The Winnipeg Jets wrapped up their three-game road trip on Wednesday night, as they dropped a 1-0 overtime game to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The goaltender duel ended when Auston Matthews picked up his 39th goal of the season on the overtime winner as he was parked in the crease and jammed the puck home. Despite the outcome, Rick Bowness said in the post-game that this was “by far our best game of the road trip.”
Winnipeg had chances, and largely controlled play at five-on-five, but a few key injuries and the inability to finish off a few Grade-A chances were the difference. They were still able to come away with a point, and they will play their final game before the All-Star break on Saturday against these same Leafs, this time in Winnipeg.
Josh Morrissey Exits vs. Maple Leafs With Lower-Body Injury
The biggest takeaway from this game was Josh Morrissey being forced to leave with a lower-body injury near the end of the first period. He blocked a shot from point-blank range from Matthew Knies and immediately went down the tunnel and was ruled out for the remainder of the game. In the post-game, Rick Bowness said Morrissey will be further evaluated tomorrow, and we should learn more about his injury after the Jets practice Friday in Winnipeg.
The Jets are now missing three of their top players as they limp into the All-Star break. Morrissey left this contest, Mark Scheifele has now missed five straight games with a lower-body injury but has resumed skating in a regular jersey, and Gabriel Vilardi has now missed two straight with a lower-body injury.
It’s safe to say the Jets need the All-Star break, badly. Kyle Connor just recently returned from injury, Vilardi, Morrissey, and Scheifele are all currently injured, and Bowness recently stated that Cole Perfetti’s wrist isn’t 100 percent. They are a banged-up group, and despite all of these nagging injuries, they continued their strong efforts at five-on-five and just barely lost this contest.
Winnipeg Jets’ Defence Core & Penalty Kill Stepped Up
The Jets’ defensive streak of 34 straight games allowing three goals or less came to an end on Monday, Jan 22 against the Boston Bruins, but in their first game out of that streak, they smothered the Leafs through 60 minutes without their top defenceman for the majority of the game.
Related: Winnipeg Jets’ Defensive Dominance Reaching Historical Levels
I was especially impressed with Dylan Samberg’s play. This tweet below encapsulates all of the areas he excelled, and in an elevated role with Morrissey injured, he played one of his best games of the season. Not a bad time for one of his better games, as it was also his 25th birthday on Wednesday.
Laurent Brossoit provided the Jets with another quality start in relief of Connor Hellebuyck, and when he was asked about the defensive play in front of him, he stated: “I’m almost not impressed because I see it so consistently, especially from the forwards too with the amount of back pressure that they give us. The ‘D’ can be confident and keep a good gap, and it’s something we see every game now.”
Another big reason for the Jets’ defensive success on this night was the penalty kill. They went five-for-five against a Toronto Maple Leafs power play that is over 20% in success rate. A few big shot blocks from Samberg and key stops from Brossoit helped power this impressive night on the PK, which is an area that has turned into a strength of late for the Jets.
Jets Have Only Scored Four Goals in Last Three Games
Without Scheifele, Vilardi, and Morrissey for parts of their three-game road trip, the Jets certainly struggled to score. At five-on-five, they generated a fair amount of chances, but it was all for nothing as the power play failed to convert on a multitude of opportunities. Arguably the biggest one was a four-on-three power play in overtime against the Leafs that they failed to score on, which cost them the extra point.
The offence is going to have to come from somewhere, and with the Jets playing at such a high level on the defensive side of things, a league-average power play could’ve won them a few games that they have lost as of late. The All-Star break is a great time not only for health, but for the Jets power play to come up with a few new looks for the rest of the season.
The Jets will have a chance to get healthy and have one more positive outing before the All-Star break on Saturday night inside Canada Life Centre. In the meantime, expect updates from Friday’s practice on the health of Gabriel Vilardi, Mark Scheifele, and Josh Morrissey.
The Jets may be extra cautious with these injuries through the break as they have built themselves a nice cushion in the Western Conference standings, and the fact that there’s only one game remaining before an extended break would play into that as well. In good news, Bowness, Hellebuyck, and Connor are all headed to Toronto to represent the Jets in the All-Star game, which should keep Jets fans entertained over the break.