WINNIPEG — It had the makings of a temporary fix, a shot in the arm to start the longest road trip of this compressed regular season.
Sure, it’s only mid-March and there are 26 games left on the schedule — including this stretch of seven games over 12 days — but there was some buzz surrounding this two-game series between the Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers.
After all, by the time the horn sounded at the end of the contest, one of the two teams would find themselves on equal footing with the first-place Toronto Maple Leafs, at least in terms of points.
On a night that was mostly the opposite of the high-octane pace folks have come to expect when the Jets and Oilers get together, Connor McDavid was the difference-maker, supplying both goals in a 2-1 victory Thursday night.
“I’d like to have those. But at the same time, you can ask any goalie, that’s one of the tougher spots to stop,” said Jets goalie Laurent Brossoit, who made 19 saves but had his personal four-game winning streak snapped. “It’s pretty obvious you don’t want to give him any time and space. When he does have it, he’s a pure goal scorer. He picked a good shot, a good spot. He’s got a deceptive release. I mean, you can compliment him all you want, it’s almost unnecessary. We all know it.”
As for the Jets’ top guns, nothing came easy.
Paul Stastny and Kyle Connor rattled shots off the iron and one of the best scoring opportunities came late as Mark Scheifele nearly sent the game to overtime with goalie Brossoit on the bench in favour of an extra attacker.
But the pass to Scheifele in front changed direction off the skate of Oilers forward Josh Archibald and skipped over his stick and he was unable to bat the puck out of the air.
That’s just the type of night it was.
“Obviously, we’re paid to produce. All of our lines had some chances. We wish we would have had more or capitalized on them when we had the chance,” said Scheifele, who survived a scare when he blocked a shot with his right foot/ankle late in the first period, declaring “it’s fine” during his post-game media session. “That’s the way it goes sometimes. You can’t get them every night, so we have to regroup and be ready for the next one.”
The Jets have made regrouping an art form this season, showing resolve at almost every turn.
After losing for the second time in three games and escaping overtime in the other, the Jets find themselves in familiar territory, looking to remain among the two teams in the NHL (the Florida Panthers are the other) that has yet to lose consecutive games in regulation this season.
They’re 8-0-1 coming in that scenario and will put that record on the line in Saturday’s rematch against an Oilers team that has shown plenty of its own, going 6-2 since getting swept by the Maple Leafs.
The Jets are the only team in the North to avoid a full-fledged crisis so far and they’re determined to keep it that way.
“We’re a confident group. We lose one, we just put it behind us and focus on the next one,” said Mathieu Perreault. “We’ve got a great group of guys. We’re playing well. That’s just kind of the mentality we’ve had and we’ve been able to bounce back pretty much every time we’ve lost so far this year.”
After coughing up a two-goal lead in the third period against the Montreal Canadiens one night earlier before rallying to win in overtime, the Jets mostly clamped down defensively, limiting the Oilers to only 21 shots on goal — and only three high-danger opportunities at 5-on-5 play.
Tightening up collectively in the defensive zone is the top priority for the Jets in the second half — and with the exception of the third period on Wednesday night — they’ve mostly been able to accomplish that goal in recent efforts.
Sure, there were the three self-inflicted wounds and costly turnovers in Monday’s defeat, but the Jets have kept the shot volume down to a manageable level in three of the past four outings.
Sticking to that style is going to be essential as things ramp up.
“We’ve been playing a pretty good style in trying to be real careful about what we’re giving up,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “We had the turnovers against Montreal but other than that, our last four we have been pretty darn good with it.”
Surviving this stretch run comes down to a formula that’s easier to identify than it often is to execute.
“Health is going to be No. 1, in truth, and it’s one of those tough ones that you have a difficult time controlling,” said Maurice. “When you look at all of the schedules now, 17 games (in March), a number of four-game weeks stacked up. The team that can stay the healthiest, No. 1, then recover the best is most important. No. 2 would be being able to mentally, then, do the exact same thing, not get in or out of a rhythm too high or too low.
“Certainly too low is the danger here and being able to rejuvenate yourself mentally. The physical part, we’ll try to get them a rest, but trying to stay positive when your game … because you’re going to have ups and downs and it’s going to be very intense and very competitive and in the North, it’ll be very scrutinized, so all the pressure you can imagine is there.”
With both teams in the midst of a taxing portion of the schedule and playing on consecutive nights, offence was simply tough to generate on Thursday, especially for the Jets — whose lone goal came off the stick of a rejuvenated Perreault.
Perreault, who was placed on waivers prior to the season to help create a larger LTIR pool, is up to seven goals on the season, eclipsing his total from 2019-20 — when he was limited to 49 games because of injury.
The Jets’ best line was its fourth unit, which has been a topic for much of the time since Maurice took over from Claude Noel in January of 2014.
Over the course of time, the Jets have used a blend of youth and experience.
This year, at least when healthy, Maurice has leaned mostly on the veteran trio of Nate Thompson between two-time Stanley Cup champion Trevor Lewis and Perreault.
“It’s all based on role definition,” said Maurice, asked how difficult it is to integrate veteran players at a time when youth is often served. “When you sign a veteran guy or when you trade for a veteran guy, is the hole that you have for him to play what he expected? As long as those lines are clear, then those guys are great.
“But the most important piece is that when you’re making that deal or you’re having those conversations and a lot of times it’s in the summer, that it’s really clear about what you’re being brought in to do because if you bring in a guy and say I’ve got you in the two-hole on the left side and then he’s playing in the four-hole because you’ve got other players ahead of him, that’s where veteran guys — they’re more aware of how much time is on their clock. And they all want to win and they all want to play, so wasting a year or not being where they thought would be — and that’s not performance-based — it’s just, they didn’t get what we promised them. Then you can have a problem. We’ve been really good about bringing those guys in and them understanding what the role and the job was and then accepting it.”
There aren’t a lot of nights when the fourth line is asked to play 10-plus minutes a night, but they don’t have to constantly be sheltered with offensive-zone starts either.
Earlier this week, Maurice sent them out to protect a one-goal lead with fewer than three minutes to go in regulation.
The move may have raised a few eyebrows, but it also served a greater purpose — both as a reward and also as recognition for doing the little things right.
“So, one of the things that you notice is that our shift length has gotten a lot better from the start of the year, because now they have respect for that fourth line. It’s their turn to go,” Maurice said recently. “I know that’s a small thing, but it’s not because it makes your whole game better. The respect for the other players on the ice.”
Finding a mix he can rely on to play somewhere in the neighbourhood of seven to 10 minutes has been challenging for Maurice, but due to the frenetic pace during the final 10 weeks of the campaign, no team can survive without getting a contribution from the fourth unit.
“This is what we want. We want to be out there and have a chance to make a difference every night,” said Perreault. “And like I said earlier, we’re three responsible guys in our own end. We want Paul (Maurice) to have that trust in us to put us out there late in games to get the job done. So we were glad to see we got that time and hopefully we can get more of that.”
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Mountain West Conference Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said Thursday the forfeitures that volleyball teams are willing to take to avoid playing San Jose State is “not what we celebrate in college athletics” and that she is heartbroken over what has transpired this season surrounding the Spartans and their opponents.
Four teams have canceled games against San Jose State: Boise State, Southern Utah, Utah State and Wyoming, with none of the schools explicitly saying why they were forfeiting.
A group of Nevada players issued a statement saying they will not take the floor when the Wolf Pack are scheduled to host the Spartans on Oct. 26. They cited their “right to safety and fair competition,” though their school reaffirmed Thursday that the match is still planned and that state law bars forfeiture “for reasons related to gender identity or expression.”
All those schools, except Southern Utah, are in the Mountain West. New Mexico, also in the MWC, went ahead with its home match on Thursday night, which was won by the Spartans, 3-1, the team’s first victory since Sept. 24.
“It breaks my heart because they’re human beings, young people, student-athletes on both sides of this issue that are getting a lot of national negative attention,” Nevarez said in an interview with The Associated Press at Mountain West basketball media days. “It just doesn’t feel right to me.”
Republican governors of Idaho, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming have made public statements in support of the cancellations, citing a need for fairness in women’s sports. Former President Donald Trump, the GOP nominee in this year’s presidential race, this week referenced an unidentified volleyball match when he was asked during a Fox News town hall about transgender athletes in women’s sports.
“I saw the slam, it was a slam. I never saw a ball hit so hard, hit the girl in the head,” Trump replied before he was asked what can be done. “You just ban it. The president bans it. You just don’t let it happen.”
After Trump’s comment, San Diego State issued a statement that said “it has been incorrectly reported that an San Diego State University student-athlete was hit in the face with a volleyball during match play with San Jose State University. The ball bounced off the shoulder of the student-athlete, and the athlete was uninjured and did not miss a play.”
San Jose State has not made any direct comments about the politicians’ “fairness” references, and Nevarez did not go into details.
“I’m learning a lot about the issue,” Nevarez said. “I don’t know a lot of the language yet or the science or the understanding nationally of how this issue plays out. The external influences are so far on either side. We have an election year. It’s political, so, yeah, it feels like a no-win based on all the external pressure.”
The cancellations could mean some teams will not qualify for the conference tournament Nov. 27-30 in Las Vegas, where the top six schools are slated to compete for the league championship.
“The student-athlete (in question) meets the eligibility standard, so if a team does not play them, it’s a forfeit, meaning they take a loss,” Nevarez said.
Ahead of the Oct. 26 match in Reno. Nevada released a statement acknowledging that “a majority of the Wolf Pack women’s volleyball team” had decided to forfeit against San Jose State. The school said only the university can take that step but any player who decides not to play would face no punishment.
OTTAWA – Travis Green might not have liked the end result, but he’s counting on his team learning from the effort.
Green’s Ottawa Senators were handed a 3-1 loss by the New Jersey Devils Thursday night in a game that highlighted the importance of sticking with things.
“I thought both teams played pretty well,” said Green. “I thought we had a lot of the game that I liked, but I thought there’s a few moments where it got away. We got away from our game, and they stuck with their game a little longer.
“There’s always momentum back and forth for one team to create some chances. It’s a fine line between winning and losing in the league, especially when you’re playing, two good teams are playing.”
Jacob Markstrom’s 30 saves also played a part, with the Devils goaltender only getting beat with 65 seconds left in regulation as the Senators were on the power play with an empty net.
Brady Tkachuk tipped a Claude Giroux shot to spoil Markstrom’s shutout bid.
“Outstanding,” said Devils coach Sheldon Keefe of his goaltender. “Just terrible that he doesn’t get the shutout that he deserves in this one here.
“You feel for him when they make that (penalty) call. You can just kind of feel like it’s going to give them a little extra life. But he was outstanding for us, no question.”
The two teams were scoreless after the first period, where each had to fight for every opportunity. Noah Gregor rang a shot off the crossbar for the Senators, but otherwise, neither team was able to generate much offensively.
The Devils capitalized in the second as a power play expired with Erik Haula redirecting a Johnathan Kovacevic shot past Anton Forsberg, who made 32 saves.
Less than four minutes later, Nathan Bastian took advantage of a Giroux giveaway and beat Forsberg low blocker for his first of the season with the Devils short-handed.
“I liked our second period a lot,” Keefe said. “We took hold of the game and didn’t give up much, and when we did, I thought it was really from the perimeter, only a couple there.”
The Devils tightened up defensively in the third and were able to make it 3-0 when Paul Cotter was left alone in the slot.
“I think for stretches of the game we played the right way and kind of get in on the forecheck and play that way,” said Senators centre Nick Cousins. “It seems like when we get down a couple goals, we kind of change our game, which isn’t a recipe for success in this league.
“I think we’ve just got to keep doing the right things over and over again, even when it’s 2-0.”
With the Senators just four games in and still learning and adjusting to a new system, Green understands there will be growing pains along the way.
“We’re also trying to define our game,” he said. “I think we’re getting there. Both teams play fast. It was a fast skating game. There wasn’t a lot of room to move out there for either team.”
In his short tenure behind the Senators bench, Green has seen his team play very different styles of games and knows there will be nights like this along the way, but learning from them will be key.
“There’s going to be a lot of nights where you kind of got to earn everything you get,” admitted Green. “It’s not going to be freewheeling. Good teams don’t play freewheeling hockey.
“You learn when you win, you learn when you lose games that you don’t play well. You learn when you lose games that you had a pretty good game but you still lose and you’ve got to find a way. Good teams find a way to win those games.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.
MONTREAL – The Montreal Canadiens fell 4-1 to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday. They also lost their top minute-muncher in the process.
Matheson logged 7:35 in ice time during the first period but did not return for the second because of an upper-body injury. When or how Matheson sustained the injury was not clear. The Canadiens said he would be re-evaluated on Friday.
The game was tied at 1 before he exited, forcing the Canadiens to play with five defencemen for 40 minutes.
“Mike is one of the biggest parts of our D core, and I think losing him — he’s playing against top line, playing power play and we want him on the ice — definitely losing him was a big loss,” teammate David Savard said. “We got to figure out a way to get the two points, even if a player goes out.”
The 30-year-old Matheson of Pointe-Claire, Que., led all Canadiens defencemen with 62 points and a 25:33 average ice time last season.
With his absence, rookie sensation Lane Hutson played a whopping 30:05 in only his seventh NHL game. The next closest player? Kaiden Guhle at 23:09.
Head coach Martin St. Louis was impressed with how the 20-year-old Hutson handled the challenge.
“Lane doesn’t take a shift off,” head coach Martin St. Louis said. “I love the consistency of his compete level, and he drives possession. For a guy who played 30 minutes, I think he gave everything he could to try and help the team.
“I’m not surprised. I know it’s challenging at this level, losing Mike definitely made him play many minutes, chasing the game made him play many minutes, but I just love his compete level.”
Canadiens fans have been clamouring for Hutson — a five-foot-nine, 162-pound defenceman with world-class skill — to take Matheson’s spot on the No. 1 power play.
The Canadiens, however, went 0-for-3 with Hutson running the show after Matheson went down. In the first instance, Kirby Dach took a hooking penalty early in the man-advantage to end it. On the second, the Canadiens failed to generate any zone time.
The third came in the final minutes, but the Kings buried an empty-netter.
“It wasn’t a lack of opportunity, lots of ice time, lots of shifts,” Hutson said. “It was good, it was fun, but obviously you want to be on the other side of it, winning.
“Means a lot (to get that opportunity), but obviously, you want to get more out of that opportunity. It’s a lot of ice, and you want to keep taking steps in the right direction.”
‘IMMATURE EFFORT’
The Canadiens fell to a Kings team that had lost three straight games and was coming off a 6-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night.
Under those circumstances, the Canadiens were brutally honest with themselves after the game.
“Definitely disappointed,” captain Nick Suzuki said. “It was an immature effort from us, especially with them playing yesterday and getting in late, so I think we gave them too much life, and let them feel comfortable in the game. It’s on us to be a lot better than that.”
Before the game, St. Louis stressed the need for a good first period against a fatigued Los Angeles side. That’s not what he saw Thursday night.
“I think we had 14 turnovers in the first period. It’s unacceptable. It gives them life,” he said. “Then you’re chasing the game for the second half of it — we didn’t play to our standard.
“I’m really disappointed. Really disappointed.”
BIG SAVE DAVE
Kings goalie David Rittich played his second game in two nights — an unusual occurrence in this day and age of the NHL. He made 25 saves after allowing four goals on 14 shots in Toronto.
“We always believe in him anyway, but he performed today pretty well and bounced back,” defenceman Vladislav Gavrikov said. “It’s probably like most important for himself, that’s huge, and for the team. He played outstanding today.”
LONG ROAD
The Kings are opening the season on a seven-game road trip because of renovations at Crypto.com Arena. They’ve collected six of a possible 10 points so far.
“Pretty much worse (than expected),” forward Phillip Danault said. “We’ve been on the road for three weeks … It’s good team-bonding, whether we should do it again I’m not sure, but it has turned out well let’s say with six points out of 10.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.
