The silver linings were there in plain sight and it didn’t require excessive squinting or a pair of rose-coloured glasses to see them.
Yet, for a team like the Winnipeg Jets in the midst of an increasingly difficult stretch, this 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars had a familiar tone.
It was close to the template, but just not quite close enough.
There were improvements in five-on-five play and defensive-zone structure in this battle against one of the best teams in the NHL, but ultimately, it’s another loss for the Jets to a team above the playoff line.
Those have been far too plentiful of late, which is why the Jets are currently on the outside looking in.
During times like this, the Jets are trying to build on the positives, while fully recognizing there’s another level they need to reach to turn things around.
“We liked a lot of our game. We were the better team and maybe deserved a little better, but that’s kind of the funk we’re in right now,” said Jets defenceman Logan Stanley. “We’ve got to keep battling through it. That’s a good start and a good game plan for us going forward. We did a lot of good things.”
With just five wins during the past 17 games (5-11-1), the Jets fell to .500 for the season at 14-14-1 and they haven’t posted a W over a team above the playoff line since Nov. 1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
That means the Jets have to try and straddle that fine line between trusting the process, while trying to limit the mistakes that have cost them valuable points in the standings and left them staring up at teams like the Stars and Colorado Avalanche, who are in a two-way race for top spot in the Central Division.
“It’s a bit of both,” said Jets centre Mark Scheifele. “You want to get the result, you want to get wins. You have to look at that one and look at what went well and keep trying to fight for that every night.”
Fred Greenslade / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi bangs away at a puck in front of Dallas Stars goaltender Casey DeSmith.
The Jets continue a pivotal four-game homestand Thursday against the Boston Bruins.
Let’s take a closer look at what transpired in this one:
STAYING HOT
Scheifele banged home a pair of one-timers from nearly the identical spot, moving him back into the team lead for goals with 16.
The first one, set up by Kyle Connor after a defensive-zone blunder by Nils Lundqvist, got the Jets on the board after they fell behind 3-0.
Then, moments after a minor penalty to Wyatt Johnston had expired, Josh Morrissey made a cross-ice feed and Scheifele blasted another shot past Stars backup goalie Casey DeSmith.
On a night when Jets head coach Scott Arniel shuffled the lines before the game and again while it was ongoing in an effort to find some additional scoring, the Jets’ top line led the way with two of the three goals.
One of the ways the Jets can try and work their way through this is by getting some additional production from the other three forward lines.
Fred Greenslade / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Mark Scheifele celebrates his second goal of the game against the Dallas Stars in the second period.
PK SPRINGS A LEAK
The Jets penalty kill has been an asset this season and resided inside the Top-10 for the majority of the first third of the season, but it hasn’t been quite as efficient of late, allowing a power-play marker in six consecutive games.
After the Jets played a strong opening period, they gave up a power-play goal to Roope Hintz that made it 2-0.
Then in the third period, the Stars had great puck movement and possession in the offensive zone before Jason Robertson ripped home a one-timer of his own to restore the two-goal cushion.
“I hate saying a rough-stretch type thing, there’s mistakes that happen, too,” said Arniel. “Obviously that’s a real good power play. Both of them, we got caught on the length, we were stuck out there tired and then it’s more of a pack mentality, you kind of drop back on it. You’ve got to stay tighter to the net.
“The hard part is we didn’t get any clears when we needed to. And then when your penalty killers are that tired and they have a good power play, they’re going to move the puck around. As they did. As we did on ours, we caught their penalty killers tired at the end. It needs to be better. That was a heck of a game from us and to give up two PK goals, it’s the difference.”
The Jets lost the special-teams battle 2-0 in this game, though the second Winnipeg goal actually came with four forwards still on the ice and Johnston not yet back in the play despite coming out of the penalty box seconds earlier.
The Stars entered the contest with the third-ranked power play in the NHL and it has played a big role in the success for the team trying to chase down the Avalanche in the Central Division.
Fred Greenslade / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Jets’ goalie Eric Comrie makes a save on the Stars’ Sam Steel during first-period action Tuesday night in Winnipeg,
“It’s been the single biggest reason why we’re in the position that we are, especially with the way it started the year,” said Gulutzan. “It got us on some solid ground.”
THE CHANT
It’s not uncommon for M-V-P chants to rain down from the rafters inside Canada Life Centre, but those are usually reserved for reigning Hart Trophy winner and three-time Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck.
On Tuesday night, the chorus was reserved for Stanley, who took the initial shot and scored on his own rebound at 5:54 of the third period to once again make it a one-goal game.
“No, I didn’t hear that,” said Stanley. “It was nice to get one (goal) and make the game close.”
Stanley is up to four goals and 10 points for the season — and his four goals already represent a career-high for the 18th overall pick from the 2016 NHL Draft.
THE STRATEGY
It was a bold strategy by Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan to leave goalie Jake Oettinger in the bullpen on this night, but not as bold as one might think about how well DeSmith has played this season.
“He’s given us everything you can ask for,” said Gulutzan.“It’s important now in the league, especially in an Olympic year but in the league in general. Just with the workload, you have to have two guys and we really do. It’s nice for a coach to have that luxury.”
Fred Greenslade / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Logan Stanley scores on Dallas Stars’ goaltender Casey DeSmith in the third period.
Oettinger is expected to be on Team USA along with Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck and either Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins or Spencer Knight of the Chicago Blackhawks.
KEY PLAY
A power-play marker from Stars sniper Jason Robertson — who is up to 19 goals this season — at 4:46 of the third period proves to be the game-winner.
THREE STARS
Mikko Rantanen, Stars: Chipped in three assists.
Mark Scheifele, Jets: Scored two goals.
Wyatt Johnston, Stars: Produced two assists.
EXTRA, EXTRA — The Jets scratches were defenceman Colin Miller and forward Gustav Nyquist, who was out for a fourth consecutive game as a healthy scratch. Nyquist, who has no goals and six assists in 20 games this season, had never been a healthy scratch during his NHL career before that. What has the message been from Arniel to Nyquist?
Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter
The Warm-Up
Winnipeg Jets Game Days
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.
“You know what, just be patient,” said Arniel. “He knows, he’s an older guy, a veteran guy and he’s been good with it. His opportunity will come again, just take advantage of it when it does.”
Fred Greenslade / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Jets forward Jonathan Toews in action Tuesday night against the Dallas Stars in Winnipeg.
Prior to the game, the Jets reassigned defenceman Elias Salomonsson to the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League, leaving them a spot to use when fellow blue-liner Haydn Fleury is activated off injured reserve. Salomonsson had no points in four games, showing glimpses of his long-range potential.
By going 7-3 during their past 10 games, the Moose have improved to 13-9-2 and currently sit second in the Central Division standings with 28 points.
David Gustafsson leads the Moose with 14 points in 23 games, while off-season addition Walker Duehr leads the team with eight goals.
winnipegfreepress.com/kenwiebe
Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken.
Every piece of reporting Ken produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.