The Winnipeg Jets had a rough end to last week, losing three road games in four days by a combined score of 13-4. Their mini-slump has put them four points behind the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars in the race for the Central Division title. (The suddenly unstoppable Nashville Predators, who have gone 15-0-2 since mid-February, are now only five points back of the Jets.)
The question now is whether this skid is a sign of things to come for the Jets or just a bump in the road. Just last Tuesday, Winnipeg knocked off the league-leading New York Rangers 4-2 at Madison Square Garden.
The Jets, however, have been playing slightly above .500 hockey for the past two months (14-12-1 since Jan. 22) after winning 30 of their first 44 games behind excellent defensive play.
Earlier this season, the Jets went 34 games in a row without allowing more than three goals, tied for the third-longest run in NHL history. That included a stretch of 14 consecutive games in which they held opponents to two or fewer goals.
Since the Boston Bruins snapped that streak Jan. 22, the Jets have taken a step back in their own end.
It is not a significant drop-off, but it coincides with a reduction in offence. Jets skaters have scored 2.4 goals per 60 minutes with Connor Hellebuyck on the ice since Jan. 22, down from 3.36 per 60 over the previous 34 games.
In simpler terms, the Jets outscored opponents by 50 (114-64) in 34 games between Nov. 4 and Jan. 20. They are even (73-73) since Jan. 22.
Hellebuyck was practically impenetrable for those two-plus months, saving an extra 0.86 goals per 60 (21.4 total) across 25 starts. Over his past 19 starts, though, he has saved an extra 0.26 goals per 60 (4.71 total). That is a solid number for many goaltenders, but the perennial Vezina Trophy candidate (and 2020 winner) is held to higher standards.
Under coach Rick Bowness, who will return to the bench Tuesday after recently undergoing a “minor medical procedure,” the Jets have prided themselves on strong team defence, which is supported by elite goaltending from Hellebuyck. That is what carried them to the top of the league standings in mid-January, and it will likely determine how far they go in the playoffs.
“We’ve got to worry about us, worry about our process, make sure that we’re consistent with our details, our compete and our execution,” Jets defenceman Dylan DeMelo told reporters Sunday. “That has wavered here in this last stretch. We haven’t been as consistent as we’d like to be. If our process is right, we feel confident in going against anybody in any building.”
All stats via Sportlogiq.
