Post-Game Talk: Close but no cigar, Jets lose in SO 4-3

[buyinnow]

Wheeler looks oooold

 

[ICdave]

Post-game audio:

Players: Wheeler (drops F bomb on team being fed up being pushed around and Bitetto pushing back), Brossoit & Bitetto.

Coach Maurice: What turned in his hockey club's favour to get a point? Can this be a catalyst for the team? Update on Sami Niku? Playing soccer as a warm up. Did it feel like a one shot game in the 3rd? Moving Kyle Connor up with 55/26 and using three forwards to start OT. What has he liked about Cody Eakin? The hits on Pionk/Laine.

To listen click here.

 

[Positive]

Well, Ehlers doesn't take shootouts often. He's 0% (0-4). I'm surprised that he wouldn't try a move though. Just try a glove side wrister even, it just worked twice. Pretty rare a slapper works.

 

[NotCommitted]

My theory on the slapper is it was meant to be a fake shot followed by a move but he saw the 5hole gaping and couldn't resist. That or a bet, dutchmen are gamblers.

 

[RetroWinnipeg]

Niku got injured while playing some soccer.

He would fit right in with Valour FC!

WAKA WAKA!

 

[voyageur]

Good fight to get a point but man did we get worked hard tonight. We were thoroughly outclassed and outchanced tonight but our goalie stepped up and we were opportunistic.

With Morrissey out of the lineup it looks like the team has gone back into play not to lose mode. It was only when we had to open it up in the third that this team started to generate good chances.

Brossoit with a dandy game, got us that point imo.

Defense:

Might have been Kuli's best game this year, he was great. Pionk was solid

Poolman and Bietto were an absolute train wreck, just awful.
Beau and DeMelo were mediocre

Scheifele looked about as good as he has in a while, was battling hard all over the ic for the most part. Wheeler was solid but seems to be making some odd decisions. Connor with a great steal and a goal.

Eakins hasn't adjusted yet and only has mediocre speed and hands. I don't like him any better in that 2 hole then Copp. Ehlers had a solid night, Laine wasn't all that great today.

Third line had some moments. Roslovic and Harkins were both good, Copp worked but killed a lot of offensive plays.

FOurth line was inconsequential.

Maurice made the adjustment that saved this game.

I thought Connor-Scheif-Wheeler had a mediocre 2nd period after the change, but they brought it in the 3rd. That Connor goal seemed to spark them. Connor was looking pretty average until then.

I thought it was Eakin between Ehlers and Laine that turned us around. Neither Ehlers or Laine were doing much this game. Copp was really struggling matching up against the top 6. I mean Eakin is by no means Stastny but he was very good positionally, especially in the offensive zone, and he is the kind of player those two skill guys need, a guy that works, and battles for puck retrieval.

Harkins-Copp-Roslovic had good pace. I am really impressed with Harkins intelligence as a player. Roslovic was skating their defense hard, drew a penalty.

4th line didn't play much. Appleton had a great chance. Shore is still an asset on the PK.​

Let's face it we matched up against maybe the best team in the NHL at centre 1-2-3, and other than Copp getting cleaned on a couple of draws, we played pretty competitively head to head.

The defense was pretty terrible. Kulikov was great. Pionk was good. De Melo looked good. Beaulieu was awful early, settled down later. That unit had a good PK which saved us a point, at a crucial moment.
Poolman still looks off. Bitetto hopefully doesn't play too much more down the stretch. At least he fought, down 3-0. Can't say it was a spark, but it took him off the ice.

I'd like to see:

Morrissey-DeMelo
Kulikov-Pionk
Beaulieu-Sbisa

in the next week...

That's the best we have.

PP was dreadful. Some of it is Washington being a well rounded team, some of it is mental fatigue. I'd like to see the adjustment to get Harkins on the PP, in Copp's place. We need Copp for defensive responsibility. Harkins has shown a real good vision, and with his speed and battle level, would add another element, maybe get more shots for Ehlers. Roslovic is the ideal digger, and maybe you get Eakin in the final spot until Perreault comes back. Or you just keep Laine out there for 2 minutes.

I hope this game gave Brossoit some confidence. Hellebuyck needs to be strong for us down the stretch.

That 1 point temporarily puts us back in WC2 so the point is not insignificant. Nashville should win tonight, and with 3 games in hand, good chance they pass us. But we still have Calgary in our sights, only 2 points back, and with games against them. That's the team I am looking at in the battle.

 

[DharmaBum]

2 of the funnier moments in the game
Here's Scheifele deliberately trying to injure himself to stick it to Maurice


And Boolyou and I think Potato (maybe DeMelo) displaying their high hockey IQ

 

[jefferoni]

 

[DharmaBum]

Not the best move from Ehlers on the S/O. May I suggest he study one Dean Youngblood on how to do shootouts

 

[Ginger Papa]

I’m so proud of these guys to see them rally and come back with 3 unanswered. What an EFFORT! Let's be real. Washington has the least amount of Man games lost this year, arguably the best back up keeper in the league. A Dman is their leading scorer (having a historic season) when they have Ovechkin & Backstrom on their Roster. The list goes on. The boys did us proud, considering the lineup we iced.

I look forward to writing Part 2 of my Parody of "The Trooper" tomorrow night.

Cheers

Go Go​

 

[cbcwpg]

“Whenever we get down in the first period, there’s not a lot of quit in our game.”

**

Whenever? You’re down in the first in almost every game you play.

 

[bennylundholm]

Brutal shootout decision by Ehlers.
Saying that, I think Ehlers is our most talented player and should be right at the top in icetime.
I do think his slapper was a message to PoMo.

 

[gojetsgo]

ehlers shot was not a message he's just really really bad at shoot outs/breakaways I remember last year when he finally scored on a breakaway and everyone was freaking out and saying it's a miracle etc...

 

[hn777]

2 of the funnier moments in the game
Here's Scheifele deliberately trying to injure himself to stick it to Maurice


And Boolyou and I think Potato (maybe DeMelo) displaying their high hockey IQ

It's only fair they are allowed to defend with four D-men taking quality into account. Also, impressive jump right over the boards by the second guy

 

[Guardian17]

I have to give the Jets credit for battling back and earning a point.

 

[jefferoni]

 

[tntkid]

Stunned they tied the game to get the loser point.

Brossoit saved their ass many times until the shootout where he got picked apart.

 

[Neuf]

The giving up the first goal is really annoying.
Need at least a point Thursday

 

[tbcwpg]

Also there is not a worse thing you can imply about a player than throwing a game because he doesn't care. Honestly it is sickening some posters think so little of Fly to even imply it even if it was an attempted jab at Maurice.

Some just hate Maurice that much.

 

[sipowicz]

Poolman’s a #6 D man on a bad team, a #8 D man on a good team!

 

[DeepFrickinValue]

Well, Ehlers doesn't take shootouts often. He's 0% (0-4). I'm surprised that he wouldn't try a move though. Just try a glove side wrister even, it just worked twice. Pretty rare a slapper works.

I'm probably wrong but, I thought slappers were banned from penalty shots. Years back that's all players took as I recall. Goalies were complaining.

 

[Calendal]

Poolman’s a #6 D man on a bad team, a #8 D man on a good team!

And #4 on our team.

 

[AlphaLackey]

And #4 on our team.

But #1 in our hearts.

 

[snowkiddin]

Imagine if we played the full 60 like how we played the third

 

[NorCalhockey]

Close but no cigar - sounds like something Monica Lewinsky might have said.

Didn't watch the game (don't see any point, personally speaking), but it sounded like we fell behind, and had to chase the game (judging that it went into a SO, looks like we tied the Caps).

1 point in the last 3 games. Not going to cut it if they want in the playoffs.

I give the team MASSIVE props for getting a point when they could have just phoned it in when the Caps went up 3-0. However, the bolded can't be stated enough. This road trip was pretty much a disaster for the Jets. Having said that, I won't give up on the Jets making the playoffs until they are actually mathematically eliminated.