When the puck drops in Sin City on Thursday night, it will be game 10 for the Winnipeg Jets of the new NHL season. That’s less than 15 per cent of the campaign completed — not a significant milestone, but it’s far along enough to form some opinions.
For starters, the Jets have been a tremendously competitive lot, a group that plays whistle-to-whistle with enough emotional grit to score, defend and entertain, lending credence to that old hockey saying: play hard and be hard to play against.
And with points in five straight games, a record slightly above .500, and grip on third spot in their division, there is no arguing that they’ve earned every point and deserve to be exactly where they’re currently positioned.
But a complete diagnostic review leading up to game 10 would also reveal a few trouble spots, namely the special teams, which, if anything, have held the team back from a higher placing and appear to be an anchor on the air speed the Jets can potentially run at.
Entering Thursday, the power play is 28th of 32, operating at only 12 per cent effective. And with its first unit made up of highly skilled players, it’s a group that is truly performing at only half of what it should be. In fact, the Jets’ power play hasn’t scored a goal since Edmonton — five games ago — and is goalless in its last 17 opportunities.
The penalty kill? Well, it’s been truant as well. At 72 per cent, it’s also at least 10 points off, and goaltending isn’t part of the issue, as Connor Hellebuyck has been brilliant for four straight games and a bright spot when the team is shorthanded.
In today’s game, a team’s five-on-five play is important, but special teams are ultimately a staple to its success and the mere difference between making the playoffs or not. Fortunately, there’s plenty of time to get both turned in the right direction for Winnipeg.
Because after all, entering Thursday night in Vegas, we’re only 10 games into an 82-game regular season schedule.