Post-Game Talk: Well....we won...

[LowLefty]

Has PP1 really been working? they scored their first goal yesterday... It's not like they're magic together.

Either is Laine right now if we are talking goals -
Ehlers should be up there on a reg basis based on his play

 

[Calendal]

So the previous winner of the helmet gets to pick who he gives it too , cool idea .

Good thing Scheifele and Wheeler got split up, they would probably pass it between them.

Yes and they aren't great but we are still finding ways to win , put Little in and you take one of the 4th line guys out and put Buff in and take one of the 3rd pair of defenseman out . Team looks alot better .

We also lost Letestu, probably for good and Appleton is out for a while. Niku is in AHL for some reason. Those wouldn’t be that huge upgrades, but shows why we need depth.

Of course Hellebuyck is the real reason for that, it’d be hard not to be in a playoff spot with his current play, but Maurice is a good coach and quite possibly the most charming man on earth.

Just watched Leafs vs Penguins. Leafs would maybe lose 5-1 with Helly on net.

 

[PhilJets]

Laine job oj the power play is to be set up right? And other players suppose to get to him to tee it up. No?

All of a sudden others are bettrr than him because his pp production isnt there.

Put him in the halfwall where Wheeler used to roam. See how better jetss pp1 becomes.

One of the best pp player in the league last 3 years all of a sudden not good anymore because he changed his play style. He still the best pp weapon when Jets are scary pp team.

 

[LowLefty]

Laine job oj the power play is to be set up right? And other players suppose to get to him to tee it up. No?

All of a sudden others are bettrr than him because his pp production isnt there.

Put him in the halfwall where Wheeler used to roam. See how better jetss pp1 becomes.

One of the best pp player in the league last 3 years all of a sudden not good anymore because he changed his play style. He still the best pp weapon when Jets are scary pp team.

When Laine gets his shot going again, I would expect him back on PP1 -
And that will likely change the look of the PP IMO - now they move the puck well and they don't have to worry about Laine on his off wing struggling with passes around the boards, shots from the point that come around hard to his side, or clearing attempts around the boards.

Laine's strength on the PP has always been his shot - once he has that humming again, I can see them potentially going back to a look that centers on passes to him via the seam or point. But right now, they are doing much better with puck possession / movement and despite the fact that Laine is not out there, they have plenty of shooters who are getting opportunities.

The PP looks like it is in learning mode right now - different looks and different tactics in an effort to find the magic formula.
I know some of us like to look back at the distant past to measure what was successful -but the not too distant past tells me that the PP was not effective and we are now trying new stuff - I have no issue with that.

 

[DashingDane]

Not sure why people are talking pp1 vs pp2. Currently Pomo seems to give most time to whichever one looks the best that day. Yesterday that was the Scheifele line. I actually really like how that is set up thus far with Connor and Scheif as trigger men and a very mobile Nikky able to set up both sides because of his shiftiness. I still think Laine should be getting a full 2 min on pp's but don't mind the current configurations as long as he isn't.

 

[jepjepjoo]

Either is Laine right now if we are talking goals -
Ehlers should be up there on a reg basis based on his play

I don't disagree with Ehlers being up there.

 

[Ukkosenjumala]

When Laine gets his shot going again, I would expect him back on PP1 -
And that will likely change the look of the PP IMO - now they move the puck well and they don't have to worry about Laine on his off wing struggling with passes around the boards, shots from the point that come around hard to his side, or clearing attempts around the boards.

Laine's strength on the PP has always been his shot - once he has that humming again, I can see them potentially going back to a look that centers on passes to him via the seam or point. But right now, they are doing much better with puck possession / movement and despite the fact that Laine is not out there, they have plenty of shooters who are getting opportunities.

The PP looks like it is in learning mode right now - different looks and different tactics in an effort to find the magic formula.
I know some of us like to look back at the distant past to measure what was successful -but the not too distant past tells me that the PP was not effective and we are now trying new stuff - I have no issue with that.

I don't know about his shot not being there, his percentages are not good but the feeds aren't there like they have been either, he's taking more low percentage shots. On the PP he's only gotten 16 shots in 17 games, compare that to Ovies 32 shots in 22 for example, the PP in general is just not clicking at 17 %. The bolded just hasn't been a problem this year like it has been before.

I agree Ehlers should be on the 1st PP but not to replace Laine, they finally put Pionk with him but then removed all the other ingredients for success. I guess Maurice is still waiting for that Wheeler-Laine magic to happen even tho it's been ages since either set the other one up. You think it's a coincidence that the drop-off in Laine's PP production coincides with a big drop-off in the Jets PP efficiency overall? Bufyglien is a big missing piece too but Pionk could be a decent replacement for him.

Also if we look at efficiency, Scheifele 2 goals in 15 shots, Connor 2 goals in 21 shots, Wheeler 0 goals in 12 shots. Only guy who's truly being efficient is Ehlers.

 

[LowLefty]

I don't know about his shot not being there, his percentages are not good but the feeds aren't there like they have been either, he's taking more low percentage shots. On the PP he's only gotten 16 shots in 17 games, compare that to Ovies 32 shots in 22 for example, the PP in general is just not clicking at 17 %. The bolded just hasn't been a problem this year like it has been before.

I agree Ehlers should be on the 1st PP but not to replace Laine, they finally put Pionk with him but then removed all the other ingredients for success. I guess Maurice is still waiting for that Wheeler-Laine magic to happen even tho it's been ages since either set the other one up. You think it's a coincidence that the drop-off in Laine's PP production coincides with a big drop-off in the Jets PP efficiency overall? Bufyglien is a big missing piece too but Pionk could be a decent replacement for him.

Also if we look at efficiency, Scheifele 2 goals in 15 shots, Connor 2 goals in 21 shots, Wheeler 0 goals in 12 shots. Only guy who's truly being efficient is Ehlers.

Laine will get his opportunities again - hopefully he gets his shooting numbers up a bit - sooner the better

 

[Guffman]

BTW, Hellebuyck has the 7th highest goalie AAV so you should expect him to perform at a high end.

To say Maurice is being carried by Hellebuyck is silly. Honestly, for someone to wonder where we would be with “average goaltending” is really wondering “what if Hellebuyck underperformed”?

What an absurd rationale to keep up the hate train on a coaching staff that is keeping this team in contention despite a myriad of setbacks.

 

[DannyGallivan]

BTW, Hellebuyck has the 7th highest goalie AAV so you should expect him to perform at a high end.

To say Maurice is being carried by Hellebuyck is silly (but I am used to reading silly comments on this forum). Honestly, for someone to wonder where we would be with “average goaltending” is really wondering “what if Hellebuyck underperformed”?

What an absurd rationale to keep up the hate train on a coaching staff that is keeping this team in contention despite a myriad of setbacks.

The Jets have won something like 9 out of 10 one goal games (don't skewer me if that number is wrong, I'm ballparking here, but the ratio is in fact very high). With Winnipeg coming out of top in so many one goal games, it's not at all weird ("I'm not weird, you're weird for thinking it's weird") to think that the Jets would be out of a playoff spot now if Hellbuyck was playing down to the level he played last year.

It's really kind of walking a tight rope to keep squeaking out one goal victories while your goaltender is playing not good, but great. That's because I really wonder about the sustainability of it all. Now, if the rest of our game improves (defense and goal scoring) throughout the season, we'll (hopefully) be able to compensate for some bad goalie games later.

 

[DannyGallivan]

Don't like it. I want Byfield. I still think we are a bubble team. Might make the PO, might not. Draft between 12 and 24.

Minny, Detroit, LAK and Sens are the top contenders for Lafreniere and Byfield.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[DannyGallivan]

And you have to wonder about that stat as we are a team that still passes off a good shot for great or not so great pass. So scoring chances become rendered moot.

Is there anything more infuriating? Other than bad goaltending (which fortunately has not been an issue this year) the answer is "no".

For all their success this season, Laine, Ehlers and Roso could all have better goal scoring numbers if they'd decide NOT to pass to someone in a WORSE scoring position than them (they are the three worse offenders from what I've seen). Take the shot!

 

[DannyGallivan]

Agree - but Shaw is the biggest weakness on that line. The other 2 both look better with a better player on their other wing.

I think Luoto looks pretty bad, actually. That line in general is indeed a big weakness.

 

[Guffman]

The Jets have won something like 9 out of 10 one goal games (don't skewer me if that number is wrong, I'm ballparking here, but the ratio is in fact very high). With Winnipeg coming out of top in so many one goal games, it's not at all weird ("I'm not weird, you're weird for thinking it's weird") to think that the Jets would be out of a playoff spot now if Hellbuyck was playing down to the level he played last year.

It's really kind of walking a tight rope to keep squeaking out one goal victories while your goaltender is playing not good, but great. That's because I really wonder about the sustainability of it all. Now, if the rest of our game improves (defense and goal scoring) throughout the season, we'll (hopefully) be able to compensate for some bad goalie games later.

Would the Jets be out of a playoff spot if Hellebuyck played below the expectations of his contract? Probably. I think a lot of teams would be in trouble if their star players performance did not match the expectations built into their contract.

My expectations for Hellebuyck is that he plays to the level of the expectations of his contract. He’s doing that. Why is this suddenly special?

 

[ijuka]

Going through some advanced stats, looks like Connor Hellebuyck's been massively outperforming the expectations, facing tons of high danger shots and leading the NHL in saves above expectations by a mile. It truly seems like his play's been masking some serious issues in Jets' play, mostly caused by a combination of the AHL-calibre defense as well as certain unperforming players such as Blake Wheeler.

What I'm interested in seeing is whether he can keep that up, or whether he'll end up regressing to norm, causing Jets' standings to take a nosedive.

I honestly don't get what Maurice's accomplished to be the second-longest tenured head coach in NHL. Even cup champions, president's trophy coaches etc. have been fired several times, yet Maurice, what has he done...

 

[Neuf]

Would the Jets be out of a playoff spot if Hellebuyck played below the expectations of his contract? Probably. I think a lot of teams would be in trouble if their star players performance did not match the expectations built into their contract.

My expectations for Hellebuyck is that he plays to the level of the expectations of his contract. He’s doing that. Why is this suddenly special?

It's easier to reach a high-level of goaltending when Buff and Trouba are defending versus whoever is there now, but yes, meeting expectations isn't special.

When sorted by % of cap at time of signing

 

[DannyGallivan]

Would the Jets be out of a playoff spot if Hellebuyck played below the expectations of his contract? Probably. I think a lot of teams would be in trouble if their star players performance did not match the expectations built into their contract.

My expectations for Hellebuyck is that he plays to the level of the expectations of his contract. He’s doing that. Why is this suddenly special?

Was that your expectations last year? Is is sustainable for a goalie to bail out his team so often? Once in awhile it's expected - it is mandatory.

 

[Evil Little]

The Jets have won something like 9 out of 10 one goal games (don't skewer me if that number is wrong, I'm ballparking here, but the ratio is in fact very high). With Winnipeg coming out of top in so many one goal games, it's not at all weird ("I'm not weird, you're weird for thinking it's weird") to think that the Jets would be out of a playoff spot now if Hellbuyck was playing down to the level he played last year.

It's really kind of walking a tight rope to keep squeaking out one goal victories while your goaltender is playing not good, but great. That's because I really wonder about the sustainability of it all. Now, if the rest of our game improves (defense and goal scoring) throughout the season, we'll (hopefully) be able to compensate for some bad goalie games later.

You know who else won an inordinate amount of one-goal games? The '14/'15 Ducks, who won the regular season Western Conference, swept a top-5 shot-share team, and made it to the WCF.

Also, regarding this season, specifically, many of those one-goal games are overtime wins. I don't necessarily think the Jets are a 9-1 overtime team, but I also don't believe they're a 5-5 overtime team.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I think Luoto looks pretty bad, actually. That line in general is indeed a big weakness.

Agree Luoto has looked bad. He was better in TC, but that happens. Weak as Luoto has been, I think Shaw has been worse. I had hoped he could be an AHL/NHL tweener but he is not. Strictly AHL'er.

 

[Adam da bomb]

BTW, Hellebuyck has the 7th highest goalie AAV so you should expect him to perform at a high end.

To say Maurice is being carried by Hellebuyck is silly (but I am used to reading silly comments on this forum). Honestly, for someone to wonder where we would be with “average goaltending” is really wondering “what if Hellebuyck underperformed”?

What an absurd rationale to keep up the hate train on a coaching staff that is keeping this team in contention despite a myriad of setbacks.

So he should be expected to perform as the 7th top goalie not top 5.

 

[boanst]

Would the Jets be out of a playoff spot if Hellebuyck played below the expectations of his contract? Probably. I think a lot of teams would be in trouble if their star players performance did not match the expectations built into their contract.

My expectations for Hellebuyck is that he plays to the level of the expectations of his contract. He’s doing that. Why is this suddenly special?

Its special because his current season is sitting at 70th greatest all-time for save percentage. Maybe that's something you expect from a goalie with the 11th highest cap hit in the league, but the rest of us in the real world knows damn well that this guy has carried us.

 

[BoneDocUK]

Its special because his current season is sitting at 70th greatest all-time for save percentage. Maybe that's something you expect from a goalie with the 11th highest cap hit in the league, but the rest of us in the real world knows damn well that this guy has carried us.

He's been great.

I find it interesting that last year even when we were winning there was a strong cadre here arguing (rightly, as it turned out, and I definitely don't count myself among those prophets) that the fundamentals predicted that winning while playing this poorly was not sustainable. This year, when it often seems that we're underwater for whole games at a time, with some appalling numbers again, there seems to be more confidence that we're on an uptick, steadily improving, can challenge for a playoff spot and even go deep, maybe, once the roster is rebalanced, etc.

If you're in that camp (or not, but you have some insights), what's the basis for your optimism? What do you see in this team that gives you hope that it's a playoff team, or even a contender?

 

[Joe Hallenback]

Last year's team underachieved. This years team has overachieved. The simple fact is we took 4 quality NHL D men out of the roster and replaced them with relatively unknown quantities

 

[Haringoth]

If I hadn't watched the game, I'd truly not be able to tell who won based off the tone of this thread and the f***ing title.

 

[Dayofthedogs]

View media item 6591If it's about faceoffs, there are 7 forwards doing better than Wheels (and Schief: though several have small sample sizes, and it's a sketchy subjective stat to begin with).

Laine not getting much PP time is odd, though. I like Ehlers on PP1, though.

Despite wheelers less than stellar numbers I'm guessing he does video and works with Woody so he's probably a better bet on the draw than Shaw. Lowry Copp MP are the other late game shut down line so I can see why he didn't pull one of them unless he thinks he'll want a Lefty.

Are you also suggesting PoMo's motivation for not putting patty out with the EN is some kind of message sending?