There’s little doubt this first Jets homestand was going to be difficult. After all, Florida, L.A. and Stanley Cup champion Vegas were all better than the Jets last season. And following the home opener vs. the Panthers, there was a glimmer of hope that it could be better than anticipated.
While the Tuesday loss to the Kings was doubly disappointing — or should I say “Dubois disappointing” — there were a couple of those glimmers vs. the Golden Knights that make you feel better about a 1-2 homestand.
Two things, in particular, caught my eye. The first was pretty obvious, and that was the offensive play of Alex Iaffalo, adding two more goals, including a pretty power-play goal in the third, to his stats.
The second thing that might surprise you was the play of Laurent Brossoit. The Jets’ backup goalie position has been a bit of an issue since … well, since Brossoit was here the first time. He has come back a Stanley Cup champion — who, by the way, did not get his ring from the Knights on Thursday night, so perhaps that will happen when the Jets go to Las Vegas. He has come back a more confident and complete goaltender, ready to fill the void when Connor Hellebuyck needs a break.
Talking to people around the league, a quality backup goaltender is vital to any team’s success, and even though #37 is a workhorse, Winnipeg is no different. The expectation has to be that the starter will play between 55 and 60 games this season, leaving about 25 games for Brossoit.
Any backup has to give his team a chance to win. Brossoit does that. Any backup has the confidence of his teammates. Brossoit does that. And any backup has to have a great relationship with the starter, and we know Brossoit does that.
Twenty-five games should mean at least 25 points from Brossoit. And that is surely well within his range.
In spite of the loss to Vegas, Brossoit’s play has to make many people feel good about the Jets’ goalie tandem.
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