COLUMBUS, Ohio — Let the record show that Nikolaj Ehlers is not currently residing in Rick Bowness’ dog house.
He’s not being eased back in from the sports hernia injury that required surgery and kept him out of 38 games earlier this season either.
In a game that featured 12 minor penalties and just two power-play goals, the Winnipeg Jets winger had only 19 shifts for 14:40 of ice time and that’s simply not enough for a guy who can have the type of impact on a game that he can when he’s clicking on all cylinders.
As the Jets fell 3-1 to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night, Ehlers’ ice time was naturally a topic of conversation, which also coincides with the power play going 1-for-7 and failing to convert on three separate 5-on-3’s that were of significant length and totalled two minutes and five seconds in total.
“No, it’s got nothing to do with that. It’s got everything to do with the specialty teams, because he’s not on the first (power play) unit,” said Bowness. “They were out there a lot — and he doesn’t kill penalties. It’s got nothing to do with injuries. We were trying to get him out there, but there were just too many penalties to get a regular flow of our lines.”
The discussion continued and Bowness hinted that the inability to be a bit more effective with the man advantage could lead to some personnel changes on the Jets’ top power-play unit.
And while Bowness spoke openly last week about the fact that both Ehlers and Mark Scheifele prefer to be the guy playing on the left-wing wall on the power play, finding a way for them to co-exist on the same grouping could be something that benefits both the team and the players themselves.
Since the Jets power play has become a bit static and predictable at times, having Ehlers back on the top unit could provide a huge boost for zone entries, given his speed and ability to accelerate through the neutral zone.
As for who plays on the left wing wall and what other spot is occupied, either in the high slot or elsewhere, that’s up to the coaching staff to figure out.
And it doesn’t have to be just one guy in one spot.
The assignment could be split, if necessary.
In fact, having Scheifele and Ehlers get in motion and interchange a bit more might actually help the Jets generate that additional movement that opens up shooting and passing lanes to find Kyle Connor for a one-timer or Josh Morrissey at the top.
Should those options get taken away, Pierre-Luc Dubois or Blake Wheeler (depending on the personnel changes Bowness mentioned) should find an open look down low when they’re not providing a screen.
Going into the season, the Jets were committed to having Ehlers become a regular on the top unit but part of the issue was that he was hurt in the second game of the season and didn’t return until January. By that time, the top unit was clicking, bouncing between being inside the top 10 and in the middle of the pack of effectiveness league-wide.
You can understand why the coaching staff made the decision to put Ehlers back onto the second unit where he can be the focal point and primary shooter.
But when he sees limited time with that unit — 2:11 for him on Thursday compared to nearly seven minutes for the top power play — it not only impacts Ehlers’ play with the man advantage, but it’s also difficult for him to get into the flow at even strength.
Again, that’s why moving him back onto the top power-play unit could be mutually beneficial.
Ehlers had five shots on goal on Thursday as he was held off the scoresheet, playing 12:29 at five-on-five.
He’s produced four goals and 20 points in 19 games — including 17 points in 17 games since he’s returned to game action.
The scary thing is that he has more to give and once he gets fully into the groove with his linemates, he’s going to be a handful for opponents to try and contain.
For his part, Ehlers wasn’t about to voice his displeasure about his ice time — or lack thereof — when asked about it.
“I’m 100 per cent,” said Ehlers.
That’s a smart answer.
Despite the loss that gave the Blue Jackets a clean sweep of the two-game season series (out scoring the Jets 7-2 in the process), Ehlers knows full well there is nothing to be gained by speaking out.
The Jets have a good thing going and remain second in the Central Division with a record of 34-20-1, two points behind the Dallas Stars.
Ehlers knows that as long as he keeps putting in the work, his ice time will be increased and it stands to reason that his production will do the same.
Connor scored the lone goal for the Jets, beating Joonas Korpisalo with a shot that came with 1.8 seconds to go in the first period for his 25th goal of the season.
Korpisalo finished with 37 saves, while David Rittich had 21 saves as he made consecutive starts for the second time this season, with Connor Hellebuyck working his way back from an illness.
“When you lose a game you tend to look at the whole game and what you can do better,” said Ehlers. “So, I mean we didn’t hit the net enough. We didn’t make it hard on their goalie.”
The Jets also made it too hard on themselves, as they took three minors in the second period — including two for holding — to take away much of the momentum they built while outshooting the Blue Jackets 12-2 in the opening frame.
“I thought we came out really strong. A couple of penalties ruins the flow,” said Connor. “Obviously, the second period there’s even more and I thought our 5-on-5 game was great. It was just unfortunate that we didn’t get to see that more.
“It’s tough to get into the game. We’re trying to roll four lines and you got guys that don’t necessarily go out on the kill or vice versa on the power play. We had a couple of stretches. It’s the name of the game, but at the same time, it’s the way that it happened. Back-to-back-to-back, it’s just one of those games. Whether we agree with the calls or not, we’ve got to find a way to win and we didn’t.”
Staying disciplined was a theme Bowness discussed prior to the game, but it’s not something he sees as a long-range concern.
“Yeah, moving the feet, keeping the stick on the ice,” Bowness said when asked if staying disciplined has to be a mentality. “A couple holding penalties. I hate those. (The Blue Jackets) took them too. It’s the timing of them. Like the last game [against the Seattle Kraken], we were playing so well and you take a couple penalties and all of a sudden you’re on your heels a little bit. Listen, we’ve been one of the most disciplined teams all year. We’ve been one of the least penalized teams.”
Remaining one of the least penalized teams — and getting the power play going again — are two of the things that will be high on the priority list as the Jets continue this four-game road trip against the New Jersey Devils on Sunday night.