Winnipeg – Do you want to see it as part of the problem or part of the possible solution?
The Winnipeg Jets face themselves at that stage after a 3-2 defeat to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night, the second consecutive draw after keeping the 11-4-1 stretch together which keeps hopes alive.
Although everyone who spoke later tried their best to show a bold face and to speak correctly, it seems like a lost season.
With 12 games remaining in the regular season, the Jets are now five points behind the Dallas Stars, who still have three games to go.
Yes, the jets have been living mathematically here for some time, but it is possible that they would have to run the table just to get a chance.
A small miracle is nothing less – and an epic fall by them, will suffice.
Jets Center Adam Lowry said, “We know the situation we’re in. The re-emergence at the short end makes the hill even steeper,” when asked if mounting pressure was a factor in the extended run. “Of course, now every game has to be won. We need to go to a good hitter and then hopefully we get some help. Everyone is going there and wants to win so badly for each other. They don’t want to disappoint the boys. You do not want to be frustrated if you cannot get the right pitch so invest in a good capo.
“So, maybe a little bit, but we can’t let that mentality get in the way. We just have to focus on the latter, as much as the clich, and really start building from there. We have a few days left to rest after a very busy schedule and we have to lose some of the best teams that have come here. ”
It’s not just the quality of the opponent that makes this almost impossible stretch so terrifying for the Jets.
As much as they were able to get back into the perimeter of the race, the problems that plagued this team have now been for more than one season. Those flaws have been exposed for all to see.
Pak management was again a problem for the Jets against the Kings on Saturday. Viewers groove a shorthand marker to open the scoring and then recover a one-goal cushion that they won’t abandon after defender Dylan Dimelo’s rare but costly turnover.
In the third goal – and finally the game-winner – the Jets were five seconds away from captain Blake Wheeler’s tripping penalty when Pak Josh Morrisy’s skate bounced twice and fell into the net.
This has added to the frustration for the Jets tonight.
The point here is, if poor Pak management doesn’t happen as often, you can turn it off and even suggest that it’s not a big deal.
That is simply not the case.
This can be a fine line for coaches who do not want to stifle creativity, especially in the case of highly talented attacking players.
“You have to give them a chance to play,” said Dave Lowry, the Jets’ interim head coach. “As a coach, if we tell them that every time Pak comes to the offensive zone he has to go into the net, it will be a difficult time for your boys to play. You want to give them some starting point – for us we want a guy on the net – we let them try and be creative and make plays, but at the end of the day you have to go on the net to score. “
“We do, at times, miss out on opportunities to shoot at the desired location. Sometimes we’re looking for the next drama, and it’s coming out elite skills. We are not the only team that thinks and plays that way. “
Mistakes happen and the game happens at an incredibly high speed, which only adds to the importance of creating smart and sometimes secure games.
When it comes to self-defense, it is difficult for the collective to come to a conclusion other than not being committed enough.
Can jets benefit from some structural changes or modifications to the system? Sure. But effective testing often comes down to a feature that is highly controllable: will.
Getting better in that area doesn’t often happen overnight, nor is it an easy process but the kings are a great example of what can happen as a result of having that promise.
Not only does head coach Todd McLellan keep the Kings firmly in the play-off spot, they have been able to do so when a large number of regulars are absent (including defender Drew Duty and experienced winger Dustin Brown).
Kings play fast and they pay attention to detail and if the level of commitment is not high enough you can’t survive playing without eight people.
No one is advising that the current version of the Jets does not want to win. Of course they do. But as the season progresses, it is becoming increasingly clear that conditions are not good enough.
Jets GM Kevin Sheveldeoff used the NHL trade deadline to reassure his core group, and that trust was not rewarded.
Some changes to the composition of the roster will be required this offseason.
How deep these changes can be – or can be – will be determined in the last month of the regular season.
Next year the country will not officially come for some time, but the assessment is ongoing and how certain boys will play in this upcoming expansion could ultimately determine whether they will stay with the Jets or start anew somewhere else.
With it comes a certain level of pressure, but it also brings opportunities.
This is a chance to show that this group will not just fade into the sunset when times are tough.
The Jets must now turn their attention to the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday and the league-led Colorado Avalanche on Friday.
The return of top scorer Kyle Connor and defender Net Schmidt should help provide some stability after the two players missed the last three outings after landing in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols.
But this subsequent expansion is probably going to provide some important clues about what the future holds for the Jets, not just in these final 12 games but in the 2022-23 season and beyond.
“You get stressed every night,” Dave Lowry said. “It simply came to our notice then. We cannot see what lies ahead. We have to think about the next match.
“We put ourselves in this position and you have to give yourself a chance to win your game.”