Post-Game Talk: Jets finally win, defeat Blues 5-2

[Kaako Kappo]

Jets aren't making the playoffs......they will sell off whatever they can once it's clear then the soft tank is on. Coaches & players don't tank........only management teams do. Happy for the players to get the monkey off their back, but it's not changing the end result. This team had no chance to be a playoff team this year once buff walked out and all these injuries happened.......sooner fans realize that the better.

Well, I'm not very disappointed because this is exactly what I was expecting after the complete annihilation of our D core.

 

[Hunter368]

Well, I'm not very disappointed because this is exactly what I was expecting after the complete annihilation of our D core.

Correct, that’s why I’m not surprised or upset by it. I’ve said this team at best was a bubble team since June......then Buff & NHL leading injuries happened to this team. It doesn’t matter who coaches this team, Jesus could of coaches them and they would of been a non playoff team.

 

[Jets 31]

Just checked , we are the 3rd youngest team in the NHL . Not completely worried about mediocrity or falling off a cliff just yet .

 

[Stumbledore]

Realistic educated hockey fans realize that...

Translation: This is my opinion and I'm inflating it by claiming that a lot of clever people agree with me...

 

[hn777]

Another game that felt like it was worth the watch. The team was getting boring to watch but it seems they have abandoned some previous strategies which is very good to see. Our talent seems to be shining through more. It was well played from St. Louis as well, so it was a good win.

Now to fix those awful special teams and it might be that this team is not historically crappy after all.

And secondary scoring from the third line! Since when do we do that?! Having a threat to score on the ice for the full duration of the game is what drives your winning percentages up, this is why the stat guys prefer "spreading the wealth". I would still go even more aggro and replace Connor with a lesser offensive player. You could even consider Laine but even if he is not miles better than Scheif and Connor, he is at least 1 mile better, and that line needs all the defense it can get.

Since Lowry went down and Copp took over as 3C.

 

[White Out 902]

Translation: This is my opinion and I'm inflating it by claiming that a lot of clever people agree with me...

I mean, I agree with both of you. He's right that this team isn't going anywhere with Maurice, and, you're right that it's just his opinion. No one has a crystal ball.

But Maurice is garbage.

 

[voyageur]

Since Lowry went down and Copp took over as 3C.

I think Perreault is a real struggle in the defensive zone too. Probably a bigger reason.

Yeah if we get healthy we could roll out 4 good lines

Connor-Scheif-Laine
Ehlers-Little-Wheeler
Harkins-Copp-Roslovic
Perreault/Bourque-Lowry-Appleton/Shore

Move Lowry up for a shutdown line, switching out Harkins.

The defense this week will be interesting.

I think Beaulieu should move Bitetto out of the lineup. But otherwise you work with Morrissey-Pionk. Kulikov-Niku is a Jekyll and Hyde pairing, but Kulikov is our #3 defenseman this year, so it's a good combination of speed and size, and they can move the puck pretty quick. I say Beaulieu with Sbisa because I liked their synchronism on the PK, two guys who will get in shooting lanes. I expect the refs to factor into the Nashville and Chicago games. For Kulikov, Sbisa, Beaulieu and Bitetto they are playing to get this team to the playoffs, get a kick at the can. Or they move out. If we fall out of contention, we could very well finish the year with a different looking defense. Maybe Morrissey-Pionk, Niku-Poolman, Samberg-Kovacevic.

Hopefully the Moose get Schilling back this week, because their defense is worse than ours, reminds me of the original days when Kostalek was the top prospect.

 

[Teemusalami204]

Miles ahead?

Good grief man, try maintaining a bit of credibility .

Miles ahead of connor. Slightly better then sheif.

 

[Jet]

Quick thoughts...

81-55-29 - Another very strong game from Laine. He's getting lots of opportunities, and creating others. As usual, Connor and Scheifele were much more effective in the offensive zone than the D zone. They are way too soft in their own zone.

27-26-82 - An okay game from this line. Ehlers continues to be really good at transitioning the puck from his zone to the offensive zone. Appleton has a bit of zip. Wheeler was tentative and made a few really bad decisions with the puck in his own zone.

58-9-28 - Terrific game from the 3rd line. Copp continues to impress in all zones. Harkins was decent. Roslovic with a strong game offensively. He can feast on these bottom-6 match-ups.

57-21-68 - I really like Shore. I think he's a keeper for the 4th line. Smart and effective. Bourque tried hard, but he's just too slow for this league. I honestly don't know what Shaw does shift after shift. He just always seems to be a split second too late in everything he does.

44-4 - Some signs of life from Morrissey. I thought he was okay with his gaps. He still isn't where he needs to be. Pionk was good, but I'm still not sure he's the ideal partner for Morrissey.

7-8 - Really liked Niku's game. He adds offensive punch to the back end. Kulikov plays a hard game, and I like his aggressiveness. Still, this pair is going to struggle at times against top competition.

2-5 - I'm going to guess that they were really positive in the room and "right" on the bench. They try hard and play with some energy, but they really don't know what to do with the puck.

Hellebuyck with another really strong game in net.

I agree with most of this. Niku really showing some offensive instincts and ability, but he still hasn't found the risk reward balance and he isn't good enough defensively yet in my opinion to be a legitimate top 4 guy. Of course, you improve at this level by repetition and minutes, and I hope that Niku can continue to get better here. Considering his lack of NHL experience there is nothing to prove that he can't. At this point though, I see him as a good bottom pair guy with PP time.

 

[Jet]

Jets aren't making the playoffs......they will sell off whatever they can once it's clear then the soft tank is on. Coaches & players don't tank........only management teams do. Happy for the players to get the monkey off their back, but it's not changing the end result. This team had no chance to be a playoff team this year once buff walked out and all these injuries happened.......sooner fans realize that the better.

I prefer to have hope that they will make the playoffs but we will have to go on a bit of a run on this home stand to have a chance. It's going to be tough but if Hellebuyck plays the way he did last night (and Bro in relief the way he played against the Broons) we have a legitimate shot.

This team has not really scored up to ability so far this year and if a few guys get rolling we can outscore a lot of shortcomings.

 

[Jets 31]

Translation: This is my opinion and I'm inflating it by claiming that a lot of clever people agree with me...

 

[Teemusalami204]

I think Perreault is a real struggle in the defensive zone too. Probably a bigger reason.

Yeah if we get healthy we could roll out 4 good lines

Connor-Scheif-Laine
Ehlers-Little-Wheeler
Harkins-Copp-Roslovic
Perreault/Bourque-Lowry-Appleton/Shore

Move Lowry up for a shutdown line, switching out Harkins.

The defense this week will be interesting.

I think Beaulieu should move Bitetto out of the lineup. But otherwise you work with Morrissey-Pionk. Kulikov-Niku is a Jekyll and Hyde pairing, but Kulikov is our #3 defenseman this year, so it's a good combination of speed and size, and they can move the puck pretty quick. I say Beaulieu with Sbisa because I liked their synchronism on the PK, two guys who will get in shooting lanes. I expect the refs to factor into the Nashville and Chicago games. For Kulikov, Sbisa, Beaulieu and Bitetto they are playing to get this team to the playoffs, get a kick at the can. Or they move out. If we fall out of contention, we could very well finish the year with a different looking defense. Maybe Morrissey-Pionk, Niku-Poolman, Samberg-Kovacevic.

Hopefully the Moose get Schilling back this week, because their defense is worse than ours, reminds me of the original days when Kostalek was the top prospect.

I love thinking positively about the future. I personally need to think more like you maybe.

I just can't for the life of me believe that little and laine wont be together when he gets back with wheeler back on the wing.

And lowry will be 3rd line centre with copp on his wing.

Maurice has made.his choices over and over and over and always go back to what works for him.

I dont see why any of us posters even waste our time fantasizing about permanent changes like this

 

[voyageur]

I love thinking positively about the future. I personally need to think more like you maybe.

I just can't for the life of me believe that little and laine wont be together when he gets back with wheeler back on the wing.

And lowry will be 3rd line centre with copp on his wing.

Maurice has made.his choices over and over and over and always go back to what works for him.

I dont see why any of us posters even waste our time fantasizing about permanent changes like this

You have to look forward with this team. It's really a transition year after losing 4 of 6 defensemen, and other than Pionk, replacing them with prospects and spare parts. So you have to look at the development angle.

Yeah line combinations are essentially fantasy fodder. The one thing I can say is that we started the season without Little and it was a struggle. Little comes back and the team starts to look cohesive. He goes down and we get a boost from players like Ehlers stepping up. But eventually we come back to reality. Wheeler at centre is looking more average. Perreault getting injured is the only reason Harkins moved up. Seems like only Roslovic can be demoted. The defense has been a struggle to put 6 in, and have any consistency from players who are just learning how their teammates play.

I am following the development aspect this year. Because I think it bodes well for the future.

 

[Calendal]

If you want to discuss Laine vs Connor (vs Scheifele) defensive effort in the GDT, how about you try to somehow tie your arguments to what happened in the game? Because it gets really old really quickly when people are dropping basically the same one-liners game after game without actually even referencing the game.

First line had problems defensively, for sure. I don't think it's anyone cheating, they just aren't quite good enough at it as a unit. Morrissey/Pionk while a pretty good pairing doesn't have the strength to separate opponents from the puck. They can keep the opposition out of scoring chances, but the cycle keeps on for quite long, resulting in lack of OZ time for the 1st line. If they do break the cycle, they have significant problems getting out of their own zone. That's not a recipe for success in the playoffs (or regular season.. although with better D overall it might be enough to get to the playoffs).

I can't quite put my finger on it, but I think the Jets first line is still somehow a little bit disjointed or out of sync. They don't read off each other well enough on the cycle even though Scheifele is great at holding the puck and dishing it out. Could be better. Laine is often trying to block the goaltender vision and/or deflect shots, but it doesn't look like he's very good at it.

 

[LowLefty]

Miles ahead of connor. Slightly better then sheif.

He's not miles ahead of anyone on this team -
The D zone play of our top line forwards is impacted by the D zone play of our D - plus they are playing against the oppositions best and that makes it even worse.

I'd like to see improvement in D play by all three of them but at this point, when you take 3 players that are paid to be elite point producers and ask them to shine on D in this situation, you are asking for more than what these guys were built to deliver.

Rather than concentrate on the defensive weaknesses of our best offensive players, maybe direct a little attention to the circumstances that put them in a position to be exposed. Our D squad is well below average in our zone - it's dreadful at times and if we expect our offensively skilled forwards to make up for this significant shortfall, we are in for a let down.

 

[Teemusalami204]

He's not miles ahead of anyone on this team -
The D zone play of our top line forwards is impacted by the D zone play of our D - plus they are playing against the oppositions best and that makes it even worse.

I'd like to see improvement in D play by all three of them but at this point, when you take 3 players that are paid to be elite point producers and ask them to be shine on D in this situation, you are asking for more than what these guys were built to deliver.

Rather than concentrate on the defensive weaknesses of our best offensive players, maybe direct a little attention to the circumstances that put them in a position to be exposed. Our D squad is well below average in our zone - it's dreadful at times and if we expect our offensively skilled forwards to make up for this significant shortfall, we are in for a let down.

I dont blame the players. I blame chevy for drafting only offensive forwards and having an AHL d corps.

Copp is the only great defensive forward we have on our entire roster with lowry a far second at good defensively.

The last half of previous year we had a stacked blue line and it was the same. For the most part of the year actually. For this I still blame Chevy.

It all comes down to the roster a gm provides for his coach and players.

Pee wee hockey systems and an average gm will cause these problems

 

[10Ducky10]

Connor-Scheif-Laine
Ehlers-Little-Wheeler
Harkins-Copp-Roslovic
Perreault/Bourque-Lowry-Appleton/Shore

I would use Lowry Little Wheeler and Scheif as centers...
Ehlers-Scheif-Laine
KC-Wheeler-Roslovic
KV-Little-Apples
Harkins/Perreault-Lowry-Copper

 

[Mud Turtle]

I've been pleasantly surprised by Harkins, to be honest. I liked the pick at the draft, but was underwhelmed by him in his first few post-draft seasons. My main concern was his lack of speed and pace of play. But that has improved dramatically. It's a good example of how a player can really take a leap forward in development if they have the basic skill/smarts and a strong work ethic. I'm hoping we see the same sort of leap forward from Gustafsson in the next couple of seasons - all he really needs is extra quickness. Vesalainen seems to be turning the corner in the AHL. If he can play with consistent intensity, he has all the tools to be an impact winger on the 3rd line.

I think Connor will still get it together. He's a hard worker and generally seems coachable. He just needs more attention to details in his own zone. I think some focused coaching could turn things around. For Scheifele, I tend to think it's the pressure he feels to score, which leads to a general approach that is looking for break opportunities in the D zone. He plays a much more diligent game in his own zone in the playoffs, so he's capable of doing it. He just needs to do it consistently during the season. Again, he might need some focused coaching on this, and maybe it's not something Oates emphasizes.

As far as Harkins is concerned, it’s like watching a totally different player.
We were watching on a very small TV last night, and a couple of times I saw someone carrying the puck fast and thought it was Roslovic or Ehlers. Turns out it was Harkins. Loving the new found speed he’s found!

 

[Mud Turtle]

I would use Lowry Little Wheeler and Scheif as centers...
Ehlers-Scheif-Laine
KC-Wheeler-Roslovic
KV-Little-Apples
Harkins/Perreault-Lowry-Copper

Paul Maurice’s actions over the years have proven that if Lowry is healthy, he’s. on the third line.
Why would Paul Maurice want 3 effective offensive lines???

 

[grieves]

As regards to Laine d-zone play, I think it is only a result of good observation that his wing-span alone grants him a lot of dominion over the ice. That combined with his size and willingness to finish checks makes him a nuisance to every opposing player. He is not at his best when trying to play D at a standing still position at his own zone, but he is pretty damn good to make that situation not happen with his forecheck, backcheck and neutral zone play.

I'm sorry for my directness but if you consider Laine not to be the best defensive player on that line, then correct your eyesight so we don't have to discuss about fairly clearly true things because there are other more interesting things to decipher.

I do not care about who is coaching this team if I see the will to change the ******* garbage ways in the name of wisdom. Every a-hole thinks they are always right (including me).

Change or be replaced ******it. At least we seem to have abandoned weak boring-ass game strategies and we seem to be reaping the benefits for now.

 

[robertocarlos]

Jack Hawkins? That name is familiar.

My mistake. The pirate is Jack Sparrow.

 

[BoneDocUK]

As regards to Laine d-zone play, I think it is only a result of good observation that his wing-span alone grants him a lot of dominion over the ice. That combined with his size and willingness to finish checks makes him a nuisance to every opposing player. He is not at his best when trying to play D at a standing still position at his own zone, but he is pretty damn good to make that situation not happen with his forecheck, backcheck and neutral zone play.

SBN. I'd maybe add that Laine has been hitting and going to the wall WAY more this year, and has done very little complaining to the refs after being mugged. Now 55 DOES get hooked, beaned, tripped, slashed and flat-out assaulted more than any other Jet, especially this season, but I think we're starting to see a mean streak developing in Pate, and that, added to his reflexes, wingspan and great hockey IQ, are going to make him an even more dangerous player going forward. Now he just needs to spend more time shooting at milk bottles or whatever he did as a kind again to dial that shot back in.

 

[robertocarlos]

not in my house ......

Some of us can't afford cable TV. The only chance of seeing some Jet games on CBC is the playoffs with a Leaf quick exit.

 

[Guardian17]

 

[PaulPooley]

I wonder if number one son Alex has read the letter his father wrote him on the occasion of his 1000th career game yet?