The Winnipeg Jets had their franchise-record winning streak, and franchise-record points streak both come to an end on Saturday night. Their first regulation loss since Dec. 12 came at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers, who came away with a 2-0 victory on this night.
Having only given up two goals, the Jets remained on one of the most dominant and impressive defensive stretches in league history, yet on this night, it was the offence that struggled to put the pieces together.
In a hard-fought game, there were a handful of reasons why the Jets came up short. Here are a few takeaways from the Jets’ loss to the Flyers, in their third game of a four-game homestand and ninth game in 15 days.
Jets’ Offence Struggled Without Mark Scheifele & Kyle Connor
Rick Bowness was asked to provide an update on Kyle Connor in the post-game, and he stated: “He’s getting a lot closer. He’ll probably be in a regular jersey on Monday.” The Jets next game is Tuesday night against the New York Islanders, and Bowness said he was unsure whether he would be an option for that contest.
Mark Scheifele is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, and the Jets are hoping to have him back in the lineup on Tuesday as well. His absence was especially evident, with Captain Adam Lowry sliding up to the top line, leaving Dominic Toninato centring the third line for the majority of the third period.
Not many teams across the NHL would thrive while missing two of their top offensive options, but if there was someone who was able to step up and generate offence in this game, it was Gabriel Vilardi. He had a handful of “Grade-A” chances in the crease and around the slot area, which were all denied as the entire Jets team was held off the scoresheet.
Vilardi was asked about having a sense of pride with the 8-game winning streak that just came to a halt, and he stated: “Yeah, you win eight games in a row, that’s a sign of a good team, when you lose 1 out of 9. I mean we’re not happy here, I’m not happy, we feel we could’ve and should’ve won.”
Rasmus Kupari Returned to the Lineup After Two-Month Absence
Rasmus Kupari made his return to the lineup on Saturday evening, as he returned from a two-month absence due to a shoulder injury, one he stated was his AC joint. He played one game with the Manitoba Moose on a ‘conditioning stint’, before being recalled out of necessity due to Scheifele’s injury.
Bowness after the game assessed his game by saying: “Listen, that’s a tough team to come back to, you’re rusty to begin with and that’s why we sent him down, to get him three games at least, to get some timing back and we just didn’t have the luxury of doing that with Mark’s injury. He had a really good shift there at the end, the last shift he played in the third period was really good. I just talked to him about that now, we’ve just got to build on that.”
The line combination of Kupari, Nino Niederreiter, and Mason Appleton was not clicking, as they were consistently being caved in their own zone against the hard-working Flyers. For the third, Toninato was moved into that role and that line built some momentum shift after shift, but like Bowness said, it was tough to expect a lot from Kupari given it’s just his second game-action environment in exactly two months.
Jets’ Defensive Streaks Stay Alive Despite Loss
Yes, they lost their franchise-record-setting winning and points streaks on this night, but there are still a few defensive streaks very much alive. This was the 31st straight game allowing 3 goals or fewer, as they creep towards the modern NHL record of 35, set by the Minnesota Wild in 2014-15.
Related: Winnipeg Jets’ Defensive Dominance Reaching Historical Levels
They have now gone 12 straight games allowing 2 goals or fewer, and 19 of their last 20 games allowing 2 goals or fewer in regulation time. This is without a doubt the most dominant defensive stretch in franchise history, and it speaks to the organizational depth, goaltending from Connor Hellebuyck and Laurent Brossoit, and buy-in to Bowness’ system.
The Jets wrap up their four-game homestand on Tuesday, Jan 16, against the New York Islanders. They then have three days off before hitting the road on a three-game road trip, to face the Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins, and Toronto Maple Leafs, before returning home for one game against the Leafs, and then it’s off to the All-Star break. Keep an eye on the health of Connor and Scheifele over the coming days, as their return is crucial to the Jets having success against these playoff opponents from the Eastern Conference.
