the net on the power play. Very competitive guy, gets very emotional on the bench, which I love. I see a lot of passion.

“Off the ice, he gets mad when things aren’t going. I love that about him. It’s probably that more than anything, how much of a competitor he is.”

At a time when speed and skill are so prevalent, the ability to close on a defender and finish your check has become a bit of a lost art.

Sure, when the playoffs begin, the teams that are successful deliver and absorb more checks, but during the regular season, sometimes they can be few or far between.

So when you see those hits with as much frequency as Lowry delivers them, it can supply a boost to the entire group.

“It can be a big momentum swing, but it can also be something if you’re on the ice, it energizes you,” said Jets defenceman Brenden Dillon. “It’s not just that shift, the next shift the D-man goes back for the puck and the shift after (he’s looking over his shoulder) and you start thinking about it.

“He’s a big body and he’s a guy who creates space for his teammates, his linemates. That size helps on the penalty kill. It’s part of the game where if you talk to anybody, whether they’re All-Stars or guys coming into the league, it’s still a big part of the league, the physicality. Not necessarily fighting, just protecting yourself and making room for other guys out there.”

Lowry hasn’t just been a physical presence out on the ice either.

He’s done exactly what he was hoping to do coming into the season, which is find a way to chip in a bit more offensively to go along with all of the other things he takes pride in.

“He’s someone who we all know grinds and battles hard, but I think he’s added to that,” said Dillon. “He’s one of those guys who is always working on stuff and talking and trying to gain more (information) on how his game can grow.

“Ultimately, he’s grown into not just a leader and a guy who can talk to everybody, but is backing it up on the ice with PK, five-on-five, shutdown and some power-play time. Everything.”

Lowry has been doing a little bit of everything and it’s allowed him to get off to a strong start.

Not only has he been tasked with playing big minutes against some of the opposition’s most skilled players – but he’s been chipping in offensively as well.

With three goals – including two while shorthanded – and seven points in 11 games, Lowry is tied with Kyle Connor for fifth in team scoring.

For a team that went into the season knowing it needed to find secondary scoring, Lowry has been doing his part.

“It’s certainly important. Every team has so much skill and our top guys are going to put the puck in on a pretty consistent basis,” said Lowry. “But if you can take the pressure off and they don’t have to find two or three goals every night to have a chance to win, it really bodes well.”

What also bodes well for the Jets has been Lowry’s ability to continue to chip in while welcoming a bit of a revolving door of linemates when it comes to his wingers.

With Nikolaj Ehlers expected to remain on the shelf for the remainder of the week after missing the past nine games, Mason Appleton earned a promotion and Morgan Barron recently required wrist surgery that will sideline him for four to five weeks, Lowry has spent considerable time of late playing on a unit with Saku Maenalanen and Axel Jonsson-Fjallby – with Sam Gagner jumping in at various points as well.

“It’s something that’s important as well. Any time there’s injuries or guys in and out of the lineup, the deck gets reshuffled, and chances are it’s a guy off our line going up or guys coming in and out of the lineup,” said Lowry. “You’re trying to find things that work and trying to find chemistry with everyone. I think the most important thing, for me, is communication. You let the guys who you’re playing with know what you expect, (find out) what they’re thinking going into the game and try to get on the same page as fast as possible.”

Lowry sees similarities in Jonsson-Fjallby’s skill set to that of Brandon Tanev, who was a frequent linemate of his until he signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2019.

“Having (Jonsson-Fjallby) there, he’s got a lot of speed. Trying to draw upon some experience, playing with a guy like Brandon Tanev, where they can really get in on the forecheck and really disrupt,” said Lowry. “I think it’s a similar style. You want to put pucks in his corner, you want to allow him to get into foot races. And then with Saku, it’s just allowing him to use his body. He wins a lot of battles there and it’s one of those things, we created some good chances and it will be nice to see one of those go in.”

As for those shorthanded goals that Lowry has produced, the first (against the Los Angeles Kings) featured a nifty backhand through the five-hole, but the one on Saturday was a quick wrister that beat Arvid Soderblom to the blocker side.

Was Lowry concerned that opposing goalies were watching too much video of his trademark move, so he decided to mix it up?

“Honestly, coming down that (right) side, I didn’t know what I was going to do,” said Lowry. “I just tried to get it off of my stick as quick as I could.”