The Winnipeg Jets return home Friday night to play host to the Buffalo Sabres at the Canada Life Centre. The Jets return from a five-game road trip in which they went 1-3-1. Overall, the Jets have now lost six of their last seven games and sit outside the playoff picture.
Even apart from Connor Hellebuyck’s injury, some of the Jets’ main issues have become clear. Here are things to monitor.
Jets lack secondary scoring
Over their last 7 games, the Jets have gotten a total of four goals from players outside of their top line. One of those goals was from top defenceman Josh Morrissey. The other three were from Nino Niederreiter (2nd of the season) and Cole Perfetti (1st) in the same game against the Nashville Predators, which the Jets won 5-2. Without scoring from throughout the line-up, the Jets will not win many games.
The Jets’ top line of Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Gabe Vilardi is filling the net. They have combined for 25 goals on the season, which is makes them the second highest scoring line in the league. They trail the top line of the Colorado Avalanche by one goal. After the top line, however, things get thin.
The Jets are really missing Nikolaj Ehlers. It is up to Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff to go out and find a player or two that can play alongside Cole Perfetti on the 2nd. Both Brad Lambert and Nikita Chibrikov were given auditions in second line roles. Unfortunately, neither seized the opportunity. It is now up to Cheveldayoff to bring in a reinforcement or two before the trade deadline.
No legit second line candidate available? Add a bonafide top-nine player for a little more depth. Right now, the Jets are too top heavy.
Salomonsson not ready
When Neal Pionk was sidelined with a lower body injury against the Minnesota Wild, the Jets called up their top defence prospect, Elias Salomonsson, from the Manitoba Moose. The coaching staff immediately put Salomonsson on a top-four pairing with Dylan Samberg.
In the preseason, this pairing was dominant. However, the pace of decision making and pressure increase once the regular season starts. Unfortunately, the results this time suggested the Swedish. The Samberg- Salomonsson pairing did not carry the play as they did in pre-season. In fact, they seemed out-of-sync. Salomonsson seemed to lack the needed assertiveness.
After a small sample size, Salomonsson was demoted to the 3rd defence pair once Pionk returned from injury. Given how the last few games went, it may be a blessing in disguise for Salomonsson to spend time on the pair pair and grow into a top-four role just as Samberg did a few years before him.
Jets feel the effects of the Hellebuyck absence
For the first time ever, the Jets are seeing first-hand what life without their Hart Trophy, Vezina Trophy winning goalie looks like. Although Eric Comrie gave the team a chance to win against the Habs, he is not on the same level as Hellebuyck. The Jets have to find a way to win a few games to stay in the playoff hunt while Hellebuyck works his way back from his knee surgery.
Hellebuyck won’t — and shouldn’t — be rushed. With goalies especially, lower-body (groin, knee, hip) issues have high recurrence rates if not 100 percent healed. That’s when minor issues and routine clean outs can turn into something more troublesome.
Jets need a 2 nd scoring line
