You forgot the loss of Little for the whole season.
Post-Game Talk: I guess we can rest for 8 days too... Jets lose to Jackets 4-3
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Joe Hallenback
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- Mar 4, 2005
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Yes just another player who does so many little things so well.
Little back at center with Ehlers and Wheeler would be a good second line .
when Maurice mentions his analytics
Sure, but Laine has been playing defence -- and setting up Connor and 55.
I'm finding KC to be an intensely frustrating player to watch this season. Some great sniping, and recently more emphasis on zone entries, but just MIA on chance after chance and goal after goal. For a guy with his speed, smarts and (admittedly, in college) track record of being a strong 2-way player, it's bewildering.
And yet it's Nik and Roslo, both much more committed and consistent two-way players, who get called out and benched. Even Murat has commented, with some asperity, on PoMo's seeming blinders regarding KC's defensive capabilities -- but, MoStatz.
Not scoring Goal after goal sounds like Laine. Connor did more to set up Laine’s goal last night than vice versa. So hard to say Connor has not been setting up Laine.
kanadalainen
A pint of dark matter, please.
You have a point, but this is an underdeveloped phenomenon and is just beginning now. KFC has never really been known as Laine's set up guy. I do hope this changes and becomes a featured mainstay within Connor's bag of tricks. There is some enormous untapped goodness here to be exploited.
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Laine is better at getting secondary assists than KC. Everything else KC is better or they are equal. Defensively they're both awful.
Rabid Ranger
2 is better than one
Connor has 25 goals/50 points. That buys him a lot of good will from the coach even if his defensive game is lacking. Fact is he's out-produced Laine for two seasons now (goals/points). I think lauding Laine's defensive game is a bit disingenuous. He's gotten better in that regard and I suppose you can say he's the defensive "conscience" of the 1st line-but that's really no compliment.
Really? I only saw the extended highlights, but at least those goals against he was in a hopeless situation (Kulikov lost the puck AND his man on the boards leaving Niku alone in front of the net which is a spot you NEVER leave unguarded, and was it also Kulikov who tried to dangle throug starting from behind the net and lost the puck, so that Niku had about 1 second to pick who's he going to defend and catch him?).
And anyway, the team defence has been so bad especially lately that many times there's at least one guy effectively playing himself out and leaving the rest trying to cope with the situation (downside of a man to man D, if the system is not clear to everybody how to react on these things).
I kinda liked the system they played a couple of seasons ago (I think). They let the opponent take a loads of shots from the perimeter, but mostlyt controlled the war zone. Helly had an easy job to make the saves most of the times, but of course many were worried about the amount of shots against. Some of those shits will end up deflected or being one-of-a-thousand bombs, but the odds are on your side really. As long as you limit the HDC, you raise your chances. What they had last season and especially now, isn't working (at least with this group, but I think it's too complex anyway). And they also end up limiting their own offense with it, so... good job! (if you're planning to tank).
- Dec 29, 2016
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Laine's D game in his own end is no better than the KC's - he's not good in the same areas that KC is constantly called out on - namely zone exits that are a no win when our d is throwing the puck up the walls every play. What frustrates me (intensely) is the continuing dialogue on Laine's D game heroics - is it better than LY? Yes, it would have to be.
On top of that, Laine is getting a ton of shots - it's not like that part of his game disappeared - it's just not as obvious as it has been when all he did was shoot. His Shot numbers are not low by any means.
Nik and Rosie are in the same boat - none of these guys plays a defensive game. Rosie hasn't a clue how to play in his own end and Nik gets credit for coming back in a hurry but his exits are as bad as the rest of them. When he gets the puck in open ice, he can make hay and his entries are good - but he is not good defensively. None of these guys are or we wouldn't be jammed up in our own end all night long -
Unless that's all on KC.
As for KC's offense, I have no idea why you would call him out when our O in general has pretty much dried up regardless of chances - they all gets shots - they are just not going in. On top of that, he 's on track for his best year in points - but he's MIA on O?
I can also think of another player on this team that is supposed to be a pure goal scorer that is not scoring despite the fact that the shot count is there.
Our blue line is bad - and that reflects on the offensive players - we can't get anything going from our own end.
I get the frustration - we're spiraling out of control - but the issue is on the blue line.
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Howard Chuck
Registered User
I agree with your assessment of Niku. I thought he was our best puck moving defenseman. Great outlet passes and quick retrieval. He needs to work on his d in our end though. But that will come.
Do or Die
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- Jun 28, 2011
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Would 100 times rather put up with growing pains, from players with upside (Nik, Poolman).....than watch some of the other AHL "talent" on D
Even if his play was good enough his complaining about minutes and being on the Moose soured me on him. He still has stuff to work out and his play does not justify his attitude.!
???
I said that KC has been MIA on defence, not in scoring himself. So has 55, though less consistently, although he's the key driver in the o-zone, so at least he's working hard somewhere. And I'm far from "lauding" Laine's D-game, but the fact remains that he's usually the first man back, by design presumably, and has worked harder and been more effective this year instead of regressing, like so many of our other forwards have. Maybe not heroic, and maybe only good relatively, but small mercies. KC has been the worst or nearly-worst Jets forward by the numbers for a while now -- maybe he's outscoring those deficiencies, but it's worth discussion, IMO.
I agree that our D is the key weakness -- that much has been blindingly obvious since TC -- but the ongoing lacklustre play of our forwards isn't exclusively down to that -- we saw the same thing last season with a much stronger D core.
But whatevs. It's getting angry in here. Time for an ASB of my own.
I think Connor out pacing Laine is more of a byproduct of what is being asked of either player. Ide bet under a new coach Laine starts out producing Connor again.
The Jets can lose no more than 9 games in their last 31 to hit 98 points.Me thinks you are talking about the draft party.
Seriously though this has apparently been a horrible stretch of games and things look grim. If we come out of the break and Helle goes .930 down the stretch one never knows. This season has not been good from the moment Buff no showed and we ran to the waiver wire to start dating. We did witness two months of Vezina level goaltending to prop things up for a while though.
Being in Mexico and not watching for the last four games has done wonders for my brain. I am in Canada for the break and then back out of the country for a week when the Jets first get back. I feel like there has been some odd divine intervention to keep me relaxed.
The playoff line seems to be hovering around 93 points right now in the West for the 2nd wildcard though.
To hit 94, the Jets can lose no more than 11 games, so they'd have to go .645 down the stretch.
A Florida golf course in January is a tough spot from which to argue the merits of living in Winnipeg...Maybe Laine can convince Barkov to come back with him and play for the Jets .
He brought in Kevin Hayes at the deadline last year so Maurice could put him on the 4th line in the playoffs. Fire Maurice.
Rabid Ranger
2 is better than one
What would change under a new coach? I think at this point both players are being deployed to their strengths. The real issue is conversion. Laine is taking a ton of shots but not converting at an ungodly rate.
Some on the blue line. Some on the forwards not picking there defensive responsibilities and some on the man to man scheme that can result in having dmen up at the points and forwards down low.
It isn't just simply saying the defense is poor. There are many factors that are leading to poor coverage and terrible breakouts.
Too many shooters on the top line and only one puck.
I'd personally split both of them to maximize their finishing talent.
Laine's shots are up but I think that is more of an effort on his part to take more. PoMo has made it very clear how he wants Laine to play and due to that a lot of his shots are coming from places a couple of years ago he would have never shot from.
NorCalhockey
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- Jan 6, 2017
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Of this list, the only ones I'd really want are:
Trouba - legit NHL Dman
Buff - see Trouba, except his relationship with the Jets organization seems to be poisoned now
Tanev - glue guy; was a heart & soul dude in his time with the Jets
Stastny - one of those 2nd/3rd line guys every team needs to win a Cup (a la Penguins' Rust/Guentzel)
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