WINNIPEG — Jets coaches and players held a closed-door meeting Monday after practice that lasted roughly an hour as head coach Claude Noel tried everything to get more out of his team.
The Jets have been inconsistent and either can’t or refuse to put forth a strong 60-minute effort, problems that have plagued the team for a few seasons.
“The problem right now is we’re putting skill ahead of work,” said Noel. “We’ve got it backwards. That’s the root of the problem — work first and skill second.”
The Jets (4-5-0) followed up their win over the St. Louis Blues, one of the hottest teams in the league, Friday night with a major letdown in a 3-1 loss to the Nashville Predators on Sunday. Winnipeg has now been defeated in five of its last seven games.
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“I don’t have enough players to sit everybody, to put everybody back in,” said a frustrated Noel.
Having two of their top six defencemen out with injuries against the Predators certainly didn’t help the Jets.
Jacob Trouba will be in a neck brace for the next two weeks after he fell face-first into the boards during Friday’s game.
Mark Stuart, meanwhile, was back at practice Monday, wearing the bright orange “do not hit” jersey. Stuart said his injured hip feels a whole lot better and he could even play Tuesday night against the visiting Washington Capitals (3-5-0).
“I had a good day out there,” said Stuart. “I pretty much did everything, so that’s encouraging. I’ve come a long way since (Sunday).”
But Noel didn’t sound nearly as convinced.
“Stuart could have one leg and be hopeful,” joked Noel.
Zach Bogosian sat out practice on Monday as he took a maintenance day but is expected to play against the Capitals. Jim Slater will miss upwards of a week.
When Noel was asked if there were players in the room who needed to step up and make their teammates accountable, he was very honest in his response.
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