Post-Game Talk: Avs 6 - Jets 2, Avs lead series 2 -1

[sipowicz]

Perfetti - 19 goals

yet we play the Gusbus over him.

I have not been the biggest fan of Perfetti's play at times this season, and I even predicted that he wouldn't play towards the end of the season / playoffs if the Jets had enough healthy bodies, but that was more based on who is coaching this team and not just his play...

But at this point, not putting a healthy 19 goal scorer in the lineup, and instead playing a career AHLer.... that's just coaching insanity.

Beginning to agree, when Bones stopped playing the 4th line there is no need for a slow Gus in the lineup!

 

[ecolad]

Lots of things covered so far but not much discussion of what`s actually happening on the ice.
.
The play in the defensive zone and the ability to exit the zone with control have been identified, but much less is said about the inability of the team to exert any sustained "pressure" in the offensive zone and the inability to "interrupt" any transition through the neutral zone. The basic forecheck which is critical to the Jet`s style of play has essentially broken down and is unrecognizeable, with the Avs exiting their zone with ease. This is the game that we all are hoping the Jet`s can get back to but it`s simply not happening.

 

[tbcwpg]

There are many reasons as to why the Jets are down 1-2 in this series and many posters have stated them and I would be just repeating them. I strongly agree with your statement that the playoffs are a different style of game. The Avs' forecheck has been the most intense that I've seen from a Jets' opponent this season. Sure, in the regular season a team or two will notch up the forecheck intensity sporadically but they usually don't sustain it game after game for obvious reasons. But, as you've stated, the playoffs are different. The Jets D isn't used to that pressure and it showed. Morrissey is great and he's playing relatively well but even he was having some issues with the pressure last night. Can they (players and coaches) adjust? Three games in and they haven't so I am really concerned. However, in spite of those concerns and a few negative posts that I've thrown out there over the season, I'll be putting the yardwork on hold tomorrow afternoon and will be cheering on my team. Go Jets Go!

You're right that the forecheck is not what they're used to, but at the other end of the ice, they're not getting much success with the usual cycle game that they've done well with.

 

[Gm0ney]

 

[gojetsgo]

It's comical hearing people actually blame the refs... Vilardi DID high stick someone and that dude was bleeding heavily. What do you think they should do there? Pionk DID clear the puck over the glass... It's a no brainer. The Jets choked.

Helle has been beat five hope from range in the last two games... Normally routine adjustments to make a controlled save are the norm for him but I'm seeing a lot of flopping, diving, double pad stacks... Things we never seen from him and it's now over 5 gaa. This is simply not elite goaltending at all, it's clear he's lacking the mental strength to withstand his play during the playoffs. This is pretty glaring scar on Hellebuyck, great regular season goalie. Terrible playoff goalie.

The Parise goal was just strange. Massive rebound right into the slot. And a terrified flop reaction from Helle... Normally we see him on his knees a minor adjustment and he's got the bottom and top of the net covered. Parise shoots it right at Helle, in all reality staying still and holding his ground gets him a save.

The nichushkin goal you see Helle look that direction where nichushkin has the puck on his stick. Helles head moves away from the post he needs to get to and attempts a double pack stack... Has he practiced that before? It looks like the first time he's attempted it based of the fish out of water result he got.

How about this... Play your game. If you get beat playing YOUR style then so be it. Attempting to be Hasek isn't the answer.

Some other glaring issues here... Iafallo looks extremely tired. Sit him for Kupari who has the wheels to skate with the Avs. Kupari is another guy you can match against Mack with his speed and defensive approach to the game. There is no need to play Iafallo when he's not able to keep up with the play at all

Next game bring in Miller, and Stan. Have Samberg sit, his hot and ready Pizzas are a killer.

We need our forwards to work 50% harder. Absolutely everyone needs to work harder to make this work.

And for god sakes Helle... Relax.

names did get hit when he didn't have the puck
scheifele did get punched in the face after the whistle blew when we drew the first pp
pionk did get hit when he didn't have the puck
connor did get tripped

it's not the penalties that were called it's the fact that they let so much go before that

 

[CorgisPer60]

Get a bit more speed in your bottom six isn't a bad idea but the real issues still aren't being addressed. We need a Pionk replacement, and likely a Dillon replacement as well.

 

[bustamente]

View attachment 860518

Has to be for depth did another forward get injured last night. If he gets into the lineup ahead of Koal some will blow a gasket, actually I think I will too.

 

[WPGChief]

Morning after thoughts:

Jets were the better team at 5v5 - at least for two periods. Schmidt in for Stanley, and having Samberg back on his strong side really helped the team transition the puck from their DZ a lot better - 54 in particular was a lot quicker and more tape-to-tape on his exits. There was a formula from this game that the Jets could've taken and expounded in order to beat the Avs: yet the penalties they took (and the lack of calls going their way) really unravelled them. But, stop me if you've heard this one before:

• 81-55-13 - just aren't good enough at 5v5. Connor has stepped up his play, but Scheifele and Vilardi have been beat to the most dangerous areas of the ice by milliseconds - and then add on Scheifele being too lackadaisical at the OZ blueline (which most folks would crucify Ehlers for if he did the same thing) and it makes all the difference, going 0GF and 2GA.
• Middle 6 - the 27-23-73 line looked a lot better and 62-17-22 once again did their jobs, but when the going gets tough and you need to catch up, what do you do here?
• 5-4 - the most loved pairing from the coaching staff's perspective, but were the worst pairing at 5v5, and Pionk looked especially bad on the PK with multiple failure to clears and just being in the wrong spots. At 922 minutes at 5v5 in the regular season, they are the second worst pairing for the Jets at both CF% and xGF% (minimum 70 minutes played, with only 64-54 being worse). They are now 26th of 30 defensive pairings in the playoffs (minimum 30 minutes played), with a 40% CF% and 33% xGF%.
• Inability to support DZ exits against a relentlessly hard forecheck - although I just said Jets were the better team at 5v5, there were a couple of gaffes to end the second period, where 54 and 27 were stuck in their zone trying to relieve the pressure: but the Avs forecheckers just hounded them, even if they were making D-to-D passes. So what do they try? Long, stretch passes where the Jets tired players were hoping to get a tip at the red line and go for a change. Unsurprisingly, COL jumped those routes and the long shifts became even longer. Hellebuyck kept the game 2-1 here as MacKinnon had a flurry of high-danger chances as a result.
• Special teams - COL has 11HDCF to WPG's 2HDCF at 5v4 alone. Enough said, here.

Once again, we're at a point where Bowness and the coaching staff simply must change things up. A highly engaged KC81 isn't enough to make up for the overthinking that 55 and 13 are currently doing. The 2nd line looks a lot better once their transition game looks quicker (thanks to getting more time with 44-2 and a better pairing in 54-88), but 73 looks like a drag and 23 is always making the safe play. 17 can "win" the matchup against MacKinnon, but it's 0GF to 0GA and that doesn't help when the Jets are getting outscored on the other lines and on the special teams. 44-2 look a lot better when they aren't playing to matchup with 17's line but I don't really think 5-4 nor 54-88 can handle the increased minutes against COL's elite players, even though they looked a tad better in maintaining possession with Schmidt - but Pionk has been Pionk-ing and now Dillon could be out for the series.

The problem is - neither we nor the players themselves truly know how comfortable we'll be with whatever those lines and pairings are. This coaching staff and locker room spent the bulk of 2024 trying to force this ideal lineup and force the shooting gallery of a PK and an ineffective PP (without Vilardi) to work for the post-season run. And COL has outplayed them three games straight, merely weeks after WPG beat them 7-0. And now... it's very obviously not working. So what do you do when you need to play a lineup and a style that you haven't gotten since December 2023?

Jets put themselves in this hole. How they will get themselves out is a mystery to me.

 

[surixon]

Has to be for depth did another forward get injured last night. If he gets into the lineup ahead of Koal some will blow a gasket, actually I think I will too.

I mean if this is seriously his idea of fixing the issue then he's lost the plot.

 

[NorCalhockey]

Didn’t we see this movie last year? Win the first game in the first series then lose 4 in a row (yeah, yeah, that hasn’t happened yet but…).

Not completely on him but how the heck does the presumptive Vezina winner let in more goals than any other goalie so far in these playoffs?!?!

JFC, I came into this playoff so full of hope and optimism regarding the Jets going far. Fool me once…

 

[Larabee]

Has to be for depth did another forward get injured last night. If he gets into the lineup ahead of Koal some will blow a gasket, actually I think I will too.

Got to be for Dillon’s roster spot. We have enough defensive men

 

[gojetsgo]

Got to be for Dillon’s roster spot. We have enough defensive men

there are no roster spots in the playoffs

 

[Heldig]

Jets also need to start doing what Florida started to do with Bob and implement a load management plan with Helle. He's not in his mid 20's any longer, he should be playing 10 less games a year so that he's fresh for the playoffs.

Everyone knew that going into this season...

Yet the best back up goalie in the league did not play enough games to qualify for the Jennings trophy.

 

[Do or Die]

Was going to make a list of Jets players, who didn't show up......
But, have only so much gin available. Getting beat in all zones.

"Pushback" has to be forthcoming, the many passengers have to get on the
train. It can be done.
But, Jennings and Vezina need a reapperence.....

 

[Edgar Halliwax]

It's comical hearing people actually blame the refs... Vilardi DID high stick someone and that dude was bleeding heavily. What do you think they should do there? Pionk DID clear the puck over the glass... It's a no brainer. The Jets choked.

Here's what is infuriating. The missed calls against the other team - and the inconsistency of the officiating. There were some blatant missed calls against the Avs. Would we have won had they not had all those powerplays - who the hell knows. It sure as eff didn't help...

 

[bustamente]

I mean if this is seriously his idea of fixing the issue then he's lost the plot.

Anything that doesn't get Koal in the lineup Sunday is a fail, kid has 19 goals but sure put in AJF, he has to be for depth or I has serious concerns about the way the roster is handled

 

[jungles]

I'm not even a huge Perfetti believer but if Axel goes in over him I would demand a trade in the off-season.

 

[Walkingtalkingeye]

AJF isn't getting in before Perfetti. Relax everyone.

 

[jungles]

Lots of things covered so far but not much discussion of what`s actually happening on the ice.
.
The play in the defensive zone and the ability to exit the zone with control have been identified, but much less is said about the inability of the team to exert any sustained "pressure" in the offensive zone and the inability to "interrupt" any transition through the neutral zone. The basic forecheck which is critical to the Jet`s style of play has essentially broken down and is unrecognizeable, with the Avs exiting their zone with ease. This is the game that we all are hoping the Jet`s can get back to but it`s simply not happening.

When I watched the game last night (after the Matt Good concert...he's still got it!), I was screaming on my couch "get to a flipping rebound!". I wasn't surprised to see Bowness with the same grievance in the post game show.

 

[robertocarlos]

I thought the Jets played a much more poised game for the first two periods. They weren’t panicking with the puck nearly as much.
But, then the 3rd happened.
Changes need to be made. Perfetti in. LB in.

Helle would have to be traded in the summer. I doubt he could handle being benched.

Trade the whole team apart from a few untouchables, in the good sense, like JoMo, Lowry, Barron, Gus, Sammy, LB (you need a good goalie), and Perfetti. Sad to see Dillon gone. Then clean out the top management.

Perfetti might play though.

Shit team.

Lazy to blame reffing. It's been bad as it always is, but the Jets have been shit.

My Dad was right.

 

[Larabee]

there are no roster spots in the playoffs

Correct.

 

[HPsauce]

Qqq names did get hit when he didn't have the puck
scheifele did get punched in the face after the whistle blew when we drew the first pp
pionk did get hit when he didn't have the puck
connor did get tripped

it's not the penalties that were called it's the fact that they let so much go before that

There was already a pim called on the play when Scheifele got punched in the face. We want the whistles put away right? It's the glaring PIMs the Jets take (leaving guys bleeding on the ice or the puck cleared over for delay of game) that have to be called. The Jets got away with breaking sticks slashing interference as well. The Refs really didn't do anything wrong here... Connor was tripped after a pim was already called... It's literally after the play is over. Remember the rule states that the play is dead when the ref reaches for the whistle, and has deemed the play dead. Why would they call that? It's not a pim simple.

The Jets need to win a game. This is a deep team and the reality is they need to roll all lines with speed and the same "brain" they try to be hero's and it goes sideways fast.


The play where Middlestat dished it was Scheifele and Dylan, Dylan blew a tire. That play was an EASY read Schmidt have to Scheifele at the blew line then jumped to create numbers. Schmidt and Connor were on a 2-1 if Scheifele sends that puck in back to schmidt, instead he dusts the puck off and tries to make something else happen... Aka trying to be a hero aka playing above the team. It's a effect example of the mistakes that are being made by critical players.

Play as a team or lose.

 

[jungles]

there are no roster spots in the playoffs

And yet I would argue Appleton is still a waste of one.

 

[BoneDocUK]

I do wonder… does Bowness just not make adjustments and hopes his team out wills the other? I haven’t seen much of any changes..

I'm not sure. He was hired as a coach who could remake the team's defence and work to mend a longterm fractured dressing room -- and he has definitely succeeded in both efforts.

Not sure he's a tactics expert, but then the Jets need someone on the bench who is. Maybe Arniel is viewed as that guy?

Plenty of time for postmortems later. For now the plan has to be for the roster to be as good as it can be -- and that will depend on what Dillon's injury looks like, because hands are tricky, with muscle and tendon damage a possibility -- and then see some creative coaching.

The Jets were IMO always a dark horse. They have a nice spread of talent and the path to winning was always to optimize that talent, and mitigating the special teams issues. On the plus side, I thought the Schmidt / Samberg pairing definitely quieted things down. Pionk -- that rickety ship has sailed.

Still time to nail that. Next game critical, as many have noted. This year's crew have proved more than once this season that they can come back after a difficult loss. Let's see it a few more times.

Murat addresses this in his latest piece:

The Winnipeg Jets collapsed again. Here's why they're in trouble

Winnipeg's implosion in 6-2 loss wasn't about things going wrong; it was about an inability to cope after things went wrong.

theathletic.com

The trouble is teams develop a past. Winnipeg is a good team that hasn’t responded to a playoff loss with a playoff win of its own since the qualification round against Calgary in 2020.

This is a much better team than any the Jets have iced between those years and now.

Now, the Jets need to overcome their own history — and to stop beating themselves. Colorado is good enough all on its own.

 

[surixon]

Anyone know if the team is practicing today?