In a lot of ways, Adam Lowry is the Winnipeg Jets' heartbeat.
For all that their Vezina-calibre goaltender, Norris-Trophy darkhorse and several high-end forwards do, nobody embodies the team’s identity — as a competitive, well-structured team that generates chances off the cycle — like their captain.
Lowry sets the tone.
In the midst of what has been a bumpy stretch for the Jets, Lowry has played some of his best hockey over the last few games. And during Thursday’s 3-2 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres, Lowry had his most impactful game of the season — scoring the overtime winner and snapping the Jets' four-game losing streak.
After Connor Hellebuyck denied Alex Tuch on a two-on-one chance late in overtime, Josh Morrissey scooped the puck up and burst down the middle of the ice before dishing it off to Lowry in the outer slot. After Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen denied Lowry’s initial shot, Morrissey fished out the puck from above the blue paint and fed Lowry, who was wide-open on the doorstep.
“It was right in his wheelhouse,” head coach Scott Arniel told reporters post-game.
It was the type of goal that Arniel had called for after Winnipeg’s loss to St. Louis on Tuesday, where the Jets coach stressed the importance of striving for "greasy" goals instead of making “cute” plays to generate offence.
But above all, it was the cherry on top of a game where Lowry, as he does best, led by example.
“He had to do some heavy lifting,” Arniel explained. “He was seeing a lot of the (Tage Thompson) line. He was doing a lot of penalty killing.”
Lowry finished the night with four shots, two hits, two blocks and a 71.4 faceoff win percentage, in addition to his overtime winner. He looked like a man on a mission, willing his — and the Jets' — style of play over Buffalo’s skilled attack.
One of the most telling moments came in the dying seconds of the first period.
Lowry received a touch-pass from Mason Appleton and skated into the top of the faceoff circle. Seconds after releasing the puck, Peyton Krebs attempted to hit Lowry. The six-foot-five centre tucked his elbow and stopped Krebs in his tracks — bouncing the Sabres forward off him like a racquetball off a concrete wall. Then, Lowry stared Krebs down for three seconds, sporting an expression that screamed “What are you going to do about it?”
At a time when the Jets look like a far cry from the group that put together the best start in NHL history — not to mention the injuries to Dylan Samberg and Nikolaj Ehlers — Lowry has done everything he can to change the course of games.
You saw it against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, when Lowry sent Brandon Saad airborne with a massive hit in the second period. And on Sunday against the Dallas Stars, he scored the Jets' lone goal, made a handful of key stops on the backcheck and delivered three hits.
Lowry, who is tied for 17th in plus-minus league-wide (plus-13), is the epitome of consistency. And that’s why he dons the 'C.'
Goalie interference(s)
Everyone’s favourite grey area was on full display on Thursday night.
The game featured two coach's challenges — one was upheld, while another was overturned.
At the 15:47 mark of the first period, Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff challenged for goaltender interference on Gabriel Vilardi’s net-front tip. The latter was never in the blue paint, although he made contact with Luukkonen’s glove, and the goal counted.
“I'm not in the crease. So if there's nothing I can do, if he's out (of the net) — obviously I did touch his glove there — but where am I supposed to go?” Vilardi told reporters post-game.
Late in the second period, the Jets challenged for goaltender interference on what would’ve been Tyson Kozak’s first career goal. But the play was overturned after it was determined Beck Malenstyn made contact with Hellebuyck’s pad as the latter extended to make a save.
Arniel said he was confident the goal would be overturned.
“One hundred per cent,” Arniel said. “It's what the league tells us. The first (challenge) by Buffalo, on Gabe, we were outside the crease and (on this) one the guy was standing in (the crease). To me that's what the rule is.”
The real question is — what does Hellebuyck think? If only we could get ahold of that presentation he made for the NHL a couple years ago.
Top line in top flight
Vilardi, Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor were cooking tonight.
The trio responded after a poor showing against the Blues, combining for a goal and eight scoring chances during five-on-five play.
“They could have had three or four (goals),” Arniel said. “There was a lot more attack. They did a good job of getting in the o-zone and then they attacked the net when they had opportunities.”
A big reason for the turnaround can be attributed to Scheifele taking faceoffs again. Before Tuesday, Scheifele spent six games lining up as a winger on faceoffs while nursing an undisclosed injury.
“I was playing centre but it's not like I was even playing centre. There was a lot of switches and a lot of confusion and it just kind of wrecks the flow,” Vilardi said. “That's how I kind of felt. It was nice to kind of be in our positions from the start and not have to worry about switches off of faceoff losses or stuff like that. I thought we did a good job of recovering pucks in the O-zone and generating off the cycle, which is what we've got to do.”
