On Monday, the Winnipeg Jets held the dreaded players-only meeting after their 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. The loss was Winnipeg’s fifth in its past six games, which necessitated some soul-searching. 

“I’d love to give you all the answers,” Jets defenceman Dylan DeMelo told reporters Monday. “If I had them all, we wouldn’t be in the position we’re in. We’re trying to figure it out. (Time) is of the essence.”

Although the Jets put forth a much better effort on Wednesday against the Montreal Canadiens, they still lost 3-2 in a shootout. Since starting 9-3-0, the Jets are 4-9-1 since Nov. 4 — the worst record in the NHL by points percentage (.321). 

Here is a look at what has gone wrong for the Jets as of late:

Winnipeg is a bottom-third defensive team this season, ranking 23rd in expected goals against per game in all situations and 27th at five-on-five. Following his final start before being shut down, Hellebuyck had saved 16 goals above expected in all situations through Nov. 15 — second-most in the NHL, behind only Chicago’s Spencer Knight (16.5). Hellebuyck had 11 quality starts in 14 tries (78.6 per cent) and three steals. 

Eric Comrie and rookie Thomas Milic, meanwhile, have made three combined quality starts in eight games without Hellebuyck (37.5 per cent). That is despite the fact that the Jets have actually performed well defensively in Hellebuyck’s absence. Winnipeg is 10th in expected goals against per game in all situations since Nov. 18. Comrie, to his credit, was excellent against Montreal on Wednesday, saving roughly two goals above expected in Winnipeg’s shootout loss. 

Jets coach Scott Arniel told reporters Wednesday that Hellebuyck “is getting close” to resuming on-ice activities following his surgery but that the organization is being extra cautious. 

“I’m going to make sure he has, like, four (non-contact) jerseys on him,” Arniel said.

Secondary scoring remains nonexistent 

The Jets’ top line of Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Gabe Vilardi has continued crushing it during the team’s recent 1-5-1 slump, outscoring opponents 9-5 at five-on-five and combining for 23 points in all situations. That trio was responsible for both Jets goals against the Canadiens.

The rest of Winnipeg’s forward lines, however, have not done their part, which has been an issue all season. Over the past seven games, the Jets have been outscored 13-3 when Connor, Scheifele and Vilardi are off the ice. 

Only one forward line — Colorado’s Artturi Lehkonen, Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas (26) — has recorded more goals than Winnipeg’s No. 1 line (25) at five-on-five. No other forward combination used by the Jets this season, however, has been on the ice for more than four Jets goals. 

Perhaps expectedly, 37-year-old centre Jonathan Toews (nine points in 26 games) has struggled after sitting out the previous two seasons. Winnipeg has been outscored 17-7 and out-chanced 141-96 during Toews’ minutes at five-on-five. 

The current version of Winnipeg’s second line — Toews, Vladislav Namestnikov and Cole Perfetti — has been outscored 4-2 at five-on-five in more than 100 minutes of ice time. By comparison, last season’s second line of Namestnikov, Perfetti and Nikolaj Ehlers outscored opponents 24-14. 

“The big thing with (Toews) is that it’s all new to him right now, because it’s been a couple years,” Arniel told reporters Wednesday. “He’s the first to admit that the league is even faster than when he left it. … I know offensively the numbers aren’t there, but for him, we’ve talked about (how) this isn’t a 10-game, 20-game, 30-game thing. This is about building toward the 82nd game and then (the) playoffs.”

One question for Arniel is whether he would consider splitting up Connor, Scheifele and Vilardi in an attempt to find more balanced scoring. When all of them have been in the lineup, they have rarely been apart since the start of last season. 

Regardless of how the Jets go about it, they must find a way to get more offence from their other three forward lines. 

“It’s a long season for a reason,” Connor told reporters Monday. “I believe in this group, the leadership that we have, the players in here. It’s in this room. It’s (on) us to figure it out and turn this thing around and grab that identity and grab ahold of something that makes us tick. It seems like we’re still trying to find that.”