Post-Game Talk: B2B Jets lose 4-1

[raideralex99]

The NHL is so close in skill level that any team can beat anyone.

The nature of HFJets, which is not unusual amongst any sports fanbase so this isnt a shot at anyone here, is that when a team is struggling, it's their "true form" and, when they're winning, it's some mirage that will never last. If you read this thread, and your post in particular, anyone from the outside looking in would think that this team will never win again.

So true.
If you listen to the sports shows outside of Winnipeg ... the talk was not about the Jets losing. It was about how good the St. Louis Blues are ... winning 8 straight against good teams.

 

[TheGovernment]

his crap that we all seem to hate it front and center these last few games.

 

[jepjepjoo]

Then by that definition, you can pretty much throw that label on every player in the league.

It’s absurd to call .923 over 32 games inconsistent when evaluating a goaltender in hockey.

It was a joke...

Collins dictionary definition of "inconsistent":

"Someone or something that is inconsistent does not stay the same, being sometimes good and sometimes bad."

 

[puck stoppa]

his crap that we all seem to hate it front and center these last few games.

For a guy that lost 3 top 9 forwards and a number one D, among other injuries this season, I’d say he’s fared quite well this season and put the Jets in a good position going into the new year.

 

[Duke749]

Well this thread went straight nuclear.

 

[FFHockey]

Well this thread went straight nuclear.

Sorry for becoming one of those "Glass Half Empty" guys...but it is really hard to look at our schedule and see a lot of points coming without our best players being at the very top of their game is all I was saying. I don't think it is that much of a stretch...though I will gladly eat crow and lots of it.

 

[Buffdog]

You'd think every team in the league falls into "we're awesome 100% of the time" or "we suck 100% of the time"... we have a talented team that's thin on D. We rely on our goalie sometimes to win.

Some games it will work in our favour and some it won't

 

[Duke749]

Sorry for becoming one of those "Glass Half Empty" guys...but it is really hard to look at our schedule and see a lot of points coming without our best players being at the very top of their game is all I was saying. I don't think it is that much of a stretch...though I will gladly eat crow and lots of it.

I think we all need to rethink our expectations and perspectives. These two Blues games knocked a lot of us down a notch and brought back all the people that disappeared in January. Can’t get too high or too low. We’ve all been here before.

 

[rubikscube]

sir avgard hockeyprofessor

YES! glad to have you back, doctor sir professor

 

[Pigseye]

The games were closer than I thought they would be, the Jets still have the talent to compete with anyone, what they are though is sloppy and getting outworked, which is a direct reflection on the coach. Need a ball buster like Berube to whip these slackers into shape.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Scheif has to learn he has to work harder and quit expecting this or that. Showing a lot of entitlement and just refused to back check hoping for a call or something. Selfish hockey by a so called leader.

Something has changed in him. Last half of last year and so far this year, he doesn't seem like quite the same hockey nerd he used to be. Does the change coincide with the breakup with his GF? Something else? There seems to have been an attitude shift.

 

[Duke749]

Something has changed in him. Last half of last year and so far this year, he doesn't seem like quite the same hockey nerd he used to be. Does the change coincide with the breakup with his GF? Something else? There seems to have been an attitude shift.

I think it goes back to the previous season where him and Wheeler learned that they have manage their work to not be gassed come playoff time. Unfortunately I think that has been taken too literal and there may be something else amiss. All he does is coast.

Edit: Either way my patience has long run out. It’s one thing to just get beat because someone is better. It’s another when it’s because you don’t want to work as hard. I don’t think we can win a Cup with him if he doesn’t make that full commitment. Look at ROR. A very good 2-way center but not elite offensively. But last year in the playoffs that’s exactly what he was. 23 points in 26 games. You’re top center has to play at that elite level at both ends if you’re going to win it all and Scheif only does that in 1/3 of the ice. I mean last night he literally coasted back at least twice on the back check with no intentions of helping out.

Also he may be getting bad advice from I believe Oates as it seems to coincide with that as well.

 

[Howard Chuck]

I think we all need to rethink our expectations and perspectives. These two Blues games knocked a lot of us down a notch and brought back all the people that disappeared in January. Can’t get too high or too low. We’ve all been here before.

Aside from a couple of small criticisms (that I usually have of this team), I was actually encouraged by these two games. I thought we were right in both of them.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I think it goes back to the previous season where him and Wheeler learned that they have manage their work to not be gassed come playoff time. Unfortunately I think that has been taken too literal and there may be something else amiss. All he does is coast.

Edit: Either way my patience has long run out. It’s one thing to just get beat because someone is better. It’s another when it’s because you don’t want to work as hard. I don’t think we can win a Cup with him if he doesn’t make that full commitment. Look at ROR. A very good 2-way center but not elite offensively. But last year in the playoffs that’s exactly what he was. 23 points in 26 games. You’re top center has to play at that elite level at both ends if you’re going to win it all and Scheif only does that in 1/3 of the ice. I mean last night he literally coasted back at least twice on the back check with no intentions of helping out.

You can't fault his PO production. The last 2 years 23 gms, 25 pts.

But - I think the C should be like a 3rd D man, on all lines. That's why it is the premium position. It demands more from a player. I haven't been paying close attention to TOI but it seems he has played a lot of minutes lately. Maybe he is being overused. I don't want to make excuses for him but sometimes they are legitimate.

 

[Duke749]

You can't fault his PO production. The last 2 years 23 gms, 25 pts.

But - I think the C should be like a 3rd D man, on all lines. That's why it is the premium position. It demands more from a player. I haven't been paying close attention to TOI but it seems he has played a lot of minutes lately. Maybe he is being overused. I don't want to make excuses for him but sometimes they are legitimate.

The minutes would be legit if I didn’t notice him chase the puck like an NHL20 player on defense, make bad, no, terrible reads defensively, or take his sweet time getting up looking at the ref for a call that is never coming, and coasting on the back check.

 

[kxx]

i hope ya'll wrong about Scheifele because he is still the engine of the team and if there is something really wrong that isn't just a temporary / situational thing then this team doomed. Like don't get me wrong the Jets have a decent of amount of elite fwd talent but the entire Chevy plan only executed effectively because Scheifele turned out to be a 1C.
I know Jets are seem often like a hilariously long way off from being a contender like we were in 2018 for example but they still make the playoffs (my argument here will be better if they do again this year) and have elite scoring talent, solid goalie (im a big Hellebuyck defender - so prob biassed - I think he is good enough most games that if scoring works we will win).
I haven't had much concerns about Scheif personally but have seen others I trust say similar things - nothing apocalyptic: just that he seems off - and am not accusing any of you of being overly pessimistic - but just can't help but feel that even the mediocrity of making the playoffs regularly, with the occasional deeper run (ie: being Minnesota Wild is literally the worst thing possible so am not saying just making the playoffs to be eliminated first round is enough) doesn't happen if Scheifele doesn't turn out to be a 1C. (just my opinion - I'm not sure where else we get that 1C)
Not sure if I'm addressing the same points here i'm in a bit of a rush lol but bascially TL;DR version
1) i have heard similar things about Scheifele - though I haven't been super concerned about him as much as I am the team in general at times
2) if he does in fact regress a bit or doesn't stay the player we saw the last 2 seasons (some people saw drop off / concern later last season IIRC) the Jets are in some trouble pending a 1C coming out of nowhere. I guess if I accept that somethings off with Scheifele I would be in full panic mode lol.

 

[Duke749]

I’d say the engine needs a tune up.

 

[bustamente]

Well this thread went straight nuclear.

You and the other mods are going to go loco if the Jets nose dive in the new year, for your guys sake I hope the Jets ends this this year on a high note and continue it to start the new year .

 

[teamfortheone]

I'd have to disagree - I don't see Laine getting it done in our end although he might be better than he was last year. He struggles on the walls mainly due to playing on his off wing and using a stick that is not good for working in tight areas (too long).
If he gets the puck in open ice, he's fine - but then so is KC or Scheif. However, those are rare cases - most of our exits are along the boards based on a dumping attempt by the D.
I wouldn't give Laine a pass here - all three need to be much better.

And I have to disagree with you: Connor is clearly worse in zone exits than Laine as long as this season is concerned.

Laine has not been as good as he was in October/November, but I wouldn’t say he’s the same kind of a liability like Connor. I have been watching this aspect of his game very carefully. In Oct/Nov, he was literally ”streaking” with successful zone exits - some of which were true beauties (he paused, fooled the forechecker, and then passed to safety). But as mentioned, he has not been so solid in this regard during the past games.

Connor, on the other hand, has been consistently bad in his own zone.

 

[winnipegger]

My hope is that the Jets keep their 1st and 2nd round picks, but go on a hot streak before the playoffs and make some noise. I don't think there's any point trying to buy a defenseman or something at the deadline....let's see what this group can do on it's own and re-evaluate in the summer. Sometimes this group looks like they can beat anybody so losing twice to the champs doesn't upset me too much.

 

[teamfortheone]

. The coaching just isn’t good enough. It was never good enough. His line optimization is terrible. Has Connor ever seen a pass he’s not refused to make to Laine in the slot? Connor is so overrated by our coaching staff. Get a player who will make a pass to a scoring position on the top line. Laine is a ****ing playmaker on that line. Out of necessity. Great coaching. Wtf is PoMo’s job exactly?

I couldn’t agree more. Connor is good at circling around (fast) in the Ozone and right in front of the goal with sharp angle shots and tipping in other players’ shots (that would probably have gone in anyway). But that’s about it.

And judging from his play, I can’t help thinking he knows this very well. That’s why he prefers to dump when in rush, and try to make Laine or Sheif retrieve or board battle the puck and maintain the offence ongoing until he positions himself in front of the goalie.

Only when the pass to Laine is so obvious that he would get demoted for not making it will it happen. Otherwise it’s just circling around, receiving passes and losing possession.

 

[GNP]

I didn’t like the Carolina or Montreal games for sure.

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I agree with this --we have to be beating teams like Detroit and Montreal all the time --and try to come out with around a 60 % win rate or better against the better clubs.

When you lose to bad teams --you have to wonder about the motivation and discipline of the Jets ??

 

[GNP]

Didn't expect to win either game against the Blues... and I wasn't disappointed. They are a much better team than the Jets.

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I'd agree with this -- however, if we get 2 solid defenseman --like Buff back, and one more upper middle type D-man --we'll beat that St.Louis team on a regular basis --like we used too.

 

[LowLefty]

And I have to disagree with you: Connor is clearly worse in zone exits than Laine as long as this season is concerned.

Laine has not been as good as he was in October/November, but I wouldn’t say he’s the same kind of a liability like Connor. I have been watching this aspect of his game very carefully. In Oct/Nov, he was literally ”streaking” with successful zone exits - some of which were true beauties (he paused, fooled the forechecker, and then passed to safety). But as mentioned, he has not been so solid in this regard during the past games.

Connor, on the other hand, has been consistently bad in his own zone.

I didn't say he wasn't

 

[LowLefty]

I couldn’t agree more. Connor is good at circling around (fast) in the Ozone and right in front of the goal with sharp angle shots and tipping in other players’ shots (that would probably have gone in anyway). But that’s about it.

And judging from his play, I can’t help thinking he knows this very well. That’s why he prefers to dump when in rush, and try to make Laine or Sheif retrieve or board battle the puck and maintain the offence ongoing until he positions himself in front of the goalie.

Only when the pass to Laine is so obvious that he would get demoted for not making it will it happen. Otherwise it’s just circling around, receiving passes and losing possession.

Yes, KC dumps in the O zone -
But he also chases down the dump and usually ends up working the cycle with Scheif - he's one of the best fore checkers on the team.
Laine usually comes in late looking for the feed - which makes sense since he's the shooter.

Something tells me you don't watch Jet games - no offense but this take is way off.