It was a wild one in the Alberta capital on Saturday night, as the Winnipeg Jets took down the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 in overtime. Despite trailing 2-0 less than 10 minutes into the game, the Jets managed to claw back and grind their way to overtime, where a Mark Scheifele goal propelled the Jets to victory.
There was no shortage of action and there’s plenty to talk about, so here are three takeaways from the nightcap on a busy NHL Saturday.
3. The Power Play Needs Answers
While Josh Morrissey recorded his first goal of the season on a first-period power-play goal, the remainder of the man advantages looked like a struggle for the Jets. This has been a lingering problem for the better part of the past year, as they finished 23rd in the league rankings in 2022-23, converting just 19.3% of the time.
In the small sample size we’ve seen to start the year, the Jets are 3-16 on the man advantage, and their lack of success is largely due to the fact that they aren’t getting those grade-A chances. The puck movement hasn’t done enough to get players into the soft spots, and most of the opportunities are lower percentage shots or they’re being passed up.
If the Jets want to make noise, which they have the talent to do, one of the key focus areas should be optimizing the puck movement and player positioning when on the power play. If they can convert even a few more times on average than what we’ve seen, that will go a long way into making them a contender.
2. Lineup Shuffling Continues
The Gabriel Vilardi injury against the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 17 has thrown the Jets’ forward group into a state of flux, and through two games, there appears to be no real answers to the lineup questions.
The first option for the Jets coaching staff appeared to be Mason Appleton, who has struggled mightily in offensive roles over the past several seasons. He profiles as a bottom-six winger who isn’t going to give you much on either side of the puck. That fact doesn’t change regardless of where he is in the lineup, and it was apparent that he was overmatched when placed with Kyle Connor and Scheifele as the team’s top right winger.
Now, the Jets have seemingly moved on from the notion that Appleton is the answer, and have shifted their focus to Alex Iafallo. Iafallo, who has had a great deal of success in this young season, isn’t unfamiliar with moving into a more offensively focused role after doing so plenty of times during his tenure with the Kings.
Related: Jets Mailbag: Attendance, Hellebuyck’s Struggles, & Nate Schmidt
It remains to be seen how things will shake out moving forward, but it feels fairly certain that Appleton will begin the next stretch of games further down the lineup after the big win. Whether it’s Iafallo, someone else internally, or an external trade target, that top-line right-wing spot will be under the spotlight going forward and someone needs to step up.
1. After Shaky Start, Hellebuyck Looked Like Hellebuyck
It’s no secret that Connor Hellebuyck has had a rougher start to the year than normal. Going into Saturday’s game against the Oilers, Hellebuyck carried an .843 save percentage (SV%) and had given up four or more goals in all three of his starts this season.
It appeared like things were just going to get worse, as the Oilers snagged a 2-0 lead just over six minutes into the game. It felt as if the Jets were playing from behind from the get-go and needed to tighten up if they were to have any chance to get back into the game.
With Hellebuyck’s start a cause for concern, he worked to shut all of that out and didn’t allow anything after the Oilers’ second goal. He put together a 40-save performance, leading to an in-game .950 SV%, and most importantly, allowed the Jets to get back into the game.
Takeaway Tidbits
Takeaway Tidbits are those little pieces of information or events in the game that may not have been worthy of a takeaway bullet point but still deserved mention after the action.
- Rasmus Kupari had another impressive outing, just four games into his Jets career. He’s been rock solid in his bottom-six role and is proving that he could be worthy of a promotion if the need arises.
- After a successful game alongside Vladislav Namestnikov and Nikolaj Ehlers, Cole Perfetti’s final shift of the game came with 7:35 remaining in the third period. There wasn’t an explanation for his absence, but it’s likely coach Rick Bowness continued last year’s trend of sitting Perfetti late in close games. His season has been strange thus far, as he played just two games at center, moved to the wing, and has been put in the same role as early last season.
- The Jets didn’t have to worry about the top weapon in the league in overtime, as Connor McDavid missed several shifts near the end of regulation with what appeared to be an injury. He did not take a shift in the extra frame.
The Jets return to action on Tuesday, Oct. 24 as they take on the St. Louis Blues at Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg. It’s a later start, with the puck expected to drop at 7:45 p.m.
