The Winnipeg Jets dropped their fifth consecutive game after losing 4-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights in front of a sold-out crowd at Canada Life Centre. The Jets played better in this one compared to the rest of their recent losses, but there isn’t much use in taking the moral victories when it’s this late in the season.
The game itself was a close contest throughout, but the failure to convert power play chances was the Jets’ undoing. It’s clearly been a frustrating week for the team, and it’s beginning to look like nothing is swinging in their favour. With the Ottawa Senators coming into town on Saturday, March 30, they need to regroup quickly to try and figure out how to break this slump before it’s too late.
Power Play Failures Cost Jets, Again
The Jets’ power play has acted as more of a penalty kill for the opposition as of late, and it’s preventing them from swinging any momentum in their favour. They have only scored once in their last 21 opportunities, and have not scored in 17 tries on the man-advantage during their five-game slide.
It’s fairly easy to point to what’s causing their struggles, as it is the same problem that plagued them early this season. The tactics are fully to blame because there’s no way that the personnel isn’t talented enough to produce.
Early in the season, the struggles were clearly due to the Jets’ reluctance to change their strategy from moving around the perimeter and at the top of the umbrella, but eventually, they did. They began running things through Gabriel Vilardi beside the net, forcing opponents to guard a more fluid unit.
The Jets rode that strategy to one of the hottest power plays in the league, but once Vilardi left with an injury a month ago, they’ve yet to recapture any semblance of success. Despite acquiring Tyler Toffoli at the trade deadline, a player who plays that net front position similarly to Vilardi, they’ve regressed back to what struggled early in the season.
Everything seems to stay on the outside and appears to run solely through Josh Morrissey at the top of the umbrella. There’s minimal movement, and teams can just play aggressively and easily minimize the Jets’ attack. With the lack of movement, any effort from the opponent to pressure on the penalty kill usually results in a turnover.
Related: Slumping Jets In Jeopardy of Falling Out of Central Division’s Top 3
Against the Golden Knights, they went 0-5 for the second straight game. In a game where the two teams were trading punches at even strength, the special teams battle was where the Jets could have capitalized and found a way to win. Instead, they failed yet again, and it cost them a chance at the game.
A Much More Complete Game
The Jets looked much better throughout the entirety of the game against the Golden Knights than they have over their five-game skid, but it just wasn’t enough. There were positives to pull from it, although those don’t do much good in hindsight if they aren’t built off of.
There was significant pressure throughout the entire contest, which was a struggle for the Jets against the Edmonton Oilers. After playing a good first period in that game on March 26, the Jets collapsed in the second period and gave up three goals.
They countered that by tying the game, but their wild inconsistencies have been well-documented. This wasn’t the case in the game against the Golden Knights, and it kept the Jets close enough that they had several opportunities to seize the game. If the staff highlights the good and builds off that, they should be due for a win, but they also have to address the bad.
Deployment Remains a Question Mark
In yet another example of a trend that has gone on for far too long, the Jets’ top line was brutally outplayed yet again. The insistence on playing the trio of Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, and Alex Iafallo has continuously hurt the Jets throughout the season, and even in a stretch where offence has been hard to find, they remain the default top line.
Against the Golden Knights, that line was outshot and out-chanced in their minutes, which isn’t uncommon. In fact, they haven’t had a single positive game in underlying metrics during this entire losing streak. Putting together a 15.2% xGF and a 33.3% Corsi had them at the bottom of the qualified lines in the contest.
On the season, that line has been among the worst the Jets have iced, ranking near the bottom in chances, shots, and actual goals. If a top line isn’t able to break even at the bare minimum against the other team’s top forwards, then more often than not, that’s going to cost the team.
That top line, no matter how many times the coaching staff throws them out there, has proven that they cannot compete with the other team’s top competition. After five consecutive losses, the question that needs to be answered is whether the coaching staff can give up on the trio that they’ve tried to make work for months. Vilardi, coming off his injuries, should return soon and likely change that complexion, but the trio of Connor, Scheifele, and Iafallo has struggled mightily this season.
Up Next – Ottawa Senators
The Jets’ next chance at snapping their losing streak is against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, March 30. The Senators are in the midst of a surprising hot streak, winning their past four games. This is a massive game for the Jets, as despite their hot streak, the Senators have several glaring holes that can be exploited.
xGF and Corsi courtesy MoneyPuck