The Winnipeg Jets got back in the win column on Wednesday evening when they defeated the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 5-2. Rick Bowness called it a “all-around, really solid team effort” in the post-game and praised the teams’ five-on-five play.
The Jets currently sit in first place in the NHL’s Central Division, leapfrogging the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche with the win. There was plenty to takeaway from Winnipeg’s second-last game before the holiday break, with their final game coming Friday, Dec 22, against the Boston Bruins. Here are three takeaways from Jets impressive 5-2 win.
Jets’ Gabriel Vilardi is Making National Headlines With His Play
Gabriel Vilardi is arguably the hottest player in the entire NHL right now. He added another goal and two assists in tonight’s game, bringing him up to 13 points in 13 games on the season. He’s got 10 points in his last four games, in what has been one of the most impressive offensive stretches from a Winnipeg Jet this season.
Vilardi and the Jets made national headlines when the trade happened over the summer, sending Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings. After tonight’s performance, he now has more goals (6) and points (13) than Dubois, who has five goals and 12 points.
Vilardi missed over six weeks with an MCL sprain and yet has out-produced Dubois in raw point totals. Safe to say that the trade has turned out well for Winnipeg, who also got Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari, and a second-round pick on top of the centrepiece in Vilardi.
With Kyle Connor injured for the next 6-to-8 weeks, Vilardi was one of the players I mentioned who would need to step up in a big way offensively to mitigate that loss. Safe to say he has accomplished that so far, and looks to be enjoying a career year despite coming back from a major injury.
Related: 3 Jets Who Need to Step Up in Kyle Connor’s Injury Absence
Nikolaj Ehlers was asked about Vilardi’s recent play in the post-game, and he praised his teammate saying: “Unbelievably smart player. To be able to come back after an injury like he had, that early in the season, and play the way he’s playing right now is hard, but it’s really impressive. The work that he does in the o-zone behind their net and the corners, with his stick and his stickhandling, is unbelievable… those passes that he makes, we just have to put it into an empty net pretty much… so he makes our job a little easier.”
Laurent Brossoit Has Strung Together Multiple Quality Stars
Laurent Brossoit’s ability to be a reliable backup goaltender was put into question early on this season, but he has now been able to string together a handful of quality starts for the Jets.
His save percentage (SV%) is up to .911 percent on the season, and his last three starts against the Detroit Red Wings, Carolina Hurricanes, and San Jose Sharks have all been well above the expectation that was initially set out for him.
The Jets’ defensive structure has been a blessing for Brossoit as well, as the Jets have not given up more than three goals in a game since Nov. 2nd. That structure has allowed for Brossoit to find his confidence and rhythm, and now he is rewarding his team with quality starts.
If he can continue this going forward, the Jets will be able to rest Connor Hellebuyck more than they have in years past, which could give them the most rested version of Hellebuyck come playoff time. There are few teams in the Western Conference, or the entire NHL for that matter, that would have a goaltending advantage over Winnipeg come playoff time. If Hellebuyck continues to play well and stays healthy and rested, the Jets will be in a great spot if they can maintain their playoff position.
Bowness singled out Brossoit after the game: “Give LB a lot of credit, I talk a lot about timely goals, and that fifth goal was timely, and a lot of timely saves from LB, so that was a good solid team effort.”
Winnipeg Jets Continue Their Dominance at Five-on-Five
Plenty has been said about the Jets’ special teams over the past couple of weeks, and rightfully so. The power play looks lost, and the penalty kill is failing to prevent high-danger chances. A simple solution to that problem is to play the majority of the game five-on-five, which the Jets did tonight.
According to Natural Stat Trick, at five-on-five against the Red Wings, the Jets outshot their opponent 40-25 and outshot-attempted them 66-58. The top line accounted for 17 of those shot attempts, and what is becoming more normal is them driving the bus offensively against a high-scoring opponent. The Jets have been a fairly low-event team this season by the analytics, so when they are also able to net five goals, they are an extremely tough team to beat.
They will look to continue that dominance against one of the best five-on-five teams in the NHL on Friday, Dec 22, when they take on the mighty Boston Bruins. The Bruins are a stellar 19-5-6 this season and are one of the top teams in the NHL. Hellebuyck is highly likely to get the start, as he will look to shut the door against one of the best goal scorers in the NHL in David Pastrnak.