Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/winnipeg-needs-good-hand-in-next- game-against-vegas-483131663.html

Winnipeg needs good hand in today's game against Vegas

By: Jason Bell

Coming up with a lousy pair in Vegas, the find themselves short-stacked in the NHL’s Western Conference final.

They desperately need three of a kind — all victories against the Golden Knights — to keep their seat at the table. A 3-2 defeat Friday night to the extraordinary expansion squad has left the Jets in a chasm from which relatively few NHL teams, historically, emerge. Vegas holds a 3- 1 lead on Winnipeg in the best-of-seven playoff series, which earns the survivor a spot in the final against either the or .

Just one more loss to Vegas and Winnipeg’s tremendous 2017-18 campaign is over.

Buoyed by a huge Game 7 triumph over the in Round 2, the Jets soared to a 4-2 triumph on home ice in the opener of the conference final last Saturday. But the Golden Knights went on a hot streak, rattling off three consecutive wins to seize command.

The Jets now face their second elimination game of the post-season when they host Game 5 today at Bell MTS Place. Game time is 2 p.m.

A win in front of the "whiteout" forces a sixth game, set for Tuesday night back in Sin City. If necessary, a Game 7 would go Thursday night in Winnipeg.

Such a scenario is far too "big picture" to contemplate for the Jets, who’ve lived by the mantra of staying in the moment throughout a sensational 2017-18 campaign.

"In the back of your mind, you’re going to have the big picture there, winning three in a row. But, once game-day comes, you’re just focused on that day and what you do to prepare for that game," defenceman Ben Chiarot said Saturday. "Once the puck drops, that’s all you’re focused on, your next shift. It’s cliché, but that’s how you have to take it."

Simple to say, much harder to do when the task is so daunting. History tells us NHL teams that hold a 3-1 playoff series lead are 278-28. And, over the last 43 years, teams with a 3-1 lead in the conference finals or semifinals are 41-1.

Winnipeg head coach Paul Maurice was asked Saturday how his staff keeps chatter about the challenge of being down 3-1 out of the dressing room.

"I just don’t answer questions about it," he said, to some laughter.

"These are the best games, always are, when everything is on the line. Everybody will be at their most excited. You have to find a way. It shouldn’t be very difficult to love every minute of it," added Maurice. "The greater the stakes in anything, we think, especially when you live a life in pro sports, eventually that’s what it’s all about. This has to be your finest hour. Before the puck drops, I’m not talking about the play, be able to get your mind that this is the most fun game of the year now." ______

Guess how many minutes the Jets have owned a lead at any point during games 2, 3 and 4?

Right... zero.

Winnipeg has been chasing the series since the start of Game 2. Through 180 minutes of play, the Jets have been the pursuers for about 157 minutes, while the teams have been even for just 23 minutes.

On Friday, William Karlsson scored on the power play at 2:35. Patrik Laine tied it at 9:29 of the second period with Tomas Nosek serving a tripping penalty, but Nosek got the lead back 43 seconds later, and Vegas eventually earned a pivotal 3-2 decision in Game 4.

"Our coaching staff is really good for that. They turn the page no matter what, after a good game, bad game. They give guys a chance to go right back at it," Golden Knights forward David Perron said. "A big example with Nosie, takes a penalty... I’m sure he wasn’t happy with the penalty. Whatever, he still gives him a chance to go right back on the ice, scores a big for us." ______

No explanation was given Saturday on why goalie Steve Mason couldn’t serve as Connor Hellebuyck’s backup in Game 4 in Las Vegas.

"He was unavailable for the game," was the answer provided by Maurice on Saturday.

Michael Hutchinson dressed, instead. Mason had two concussions and a knee injury during the regular season. Speedy winger Nikolaj Ehlers missed Game 3 of the series to an unexplained absence, leaving some to speculate whether a flu bug had hit the some members of the hockey club. ______

The Jets agreed to terms with young goaltender Mikhail Berdin on a three-year entry-level contract.

Berdin played the last two seasons in the USHL with the Sioux Falls Stampede.

This past season, the 20-year-old from Ufa, Russia, went 24-13-5 with a 2.65 goals-against average and .921 save percentage in 45 regular-season games.

Winnipeg selected him in the sixth round (157th overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/jets-firing-blanks-against-golden-knights- 483131473.html

Jets firing blanks against Golden Knights High-flying offence grounded by hot goalie

By: Jason Bell

Scoring goals hasn’t been much of a problem for the Winnipeg Jets — until Marc-Andre Fleury and the came along.

In the last three games, the Jets have managed to get just five pucks past Fleury, who is asserting himself as the difference maker in the best-of-seven Western Conference final.

His acrobatic style is giving Winnipeg’s shooters fits.

While he wasn’t anywhere near his best in Game 1 in a 4-2 Jets triumph, his numbers have been staggering in back-to-back-to-back wins as the Golden Knights have taken a 3-1 lead and total control of the series.

Fleury looks remarkably confident and loose, riding a 1.67 goals-against average and .954 save percentage in his last three starts.

"Maybe it wasn’t always like this, you know. I just learned that, for me, that’s what works best to stay loose and having fun and enjoying the game," he said Saturday. "I feel good. Obviously, my teammates are playing great in front of me, too, and helping me out around the net and stuff.

"(We’re) getting some big goals, getting some wins out of it. It’s been all right."

The Jets aren’t exactly sending in floaters from the point on the 33-year-old three-time Stanley Cup champion. On Friday night in the Golden Knights’ 3-2 victory, Winnipeg generated 17 high- danger chances with the teams playing five on five. The Jets also had seven quality chances during four man-advantage opportunities, cashing in once on Patrik Laine’s second-period goal, his fifth of the postseason.

In all, they fired 37 shots at Fleury in Game 4, but scored only twice.

Is the intensity of the moment finally getting to a squad that eclipsed all expectations, finishing second overall in the NHL (52-20-10) before dispatching of both the and Nashville Predators to reach the conference final?

"I don’t know if it’s us gripping our sticks too tight. We’ve been in pressure-packed situations all year," Andrew Copp said Saturday. "I think it’s a combination of they have really good defence and, obviously, their goaltender’s playing really well.

"I don’t think it’s us getting overly nervous or overly anxious to put the puck in the net. I think it’s just a factor of their great defence and Fleury’s playing great."

Overall this post-season, Fleury’s chalked up 11 victories — including four shutouts — in 14 starts, recording a 1.70 goals-against average and .945 save percentage.

Copp has one goal in 16 playoff games, and he’s not alone. His centre, Adam Lowry, has none. While their contributions are often defined by their defensive capabilities, discovering some offensive punch in a hurry wouldn’t hurt.

Jets centre has been brilliant, scoring 14 times to lead all NHL shooters in the playoffs, while Paul Stastny has six. Production has also come from the back end, with Dustin Byfuglien supplying five and Tyler Myers adding four.

But Nikolaj Ehlers is still searching for his first-ever playoff goal, while Mathieu Perreault and Bryan Little need to beef up each of their paltry one-goal outputs. Blake Wheeler has three.

In an odd twist, checker has four post-season goals.

Lowry said the opportunities to strike have been there for each of the Jets’ four lines.

"I think there’s enough chances to win. It would certainly be nice to feel like we get a bounce where it ends up in the back of the net," he said. "Look at the puck (Blake Wheeler) throws to the net in the first period. It goes through Fleury’s feet and somehow ends up sitting just a bit in front of the goal line.

"(Fleury) has been playing really well, and we’ve been doing a good job getting in front of him. It’s finding those second and third opportunities. He’s doing a good job of stopping that first shot. They do a good job of not really allowing any free ice in front of him. It seems like pucks have been bouncing past our first layer and our second layer. I just think we need to continue doing what we’re doing and I think it will start to come for us."

Head coach Paul Maurice also maintains playoff pressure isn’t causing the hands to go cold.

"It’s not a matter for me of squeezing sticks. A lot of times we’re getting the shot to the net. But playoffs usually — I don’t know if it’s working for us this year — usually are low-scoring affairs. We get out on the road, we’re looking at 1-1 halfway through the game both times. That’s kind of what you expect, right?" said Maurice.

"You know what? Both teams are going to ask a lot of their goaltenders, all four teams left. That’s because every shot now that gets to net is a potential. That’s the pressure that those guys operate under. But we have confidence that we’re going to still generate the offence.

"We have to get it by them for sure. We think we can get enough to win the game."

Winnipeg Sun http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/by-the-numbers-jets-probably-should- be-in-better-shape

By the numbers, Jets probably should be in better shape

By Ted Wyman

LAS VEGAS — The numbers really don’t add up.

Look at them any way you want, but there’s nothing in them that would suggest the Vegas Golden Knights should be leading the Winnipeg Jets 3-1 in the Western Conference final.

Well, that is, as long as you don’t look at the goaltenders.

In an NHL era where possession is the name of the game, the Jets are doing just fine in the critical department.

They’ve had the most shots, the most shot attempts, the most high-danger scoring chances and they’ve had possession of the puck almost 55% of the time.

Anyone who studies these types of things will tell you, teams win most of the time when they have those types of numbers.

Jets captain Blake Wheeler said after Friday’s 3-2 loss to the Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena that the Jets would win that game nine times out of 10.

But, of course, they didn’t.

The Jets couldn’t get the timely goal and they couldn’t get the timely save and, as a result, they never led in the game.

With Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury playing at an otherworldly level, the Jets left Vegas with nothing to show but a whole lot of frustration.

In the two games, they outshot and out-chanced the Golden Knights but never led for a second and were tied for only 12 minutes and 37 seconds.

Going back to Game 2 in Winnipeg, the Jets have not had a lead in 180 minutes and they’ve been tied for just 26 minutes.

A lot of that has to do with the fact that Fleury has been better than Connor Hellebuyck and that the Golden Knights have been highly opportunistic.

Generating offensive zone time only means anything if you score and if you don’t make glaring mistakes in the other zones.

The Jets shot themselves in the foot repeatedly over the past three games, all losses, especially in the minutes after scoring a goal.

In Game 2, they gave up a goal 1:28 after scoring to make it 2-1.

In Game 3, they gave up a goal 12 seconds after scoring to make it 1-1.

And in Game 4, they gave up a goal 43 seconds after scoring to make it 1-1.

That seems like a trend.

They also failed to score the first goal in any of the games and now have a 1-7 record when that happens in the playoffs.

With the way Fleury is playing — he has a .931 save percentage in the series despite facing 65 high-danger scoring chances — the Jets simply can’t afford to get behind.

Hellebuyck’s numbers are the ones that actually match up with the way the series has played out.

His save percentage is just .897, not nearly good enough for the third round of the playoffs. He has given pucks in each of the past two games, leading to goals against.

He says everything’s OK and he likes his game, but unless he puts in a Fleury-like performance or two in the next three days, his spectacular season will likely end on a sour note.

There’s no doubting that this series is not over.

The odds are long against the Jets winning the next three games, but far from impossible.

If the numbers aren’t enough to convince you that the Jets should at least be tied in this series and are capable of beating the Golden Knights on any night, just listen to Vegas coach Gerard Gallant.

“The third period (Friday) they came out and had five, six, seven minutes of sustained pressure in our zone and we couldn’t get line changes,” Gallant said. “They had some great chances to tie that game up, there’s no doubt, in the third period. We have to work hard, compete hard, continue to play our game. When we stand in our defensive zone, watch them cycle, move the puck down there, it’s not going to be successful for us. Fleury made some key saves at key times but we can’t let them have six or seven minutes of sustained time in our zone like we did.”

I’d say the Jets applied a lot more pressure than just that and if they can get a couple of greasy ones to go in Sunday afternoon at Bell MTS Place, they should be able to send the series back to Vegas for Game 6.

Of course, they’ve put themselves in a position where a bad bounce here or there could be enough to end their season.

There is no more room for error. http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/for-jets-its-now-or-never-three-game- streak-required-to-keep-season-alive

For Jets, it’s now or never: Three-game streak required to keep season alive

By Ken Wiebe

The moment of truth has arrived for the Winnipeg Jets.

After dropping three consecutive games to the Vegas Golden Knights, the Jets find themselves in a position that seemed inconceivable given the way the series opener of the Western Conference final went.

Those three goals in fewer than eight minutes in the first period seem like a distant memory right now.

Since roaring out of the gate with an offensive explosion, the Jets are having great difficulty getting pucks past Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who has been downright brilliant between the pipes.

Creating high-quality scoring chances has not been an issue for the Jets, but finding a way to finish them is another story entirely.

Suddenly trailing the series 3-1 going into Sunday’s afternoon game at Bell MTS Place, the Jets will need to win three consecutive games against a plucky team that has lost only three times in 14 games during the first three rounds of the .

“I don’t feel it’s a pressure issue,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice told reporters in Winnipeg on Saturday. “We’ve spent a lot of time (in the offensive zone) there, had a lot of shot attempts. They’ve had some pretty darn good saves. For me, it’s not a matter of squeezing the sticks. A lot of times, we’re getting the shot we want to the net.”

The big difference is the Jets haven’t been able to score as much as they did in either the regular season or in the two previous series, as Fleury has only allowed nine goals on 129 shots so far, which is good for a .930 save %.

“We’ve been in pressure-packed situations all year,” said Jets forward Andrew Copp. “It’s a combination of they have really good defence and, obviously, their goaltender is playing really well. I don’t think it’s us getting overly nervous or overly anxious to put the puck in the net.”

What can the Jets do better to make life a bit more difficult on Fleury?

“It’s finding those second and third opportunities,” said Jets centre Adam Lowry. “He’s doing a good job of stopping that first shot. They do a good job of not really allowing any free ice in front of him. It seems like pucks have been bouncing past our first layer and our second layer. I just think we need to continue doing what we’re doing and I think it will start to come for us.”

These Golden Knights are no longer a Cinderella story in danger of losing the glass slipper, they’re proving not only that they belong, but that they just might be the belle of the playoff ball.

It’s a relentless group, one that features four lines who work their collective tails off in all three zones.

The Golden Knights do an excellent job of making life difficult for their opponent in the neutral zone and their ability to push the pace has been impressive to witness.

You can call the Golden Knights opportunistic if you like.

It’s true, they’ve done an excellent job of burying their scoring chances and they’ve also made the Jets pay when mistakes have been made.

The Golden Knights ability to pounce on turnovers or capitalize on mental miscues has been one of the biggest differences to this point.

And the Golden Knights big line of William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith have been driving the bus offensively, combining for seven goals and 15 points through four games – delivering the game-winning goal in two of the past three victories (Alex Tuch had the other).

As strange as it may sound, the Jets don’t need to overhaul their game plan in order to keep this series alive.

Although he remains confident in his game – as any Vezina candidate would – Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck is going to need to stand tall to extend the series.

Hellebuyck made plenty of big saves in Friday’s 3-2 loss, but his inability to catch the dump-in from Pierre-Edouard Bellemare on the play that led to the second Golden Knights goal was a big blunder.

As was his turnover behind the net to Erik Haula in Game 3.

It’s the first Stanley Cup playoff experience for Hellebuyck, who is learning on the fly.

Throughout the course of the season, he’s proven on numerous occasions to be up to the task of delivering an outstanding performance and he’ll need to do that again on Sunday.

In the grand scheme of what Hellebuyck likes to call redemption games, they don’t get any bigger than this one.

The Jets have both the talent and the depth to keep this series alive beyond Sunday.

But in order to avoid moving into next-year country, the Jets will need to put together one of their most complete efforts of the playoffs.

“In the back of your mind you’re going to have the big picture there, winning three in a row. But once game-day comes, you’re just focused on that day and what you do to prepare for that game,” said Jets defenceman Ben Chiarot. “Once the puck drops that’s all you’re focused on, your next shift. That’s all you think about is taking it one shift at a time. It’s cliché but that’s how you have to take it. If you look at it big picture like we have to win three in a row, it seems like a big job. But when you break it down into segments, it becomes easier. Win your next shift, win that period and just keep going.” http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/maurice-looks-for-jets-to-turn-back- clockdefensive-changes-explainedmasons-absence-a-mystery

Maurice looks for Jets to turn back clock…Defensive changes explained…Mason’s absence a mystery

By Ken Wiebe

The Winnipeg Jets know exactly what it takes to stave off elimination.

In the one and only time during the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Jets came up with their most complete game of the post-season in defeating the Nashville Predators 5-1 in Game 7 of their second-round series.

The circumstances are different for the Jets and the odds are stacked against them this time around as they trail the Vegas Golden Knights 3-1 going into Game 5 of the Western Conference final, but head coach Paul Maurice is looking for his group to embrace a familiar mentality.

“I want them to take their experience between Game 6 and 7 and create the environment that they created there, where they came out with an excitement and a smile on their face going in Game 7,” Maurice said on Saturday in Winnipeg. “There was as much pressure in that game as there was here.

“These are the best games, always are, when everything is on the line. Everybody will be at their most excited. You have to find a way. It shouldn’t be very difficult to love every minute of it. The greater the stakes in anything, we think, especially when you live a life in pro sports, eventually that’s what it’s all about. This has to be your finest hour. Before the puck drops, I’m not talking about the play, be able to get your mind that this is the most fun game of the year now.”

The Jets understand what’s at stake, but will try to rely on focusing merely on the task at hand – an approach that has served this group well throughout the course of the season.

“The idea of winning three in a row in the playoffs in any series is a daunting task, the idea of (winning) one is perfectly understandable,” Maurice said. “We’ve been under that procedure all year. How you mentally frame things is important in the NHL daily life. We know we’re capable of winning a hockey game against any of the 31 NHL teams and that would be the attitude we take to the rink.”

Confidence won’t be an issue for the Golden Knights, as they’ve already gone out on the road and closed out two series on the road – knocking out the and in hostile territory.

“Yeah, we’ve done it twice, so we expect ourselves to do it again,” said Golden Knights forward David Perron, who returned to the lineup after missing two games. “Again, it’s never easy to close out a series, but it felt like the last two rounds it was a really good game for us in the last game, the last win. And we’ve got to bring much of the same and have guys step up at the right time.”

The flip-flop To start the second period, Maurice made a tactical adjustment to his defence pairings, breaking up the shutdown group of Josh Morrissey and Jacob Trouba.

Morrissey moved with Dustin Byfuglien, while Trouba went with Toby Enstrom initially, then was used on the left side with Tyler Myers once the Jets cut down to four blue-liners.

“It wasn’t a defensive concept, it was (more to do) with things happening at the offensive line,” said Maurice. “We know that (Mark) Scheifele and (Blake) Wheeler and (Kyle) Connor have a big bulk of puck-control time in the offensive group and when you’re heavy man-to-man as (the Golden Knights) are, it has to become a five-man group. We like Trouba and Morrissey in that, but it’s clearly where Dustin Byfuglien excels, so we just changed that. It was an offensive mindset.”

Feeling his pain Golden Knights defenceman Nate Schmidt has been excellent in this series, which is no easy task considering the majority of his shifts have come against Scheifele and the Jets top line.

But Schmidt showed empathy toward Byfuglien, who fanned on a one-timer at the right point after a pass from Brandon Tanev during the third period, allowing Golden Knights winger Reilly Smith to go in alone on a breakaway and deliver what proved to be the game-winning goal in Game 4.

“I know that feeling. It’s not a great feeling,” said Schmidt. “Because you want to lay into it. You feel like you’re walking into a slapshot. You’re all excited. But you know you’re committed already – and you can’t really turn back from there because he’s already loaded up. And then it takes, whatever kind of a bounce, whatever kind of a wobble and … it’s tough. That’s a tough play.”

No update on Mason Maurice was succinct when asked about what happened to backup goalie Steve Mason in Las Vegas.

“He wasn’t available for the game,” said Maurice.

Mason has dealt with two concussions and a knee injury this season prior to this latest issue, so it’s unclear whether he will be in uniform on Sunday.

Michael Hutchinson served as the backup goalie to Connor Hellebuyck in Game 4 on Friday.

Jets sign Berdin The Jets have agreed to terms with goalie Mikhail Berdin on a three-year entry-level contract that carries an average annual value of $766,667 in the NHL.

Berdin, who was chosen by the Jets in the sixth round of the 2016 NHL Draft, spent the past two seasons with the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL – going 38-25-9 with a 2.69 goals-against average and .922 save percentage in 76 games.

His most impressive moment occurred on Nov. 18 of 2017 when Berdin scored a goal, firing the puck the length of the ice into an open net against the Muskegon Lumberjacks.

Berdin, 20, is expected to play for the of the next season. http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/friesen-jets-have-plenty-to-lose-despite- bright-future

FRIESEN: Jets have plenty to lose, despite bright future

By Paul Friesen

I’m not one to make bold predictions about a sporting event, but I know how Sunday’s game between the Winnipeg Jets and Las Vegas Golden Knights is going to end.

It’s going to end with the crowd on its feet, sending the Jets off the ice to a thundering ovation.

It’ll be the sound of 15,000-plus saying thanks.

Thanks for forcing a Game 6 back in Vegas – or thanks for the memories of a stirring playing run that’s just come to a fizzling end.

As I’ve said before, the Jets are playing with house money in this Western Conference Final, a first-round romp over Minnesota and the seven-game series win over Nashville enough, already, to consider the season a success.

But that doesn’t mean they have nothing to lose.

Yes, this is a promising team with young talent that would seem to point to a future filled with May and even June hockey.

It’s easy to assume getting this far in the Stanley Cup Playoffs will be an annual rite of spring for a few years to come.

But there’s a flip side.

It might not be.

To be one series victory from the Cup Final, against an expansion team, no less, could well be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for some of these players.

Injuries and trades will happen. Players will leave as free agents, others will take their places.

Chemistry between linemates, in the room, is always fleeting.

Young stars like Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor, Nik Ehlers, Jacob Trouba and Connor Hellebuyck will have great years ahead, and they’ll probably have some off years.

What does captain Blake Wheeler have, one year left on his contract? What happens to him and others who will be in line for new deals – will the Jets be able to afford them all?

And who’s to tell what’s going to happen with the rest of the teams in the Western Conference, especially in the dog-eat-dog Central Division?

The Predators aren’t going anywhere. Or the Wild. You can’t write Chicago off. Or St. Louis. Will Dallas find a supporting cast for all that talent? How good is Colorado going to be?

Somebody else might catch lightning in a bottle the way the Golden Knights did this season.

Or the way the Jets did.

Do you think Winnipeg is a sure thing to finish second overall again next year?

What if Laine slumps, or gets hurt? Ditto for Hellebuyck in goal.

There are 82 games between next year’s team and the post-season. Things have been known to happen over those six months — things you never could have predicted (viva, Las Vegas).

Anyone who thinks the road to Stanley Cup championships is a straight line hasn’t been paying attention.

The point of all this is: this Jets team, like everybody else, is really a one-off. Faces will change, they always do.

This particular group will never be here, in this position, on this doorstep of the NHL’s biggest stage, again.

Letting the opportunity slip away, after all the work it took to get here, wouldn’t exactly be maximizing the investment.

And yet, these last several weeks is exactly what teams like this must go through in order to take that next and final step.

“We’ve been through it all this year,” Ehlers said after the Game 4 loss. “We’ve grown as a family, as a team, as a city.”

They’ve grown, yes. But they haven’t been through it all.

Not yet.

They call it the hardest trophy to win in sports, and young players have no idea what it takes to do it.

They’ve been finding out, even as this series slips from their grasp.

“We’ve just got to dig maybe a little bit deeper,” Hellebuyck said after Friday’s loss.

That’s exactly what they have to do. Find a gear, a level of effort and execution, they’ve never found before and don’t even know they have.

Because they’ve never done it.

Then why, you might ask, is Vegas, with its ragtag band of castoffs, on the verge of reaching the Final in its very first year?

Well, the one player who’s undoubtedly been the difference in the series has paid those dues, has learned those lessons and discovered how deep you have to dig, and that he can, in fact, do it.

Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury led the to a championship as their starting goalie nine years ago.

At 33, he’s playing out of his mind again – and loving every minute of it.

While Jets coach Paul Maurice tries hard to make sure his players relax and enjoy the moment, going out of his way to say publicly how much fun this pressure cooker should be, Fleury is a living, breathing and smiling example of it.

“Maybe it wasn’t always like this, you know,” Fleury said, Saturday. “I just learned that, for me, that’s what works best to stay loose and having fun and enjoying the game. It helps me play better.”

The Jets have to find a way to play better, that’s all.

Because a loss, Sunday, isn’t just another lost game, or just another lost series.

It’s a lost opportunity.

Console yourselves all you want by saying this franchise’s window may just be opening.

A loss on Sunday will still have all the finality of a door slamming shut.

Las Vegas Review Journal https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/sports-columns/ed-graney/golden-knights-winning- resiliency-battle-against-jets/

Golden Knights winning resiliency battle against Jets

By Ed Graney / Las Vegas Review-Journal

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Bill Foley is owner of the Golden Knights and a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, an Army guy right down to those dress grays and mules, the sort of fellow who would appreciate a certain 2011 study on resiliency that was specifically crafted for the nation’s armed forces.

The one that states there are six core factors to withstanding or recovering quickly from difficult conditions: self-awareness, self-regulation, optimism, mental agility, character and strong relationships.

William Karlsson, star center for Vegas, is a tad more simplistic when explaining his team’s ability to combat adversity:

“I guess we see a team score against us and say, ‘(Bleep) it, let’s go get it back.’”

I like his core factor better than the others.

The list of reasons that Vegas as an expansion NHL team is one win from an implausible trip to the Stanley Cup Final is immeasurable, although the guy in goal tickling people and rubbing the crossbar and doing the wave is pretty good, and yet one that has stood out like Marc-Andre Fleury at a fan party is its capacity to counter an opponent’s success.

The Knights in leading this best-of-seven series 3-1 — Game 5 is Sunday at Bell MTS Place — have followed three goals by the Jets with one of their own in these time spans:

One minute, 28 seconds.

Twelve seconds.

Forty-three seconds.

One allowed Vegas to secure Game 2 in the third period, another gave it a lead it wouldn’t relinquish in Game 3 and the third put the Knights up 2-1 in Game 4 on Friday, when T-Mobile Arena and an announced record gathering of 18,697 made like a beer bottle left in the freezer and exploded.

“It’s just our mentality,” Vegas defenseman Nate Schmidt said. “We get over to the bench (after an opposing score), and you can’t feel sorry for yourself, because then one goal for them will become two and three and four and it will just keep piling on.

“It has been important to our group all season that no matter what happened or how bad things got, we needed to have that push back. And when you do that and score, it can be really tough on the other team.”

Pouncing on opportunity

It’s the needle that pops a balloon, the absorbed energy that makes a ball bounce lower, the screwdriver that releases pressure from a boiler.

Motivation is created during games, and yet the Knights have discovered ways to seriously minimize the amount that Winnipeg musters. Mostly, by scoring shortly after the Jets.

“I think it’s been huge for us, right?” Fleury said. “The Jets are a team that, you know, in the playoffs, you see momentum change so quickly in the game. For us to be able to get back into the game and take our lead back right away, I think it’s been big, especially at home, getting the crowd right behind us again and then we’ve been able to ride it longer into the game.”

They aren’t at home Sunday, and yet having gained a split of the first two games in Winnipeg certainly offers Vegas a level of confidence that it could finish things amid a crazed White Out gathering.

Winnipeg keeps trying to avoid such quick strikes by Vegas, the Jets opting to have a checking line such as Adam Lowry, Andrew Copp and Brandon Tanev on the ice to slow rushes after a score, while believing their best defensemen in Josh Morrissey and Jacob Trouba will have active enough sticks to protect goalie Connor Hellebuyck.

But in some of the most critical times through five games, the Knights have pounced and stuck in a needle in any advantage Winnipeg might momentarily own.

“It’s a good way to be,” Knights forward James Neal said. “I think when they get one, the next guy up for us is ready to go. It’s always hard when you get one and the other team comes back and scores.

“It sucks the wind out when they score and then, boom, it’s a huge goal by us and we’re back. Timely, timely goals.”

Led and inspired and propelled by that age-old wisdom of William Wordsworth Karlsson: “(Bleep) it, let’s go get it back.”

When it comes to resiliency, what core factor comes close to matching that? https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/golden-knights-nhl/golden-knights-marc-andre-fleury- outplaying-jets-counterpart/

Golden Knights’ Marc-Andre Fleury outplaying Jets counterpart

By David Schoen / Las Vegas Review-Journal

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Connor Hellebuyck’s comments from the middle of last week continue to reverberate around the NHL and draw side-eyes from the Golden Knights.

After Winnipeg’s loss in Game 3 on Wednesday, the confident goaltender who turned 25 on Saturday was asked about his head-to-head matchup against the Knights’ Marc-Andre Fleury.

“I don’t want to respond to his game,” Hellebuyck said. “He’s obviously a big part of their team and playing very well.

“But I like my game; I like it a lot more.”

Despite Hellebuyck’s assertion, the numbers tell otherwise.

Fleury has outdueled Hellebuyck during the Western Conference Final and put the Knights on the brink of playing for the Stanley Cup entering Sunday’s Game 5.

Opening faceoff is scheduled for noon at Bell MTS Place.

“I don’t mind being confident, but I don’t think you should go against the potential Conn Smythe player for our team. He’s been our best player all playoffs,’’ Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault said Friday after his team’s 3-2 victory in Game 4. “Fleury was there to back it up and made key saves. I think Hellebuyck is a great goalie, but Fleury’s better.”

Hellebuyck, one of three finalists for the as the league’s top goaltender, has allowed nine goals during the Jets’ three-game losing streak.

He hasn’t played poorly in his first postseason appearance. But in a series this tight, Fleury’s play has been the difference in the Knights owning a 3-1 advantage rather than returning to Winnipeg tied at 2.

Through the first four games of the conference final, Hellebuyck has a 2.81 goals-against average and a pedestrian .897 save percentage.

Fleury’s stats: 2.28 GAA, .930 SP.

“He’s certainly been really good, and he’s made three saves each game that gives their crowd a reason to get on their feet, and rightfully so,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said of Fleury. “He’s made three or four in both of these games (in Vegas). It’s an empty netter in (Game 3) or they’re one-goal games, so that feels like it’s the difference.

“You’ve got to assume that he’s going to get three or four of those a night and find a way to get the knucklers in that we need to have going for us.”

Fleury has come up with timely saves throughout the series, such as his diving stop on Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele midway through the third period of Game 3 to keep the Knights up by one goal.

In contrast, Hellebuyck was unable to bail out his teammates Friday, as Reilly Smith beat the Jets’ netminder short side for the winning goal with 6:58 remaining.

Hellebuyck also made two costly gaffes the past two games that led directly to goals.

In Game 3, Erik Haula cut off Hellebuyck’s clearing attempt behind the net and zipped a pass to James Neal for a goal 12 seconds after the Jets had tied the score.

On Friday, Hellebuyck bobbled Pierre-Edouard Bellemare’s soft shot from distance, and Tomas Nosek scored moments after Bellemare recovered the rebound for a 2-1 Knights lead.

“I’ve liked (my game) all series long,” Hellebuyck said Friday. “Obviously it’s got to be a little bit better because we’ve got to win, that’s the bottom line.”

Winnipeg outplayed the Knights in the third period of the past two games but had nothing to show for it because of Fleury.

After a Game 4 that saw the Jets dominate possession with an 85-59 advantage in shots attempts, Smith was asked how the Knights survived the onslaught.

“Well, he’s sitting beside me,’’ Smith said, referring to Fleury.

Fleury, a three-time Stanley Cup champion, has been relaxed throughout the postseason.

He jumped for joy after his highlight-reel save on Scheifele. And his fun-loving personality — not to mention wealth of experience — appears to have rubbed off on his teammates during this historic postseason run.

“Maybe it wasn’t always like this, you know?” Fleury said Saturday during the Knights’ media availability. “I just learned that, for me, that’s what works best to stay loose and having fun and enjoying the game. I think it helps me play better and, obviously, down by four goals, I’m not smiling or having fun.

“Obviously, we’re winning and it’s been a great run. I just try to stay loose, keep the guys loose and focus on my job.” https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/golden-knights-nhl/golden-knights-may-have-to-deal-with- nhl-superstition/

Golden Knights may have to deal with NHL superstition

By Steve Carp / Las Vegas Review-Journal

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Should the Golden Knights close out the Western Conference Final on Sunday against the Winnipeg Jets, they’ll have a tough decision to make.

The Western Conference winner is presented the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl. The captain accepts the trophy, usually from NHL deputy commissioner . But the Knights don’t have a captain. They have rotated six players as alternate captains.

So how will they handle it? Will they have one or more of their alternate captains skate over? Will the entire team accept the trophy? Or will they send goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to accept it?

The players aren’t talking about it. Their mindset is win the game first, then worry about protocol.

“Just win,” Fleury said Saturday. “Win one more game. We’ve been good all season long at focusing on the next game, trying to win that one, not look too far ahead. Forget about the past quickly. We’ve done that in the playoffs also.”

And should the Knights, who have a 3-1 series lead, get the Campbell Bowl, will they actually touch it? It’s one of the NHL’s superstitions that the only trophy players want to lay their hands on is the Stanley Cup.

But that’s not always the case. When Fleury was with the Pittsburgh Penguins, they picked up the Prince of Wales Trophy that goes to the Eastern Conference champion. Each time they touched it, they went on to win the Stanley Cup.

Last year, when the Nashville Predators won the Campbell Bowl, they posed with it, but nobody touched it. The Predators lost to the Penguins in six games in last year’s Stanley Cup Final. But four of the past six teams that didn’t touch the Campbell hoisted the Cup.

According to NHL.com, the last team to touch the Campbell was the 2004 Flames, who lost the Cup to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Marchessault ties record With his assist on William Karlsson’s first-period goal in Game 4 Friday, Jonathan Marchessault tied an NHL record for most points by a player in his team’s inaugural Stanley Cup playoffs appearance.

Marchessault, who has 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists), tied Jude Drouin of the 1975 and Igor Larionov of the 1994 San Jose Sharks.

Watch party reminder The Knights will host a Game 5 watch party at Toshiba Plaza with the game being shown on the facade of T-Mobile Arena.

Admission is free, and fans are encouraged to get there by 11 a.m. The game begins at noon. https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/golden-knights-nhl/golden-knights-rookie-alex-tuch- handles-playoff-workload/

Golden Knights rookie Alex Tuch handles playoff workload

By Steve Carp / Las Vegas Review-Journal

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — When he steps onto the ice Sunday at Bell MTS Place, Alex Tuch will be playing in his 96th hockey game this season.

The most the Golden Knights rookie forward had played in a season was last year, when he was in 63 games, 57 of them in the American Hockey League. So his workload has increased by more than a third and could grow more if the Knights eliminate the Winnipeg Jets in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final.

Tuch says bring it on.

I’m still young,” the 22-year-old former Boston College star said. “I’m still able to, when I need to, just turn the switch on and my energy level is pretty high. I’m feeling great.”

Tuch has truly appreciated the journey the Knights have traveled. He wasn’t on the opening- night roster Oct. 6 in Dallas. He was in another part of Texas, skating for the Chicago Wolves, the Knights’ AHL affiliate.

But Tuch’s stay in the minors was only three games, and he has played a critical role in the Knights’ success in their inaugural NHL season.

He had 15 goals and 22 assists in the regular season. In 14 playoff games, he has five goals and three assists. And he has done it shuttling from line to line, playing with either Erik Haula or Cody Eakin.

“I’ve tried to play the same way no matter where coach (Gerard Gallant) has put me,” Tuch said. “I want to play hard, be physical, go to the net, win the battles in the corners and help my line be successful.”

Playoff hockey has a higher level of physicality to it, and Tuch has been involved in a couple of scrums against the Jets. But he’s no worse for wear and said he’s holding up fine.

“I’m making sure I’m getting a little bit more rest, taking a little more optional skates,” he said. “Especially as a rookie, you’re not allowed to take that many optional skates. But in the playoffs, it might be a little bit different.

“Working out with (strength and conditioning coach) Doug Davidson has been really good. He’s been keeping me still in shape off the ice and just keeping the body in check. The training staff has done a really good job with any bumps and bruises and anything like that. Just coming in, being prepared, taking care of yourself, getting as much rest as possible, it’s all you can really do.”

Tuch said a better diet also has helped.

“Vegas is an easy place to get a lot of good food and a lot of healthy food, too,” he said. “Whether that be eating out, or I like to cook myself. It’s just maintaining a healthy balance of diet. “

It’s part of learning to be a pro.

“Having the older guys around, it has helped a ton,” Tuch said. “Being a rookie in a playoff atmosphere, you get a little bit nervous. Maybe before a game you’re a little bit tense and stuff, but they’ve been unbelievable in keeping the room loose, keeping the guys excited. Even if we lose a game, it’s not too negative.”

Hockey News http://www.thehockeynews.com/news/article/trailing-conference-final-3-1-winnipeg-jets-can- look-to-these-six-series-for-inspiration

Trailing conference final 3-1, Winnipeg Jets can look to these six series for inspiration

By: Jared Clinton

After Friday's loss, the Jets are on the cusp of elimination, but Winnipeg need look no further than several recent post-season comebacks for some inspiration as they prepare to attempt an unlikely rally.

As the Winnipeg Jets retreat home in time for Sunday’s potentially season-deciding Game 5 of the Western Conference final, the prospect of the only Canadian franchise left standing ending the country’s long-standing Stanley Cup drought appears to be on life support.

That is, of course, because the Jets find themselves in a sizeable hole following Friday’s Game 4. After winning the first game of the series on the strength of a three-goal first period, Winnipeg has proceeded to drop each of the past three contests to the upstart Vegas Golden Knights by 3-1, 4-2 and 3-2 scores. Dropping three straight has been a rarity for these Jets, too, which makes the timing of this post-season losing streak all that much worse. Only twice all campaign, during a stretch in early December and one in mid-March, did Winnipeg lose three consecutive outings, and now the Jets are on the cusp of seeing their Stanley Cup hopes go up in smoke.

Not all hope is lost, though. Over the course of NHL history, 28 teams have come back from a similar deficit or worse, with four teams completing the so-called reverse sweep and dug out of a 3-0 series hole. And while that doesn’t seem like an awful lot of history for the Jets to use for inspiration, it’s worth noting that eight of those comebacks have come in the past decade. More specifically, however, six of those series have seen the team trailing 3-1 heading into Game 5 discover a spark, flip the script and emerge victorious to advance in the post-season.

Washington Capitals vs. — 2009 Conference Quarterfinal The Rangers appeared to be in total control right out of the gates in the opening round of the 2009 post-season. A late goal by Brandon Dubinsky in Game 1 and a shutout by Henrik Lundqvist in Game 2 saw the Rangers steal home ice advantage from the Capitals, and after Washington got one back in Game 3, New York took a stranglehold on the series.

In Game 5, though, the Capitals came out flying. An early shorthanded tally by Matt Bradley was followed up by his second of the game not long after. Then came goals from Alexander Semin and Alex Ovechkin that helped keep Washington’s season alive. Game 6 was more of the same, too, as the Capitals fired home five goals to draw the series level heading home. And in the series-deciding Game 7, Washington pieced together a remarkable defensive performance, allowing only 15 shots against in a 2-1 victory over New York. Sergei Fedorov’s late third period goal stood as the series winner.

Montreal Canadiens vs. Washington Capitals — 2010 Conference Quarterfinal The series that birthed the term “Halak’d,” which only hockey fans can understand. The early outings of the series could have best been described as a track meet, with 31 total goals scored through the first four games of the opening-round meeting. But after Montreal dropped Game 4 in stunning fashion, with Carey Price allowing five or more goals against for the third straight contest, coach Jacques Martin made the bold decision to switch up his starter and install Jaroslav Halak in the Canadiens crease.

And over the next three games, Halak proceeded to steal the series for Montreal. In Game 5, Halak was tested early and often but turned aside all but one of the 38 shots he faced as the Canadiens held on for a 2-1 victory. Game 6 was more of the same, too, as Washington fired 54 shots on goal, but Halak was only beaten once as Montreal skated to a 4-1 series-tying win. And just to rub some salt in the wound, Halak dominated Game 7, as well, turning aside 41 of 42 shots as the Canadiens held on for a 2-1 series-clinching victory.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Pittsburgh Penguins — 2011 Conference Quarterfinal Two seasons removed from winning their first Stanley Cup of the era, the 2011 Penguins clashed with the Lightning in the opening round with their eyes fixed squarely on returning to the NHL’s winner’s circle. And through the early part of the series, it sure looked as though things were heading that way. Wins of 3-0, 3-2 and a 3-2 double-overtime win in Game 4 had Pittsburgh in complete control of the series, but just when the Penguins were eying up a second-round date, the Lightning flipped the script.

In Game 5, Tampa Bay was dominant, blowing out Pittsburgh 8-2 on home ice, and that set the tone for the remainder of the series. The Lightning went back to Florida and defeated the Penguins 4-2 in Game 6 and then battled Pittsburgh to a 1-0 victory on the strength of Sean Bergenheim’s second period tally.

If the Jets really want to look to this series for inspiration, though, they can look no further than Pittsburgh’s goaltender of record. A 26-year-old Marc-Andre Fleury struggling throughout the series, posting a 3-4 record and .899 save percentage.

Chicago Blackhawks vs. — 2013 Conference Semifinal Entering the post-season as the Stanley Cup favorites in 2013, few saw the Red Wings as a true threat to the Presidents’ Trophy winning Blackhawks, and when Chicago took Game 1 of the series 4-1 on home ice, it seemed as though the stage had been set for a quick series. Ever the savvy team, though, Detroit fired back with three consecutive victories — 4-1, 3-1, 2-0 — to put Chicago on the brink of elimination in Game 5.

With their season on the line, however, the Blackhawks skated to a 4-1 victory in Game 5 and hung on for a 4-3 victory in Game 6 to send the series to seven. Two goals early in the second and third frames, first by Patrick Sharp and then by Henrik Zetterberg, were the only markers in regulation, which set the stage for overtime to decide the series. In the extra frame, it took less than four minutes to find a winner, as Brent Seabrook scooped up a neutral zone turnover, skated into the Detroit zone and snapped a puck cleanly by Jimmy Howard to lift Chicago to the series victory. The Blackhawks would go on to win the Stanley Cup.

New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins — 2014 Second Round If it wasn’t for a Derick Brassard overtime winner in Game 1, the Rangers could have seen their playoff run end four games into the second round. That overtime victory for the Blueshirts was their only win in the first four outings of the series, however, as the Penguins rattled off three straight victories, two of which were by shutout, to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. By the time Game 5 rolled around, though, New York found its footing on the strength of stellar goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist.

Over the final three contests of the series, ‘King Henrik’ allowed only three goals and turned aside 104 of the 107 shots the Penguins fired his way. Meanwhile, Derick Brassard fired home three goals in the final three contests, picked up three assists and eight other skates registered multiple points through Games 5, 6 and 7. In the series-deciding contest, it was Brad Richards who delivered the winner, notching a power play goal midway through the second frame to send New York on to the conference final.

New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals — 2015 Second Round By the end of the series, it was one of the tightest battles in recent playoff history. A seven- game set in which every single contest was decided by a single goal. But one bounce in the Capitals’ favor could have ended the series in five. After Washington captured Game 1 and bounced back from a Game 2 loss with victories in Games 3 and 4, the Capitals had the Rangers on the ropes and were a shot away from ending the series and advancing to the conference final when Game 5 went to overtime. But midway through the extra frame, Ryan McDonagh delivered the winner to keep New York’s season alive.

With the series shifting back to Washington for Game 6, Lundqvist helped the Rangers hang on for another one-goal victory despite staring down 45 shots. Lundqvist turned aside 42 in the contest, and he would follow that up with yet another standout performance in Game 7, this time stopping 35 fo 36 shots through regulation and overtime. And Lundqvist’s play allowed Derek Stepan to score his first goal of the series at the most crucial of times, a tally which lifted New York into the conference final.

Sportsnet https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/jets-stop-golden-knights-answering-goals/ (VIDEO LINK)

JETS HAVE TO STOP GOLDEN KNIGHTS' ANSWERING GOALS

Vegas Golden Knights have answered all of the Winnipeg Jets goals quickly, on their way to victories. This has to stop if the Canadian team hopes to come back in this series. https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/no-one-reason-fully-explains-jets-struggles-vs-golden- knights/

No one reason fully explains Jets’ struggles vs. Golden Knights

By Mark Spector

WINNIPEG — "I feel we believe we’re right there in the series. I don’t think it feels like it’s a 3-1 series."

Adam Lowry echoed what an entire city is thinking this long weekend, with their Jets’ magical run all of sudden running out of runway.

The Jets haven’t played poorly. They just haven’t played well enough to beat a Vegas team that doesn’t make many mistakes, and has the best goalie in the playoffs behind them when they do.

So how have the Jets found themselves here, one game away from a Stanley Cup run closing seven wins short of the goal? As Elizabeth Barrett Browning said, let me count the ways.

Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers Connor (31 goals) and Ehlers (29) gave the Jets 60 goals this season. In the playoffs they’ve scored three — all Connor’s — and just one goal in this Round 3 series.

It was fine when pucks were going in for guys like Brandon Tanev, Dustin Byfuglien, Paul Stastny and Blake Wheeler, and the Jets were winning. But now that the scoring from those sources has dried up, the Jets need their 60-goal duo to provide. The offence has dried up. It is their turn.

Connor Hellebuyck We’ve beaten this one up this week, but when you lose the goaltending battle, you lose the series. Hellebuyck has been, well, fine. But a giveaway goal in Game 3, and the bad rebound that led to the Game 4 winner are simply two goals that can’t happen if you’re going to win.

"You know what," said Jets coach Paul Maurice, "both teams are going to ask a lot of their goaltenders, all four teams left. That’s because every shot now that gets to the net is a potential (goal). That’s the pressure that those guys operate under."

Hellebuyck has to take this series away from Fleury. If he doesn’t, the Jets are done.

Paul Stastny The Jets second line centre cemented himself as the coup de gras of Trade Deadline additions when he had two goals and an assist in Game 7 at Nashville, mixing a rock solid defensive game with 14 points in Rounds 1 and 2. But the playoffs are "what have you done for me lately" country, and but for an assist in Game 1 vs. Vegas, Stastny’s offence has dried up in Round 3.

As a productive option to the Mark Scheifele top unit, the Jets second line — with wingers Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers — was what made Winnipeg so dangerous offensively all season. They’ve combined for two assists at even strength in this series, with Laine’s two goals coming on the power play.

Support scoring. Teams that get it win. Teams that don’t, don’t.

The Karlsson Line The Golden Knights line of Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson and Reilly Smith has scored in every game this series, and as a trio they’ve piled up some insane numbers: seven goals, eight assists and 15 points.

That is more than half of the 12 goals Vegas has scored in this series, and it is simply killing Winnipeg. Paul Maurice needs to figure out a matchup that contains this trio. Hint: He’d better hurry.

Jets Depth Scoring Among the Bottom 6 forwards, Joel Armia has the only goal in this series, a carom off his skate in Game 1. The Jets need a hero not named Mark Scheifele, and usually that guy comes from the pool of players named Tanev, Adam Lowry, Jack Roslovic, Armia or Andrew Copp.

That depth goal hero has won many a playoff game over the years.

"I think it’s just the combination of they have really good defence, obviously their goaltender playing really well," Armia said. "I don’t think it’s us getting overly nervous or overly anxious to put the puck in the net. I think it’s a factor they’re a great defence.

"Obviously Fleury is playing great. We had a lot of great chances, a lot of good O-zone time. We feel like the bounces are going to come our way at some point. If we keep getting that zone time, getting those pucks to the net, they’re going to start going in."

TSN.ca https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/jets-believe-they-are-right-there~1398433 (VIDEO LINK)

Jets believe they are 'right there'

Despite falling in three straight and sitting on the brink of elimination, the Jets believe they are 'right there' and need to stay the course. https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/the-panel-golden-knights-looking-like-a-team-of- destiny~1398434 (VIDEO LINK)

The Panel: Golden Knights looking like a team of destiny

The Golden Knights dream inaugural season has them unbelievably sitting one-win away from the . The TSN Hockey panel breaks down how everything continues to go right for Vegas and what the feeling must be like for the Knights' players in the dressing room https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/the-panel-how-do-the-jets-climb-back-into-the- series~1398435 (VIDEO LINK)

The Panel: How do the Jets climb back into the series?

With the Jets' season on the line, the TSN Hockey panel talk about which Jets star could lead them out of their series hole, how they can solve Marc-Andre Fleury, and touch on if Winnipeg's heavy series with Nashville has caught up to them against the rested Golden Knights. https://www.tsn.ca/three-reasons-the-jets-have-lost-three-straight-1.1089924

Three reasons the Jets have lost three straight

By Frank Seravalli TSN Senior Hockey Reporter

WINNIPEG — Before Friday night, the last time the Jets lost three consecutive games in regulation was March ... of 2017.

The Jets didn’t drop three games in a row this entire season because to hear Paul Maurice explain it, there were no extremes to their game. There was no rollercoaster.

Winnipeg has waded into unfamiliar territory, they are in the deep end of the pool now. Their Stanley Cup dreams are on the brink of becoming a nightmare. They beat the President’s Trophy-winning Nashville Predators, the team their season was geared around, but may go down against the Vegas Golden Knights thinking they’ve been the better team.

“I didn’t leave the bench a whole lot this year saying ‘We dominated that team and lost’,” Maurice said prophetically in April before the playoffs started. “In every game that we’ve won, there have been parts of the game that you’re saying, ‘Man, if that puck went in, it’d be a different game,’ but it didn’t.”

That is exactly what Maurice is saying and feeling now.

Here are three reasons why the Jets have lost three straight after appearing to be on their way to the Stanley Cup Final:

1. TRUSTING THE PROCESS: Tyler Myers said the Jets have been “the much better team” over the last five periods. Blake Wheeler said the Jets win Game 4 “nine out of 10 times.” The fallacy is in thinking that the same process will produce a new result. Yes, the Jets owned an overwhelming advantage in offensive zone time, but that doesn’t count the amount of time the Golden Knights have spent celebrating.

A deeper dive shows that the numbers don’t exactly match the eye test. High-danger scoring chances were close at 17-12, according to NaturalStatTrick.com. More than that, Mike Kelly at The Point pointed out that the Golden Knights have outshot the Jets, 34-30, from the slot over the last five periods in addition to outscoring them by a 6-4 margin. Vegas also created 22 scoring chances off the rush compared to Winnipeg’s 13, according to The Point. The Golden Knights should be credited for how well they’ve defended.

Maurice admitted before Game 4 that it’s dangerous to sell to his team “Hey, if we just bury our chances, we’ll win the game.” In a seven-game series, process must be thrown out the window. The problem is, as Maurice said after Game 4:

“What are your other options?” Maurice asked. “To score a bit more, so you keep going.”

2. OUT-GOALTENDED: A confident, if not cocky, Connor Hellebuyck said after Game 4 that the “stars have aligned” for the Vegas Golden Knights “but it’s not going to stay that way.” There is little evidence to support Hellebuyck’s claim. He has been significantly outplayed by counterpart Marc-Andre Fleury.

“They’re one-goal games, so that feels like the difference,” Maurice said of the goaltending.

Through four games, Fleury owns a .930 save percentage, while Hellebuyck is hovering at .897. It hasn’t just been the goals that he’s given up, but also the timing of them. The 137 combined seconds between four response goals from Vegas have been the difference in the series. Hellebuyck was directly responsible for two of those backbreakers when he bobbled the puck behind the net.

“I feel like Winnipeg is a team that feeds off the momentum when they get a goal,” Fleury said Friday. "But we’ve been great at getting one right back.”

When the Jets desperately needed a stop, when Reilly Smith was on a breakaway, Hellebuyck was beaten short-side.

“I’ve liked [my game] all series long,” Hellebuyck said. “Obviously it’s got to be a little bit better because we’ve got to win, that’s the bottom line.”

3. SLOPPY TURNOVERS: Whether it’s behind the net or at the blue line, the Jets have not slowed the spigot of egregious turnovers. From Toby Enstrom and Dustin Byfuglien to Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine, there are few innocent parties on the Jets’ roster.

They may seem uncharacteristic, but part of that is the pressure that the Jets have been under because of the speed of the Golden Knights. The Jets can skate with them, but they haven’t moved the puck clean enough or quickly enough.

“The puck’s a funny shape, the ice is chippy,” Wheeler said. “They’re opportunistic over there. Their guys find a way to get in alone and get in on those two-on-ones and make you pay.”

Maurice said the focus won’t be on the Jets’ mistakes, not with the season on the line. Their impact is obvious, the time has come to turn the page on the turnovers.

“We won’t talk about them,” Maurice said at his postgame press conference. “This will be the last time they’re talked about.”

The Athletic https://theathletic.com/361170/2018/05/19/down-3-1-to-vegas-what-will-it-take-for-winnipeg-to- beat-the-odds-and-win-the-series/

Down 3-1 to Vegas, what will it take for Winnipeg to beat the odds and win the series?

By Murat Ates

The Winnipeg Jets are officially on the brink of playoff elimination.

Technically, this isn’t the first time that a Jets loss could send them home for the summer. That honour goes to Game 7 against the Nashville Predators less than 10 days ago – a 5-1 win for the Jets in which all of the bounces went Winnipeg’s way from puck drop through to the final buzzer.

If puck luck feels like ancient history now, that’s because it should.

Despite controlling 54.7 per cent of shot attempts, 63.4 per cent of high danger scoring chances, and 57.3 per cent of expected goals at 5-on-5 against the Vegas Golden Knights, Winnipeg finds itself down 3-1 in the Western Conference Final.

These kinds of possession stats are typically a winning formula. Whether you look at shot quantity or quality, the Jets are outplaying the Golden Knights.

It hasn’t translated into wins.

“It’s a little frustrating,” said Jets centre Adam Lowry on Saturday. “You look at the chances we’ve had, somehow gets a skate blade on it, we hit the post, hit the tip when you seem like you have the whole net.”

Lowry still believes Winnipeg has been playing well enough to earn more victories.

“I don’t think it feels like it’s a 3-1 series. We believe we’re right there. We have a lot of belief we can come back. It’s a little frustrating when you have those things, that much zone time, the pucks might not be going in as frequently as we are used to.”

Winnipeg scored 3.3 goals per game through the regular season and raised that rate to 3.6 goals per game through the opening two rounds of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Thanks to puck luck, posts, and a goaltending performance for the ages, the Jets have just nine goals through four games against the Golden Knights.

That’s the backdrop against which Jets captain Blake Wheeler made this incredibly bold statement after Game 4:

“I liked a lot of that game. We win that game nine times out of 10. Tonight was the one. Had some looks where their goalie made some extraordinary saves. You’ve got to sometimes take your hat off to a good player stealing a game.”

Colleague Dom Luszczyszyn and I both heard Wheeler’s quote and scratched our heads. Nine times in 10 – could that be true? What could the odds possibly be?

With help from Corsica.hockey, Luszczyszyn looked into it.

It turns out Wheeler hit the odds almost exactly right:

Winnipeg controlled 63.1 per cent of the expected goals in Game 4. Over the past five years, teams who have controlled play by that margin or better have a record of 664-146.

This translates to an .820 winning percentage – in short, the Jets could expect to win a game like that eight times in 10. Not bad, Blake Wheeler.

“We’re pretty confident,” Wheeler went on to say. “If we play that game, we like our chances. It gives us an opportunity to win.”

It’s true – thanks to Luszczyszyn, we know that if Winnipeg played 1000 games exactly like the one on Friday night in Vegas, the Jets would win roughly 820 of them. Over a long enough timeline, you’d certainly like those odds.

The short term reality is a lot starker.

According to HockeyReference.com, teams in Winnipeg’s position have historically come back to win just 12.6 per cent of NHL playoff series. Here at The Athletic, Luszczyszyn’s model is slightly more optimistic, giving the Jets a 15 per cent chance based on the strength of their roster.

No matter which perspective you take, it’s an extremely daunting task.

“In the back of your mind, you’re going to have the big picture there – winning three in a row,” said Jets defenseman Ben Chiarot on Saturday. “Once the puck drops, all you’re focused on is your next shift. That’s all you really think about, is taking it one shift at a time.”

“It’s cliché,” Chiarot continued, “But that’s how you have to take it. If you look at it big picture, we’ve got to win three in a row, it seems like a big job. When you break it down into segments, it becomes easier. Win your next shift, next period, just keep going.”

As a player, Chiarot’s attitude is exactly the right one to take. This is a case where all of the “one shift at a time” clichés are absolutely true – the Jets can’t win three games on Sunday afternoon in Winnipeg and it would be counterproductive for them to think about the big picture while the game is played.

Here at The Athletic, we have a little more room to investigate.

What does it take to become the 12.6 per cent of teams who come back from Winnipeg’s precarious position?

Since the 2004-05 NHL lockout, teams come back from 3-1 or 3-0 precisely eight times.

The asterisks indicate a team that came back from down 3-0.

Before getting too deeply into things, it is important to issue a disclaimer: by looking only at series in which the team down 3-1 came back to win, we’re missing roughly 90 per cent of the available data. My various statistics professors would be exceptionally displeased if I claimed predictability from the data of these eight series.

With that out of the way, how does a team come back from down 3-1?

The short answer should be a disconcerting one for Jets fans: it’s not by controlling shot attempts or high danger scoring chances.

Only four of the eight teams who have come back from down 3-1 since the 2004-05 NHL lockout had a better regular season shot attempt percentage than the team they beat. Winnipeg’s advantage in this regard appears to mean nothing.

Similarly, only four of the eight teams who came back had a better high danger scoring chance percentage than the team they beat. Again, Winnipeg’s regular season advantage over Vegas means nothing here.

If you ignore the regular season and focus solely on the playoff series of note, it gets worse for the team carrying the flow of play. Only three of the eight teams who came back to win their series led in 5-on-5 shot attempts or high danger scoring chances.

So what does it take to win?

The single biggest correlation between series stats and comeback wins that I could find was PDO – the sum of a team’s save percentage and its shooting percentage, commonly used as an estimate of luck. Fully seven out of eight teams who came back to win finished their series with a higher PDO than their opponent.

In 2009, Henrik Lundqvist played lights out for the New York Rangers while Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau was forced to bench Jose Theodore in favour of his backup, Semyon Varlamov. The improvement in the Capitals net, combined with waves of pressure from and his peers, turned a lost series around for Washington.

In 2010, Washington was on the losing end of a similarly goaltending-driven tale. Despite 59.5 per cent of 5-on-5 shot attempts and 61.1 per cent of 5-on-5 high danger scoring chances, the Capitals couldn’t conquer Jaroslav Halak. Yes, while the Canadiens used both Halak and phenom Carey Price in that series, it was Halak who proved to be virtually unbeatable, winning all four of Montreal’s games.

Also in 2010, and Boston split shot attempts but it was the Flyers whose control of high danger scoring chances led to four straight wins over the Bruins. With Brian Boucher hurt midway through Game 5, Philadelphia turned to the untested Michael Leighton. Leighton won Game 5 with a shutout, and allowed just one goal in Game 6 before getting shelled for three quick goals to open Game 7. Against all odds, the Flyers rallied from down 3-0 to win Game 7 in regulation. Simon Gagne cemented the Bruins collapse with a power play goal 12:52 into the 3rd period.

In 2011, Marc-Andre Fleury and the Pittsburgh Penguins stormed out to a 3-1 lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning before Fleury imploded, allowing four goals on 14 shots in Game 5. Fleury was little better in Game 6, allowing another four goals – this time on 21 shots – before playing a lights-out Game 7 in which he allowed just one goal. Unfortunately for Fleury, he was bested by a 36-save shutout by the Lightning’s Dwayne Roloson and Tampa Bay advanced to the second round.

The only team to have better goaltending and lose was the 2013 Detroit Red Wings in their second round match-up against the . Jimmy Howard played a spellbinding series against Chicago but, despite his heroics, the Blackhawks were simply too much. Chicago outshot Detroit 45-26 in Game 5 and sealed a Game 6 comeback win with a penalty shot goal from eventual Jet Michael Frolik. In a simply nail-biting Game 7, Brent Seabrook pounced on a neutral zone turnover in overtime and beat Howard on a wrist shot which bounced off defenseman Niklas Kronwall on its way into the top shelf. By the numbers, this was the closest series of the eight we’re looking at and it’s perhaps fitting that it took a bounce to seal Chicago’s win.

In 2014, Jonathan Quick outdueled a combination of Alex Stalock and Antti Niemi, letting in just two goals in the final three games after getting torched for 20 goals in his first four. It was an otherworldly turnaround performance for Quick, whose steady showing through the rest of the playoffs eventually led Los Angeles to its second Stanley Cup in three years.

Finally, the New York Rangers came back from 3-1 deficits in 2014 and 2015. The first of those comebacks was against Pittsburgh, giving Marc-Andre Fleury his second appearance on the losing side of this list. In this case, it was simply a matter of Henrik Lundqvist finding another level – Lundqvist’s final three games contained save percentages of .969, .973, and .972. He did it again against Washington in 2015, closing off the Rangers’ comeback with save percentages of .966, .933, and .972.

What does it take to come back from a 3-1 series deficit?

The answer is clear and it is in the crease.

“Both teams are going to ask a lot of their goaltenders,” Paul Maurice said on Saturday. “That’s because every shot now that gets to net is a potential. That’s the pressure that those guys operate under.”

For Winnipeg to come back in this series, Connor Hellebuyck is going to need to start stealing games a la Henrik Lundqvist for New York. It would also help Winnipeg if Marc-Andre Fleury’s celestial performance came crashing back down to earth.

“It’s virtually impossible to generate more offence,” Wheeler said after Game 4. “On the road against a team that had 110 points and we get 40 shots… You can’t generate any more than that.”

On Saturday afternoon, Lowry said that, despite Fleury’s heroics thus far, Winnipeg’s offence is on the way.

“We have confidence that we’re going to still generate the offense. We have to get it by them for sure. We think we can get enough to win the game.”

For Hellebuyck’s part, he refused to call Fleury’s performance “lucky” but acknowledged the role that bounces have played so far in this series.

“The stars are aligning for them,” said Hellebuyck, minutes after Friday’s Game 4 loss. “But it’s not gonna stay that way.”

The final word heading into Game 5 belongs to the coach:

“These are the best games, always are, when everything is on the line. Everybody will be at their most excited. You have to find a way. It shouldn’t be very difficult to love every minute of it. The greater the stakes in anything, we think, especially when you live a life in pro sports, eventually that’s what it’s all about. This has to be your finest hour. Before the puck drops, I’m not talking about the play, be able to get your mind that this is the most fun game of the year now.” https://theathletic.com/361436/2018/05/20/expansion-golden-knights-eager-to-stamp-ticket-to- stanley-cup-final/

Expansion Golden Knights eager to stamp ticket to Stanley Cup final

By Michael Russo

WINNIPEG – Saturday was a relaxing one for the Vegas Golden Knights.

After arriving at their downtown Winnipeg hotel – one with “Go JETS Go!!!” banners wrapped around the pillars in front of the sliding glass doors leading to the lobby – at 3 a.m., Vegas players slept in, then hung out in the team’s lounge and moseyed around during a rest and recuperation day leading into what could be the biggest day in the long and storied – OK, OK, infant – history of the franchise.

A team that didn’t even exist a year ago suddenly has a 3-1 stranglehold over the big, fast, juggernaut Jets in this best-of-seven Western Conference final. On Sunday afternoon, the Golden Knights could continue to shock the hockey world by dousing Winnipeg’s “Whiteout” for good with a 12th victory this postseason to catapult itself into the … Stanley Cup final.

“We don’t see ourselves as an expansion team for a long time now, but at the same time, it’s always nice to keep proving people wrong,” veteran winger David Perron said. “We know that even at this point, I don’t feel like people believe we’ll close it out. So, we’ve got to find a way.”

Things were so casual for the Golden Knights on Saturday, Perron, like most of his teammates, chatted with reporters while wearing a T-shirt and shorts.

Not Marc-Andre Fleury, though.

Nope, he missed the memo and the goalie with an 11-3 playoff record and 1.72 goals-against average and .945 save percentage once again brought his “A” game by arriving for his availability in some snazzy threads.

Perron spotted Fleury in front of a backdrop with the corner of his eye even while gazing between the Bob McKenzies, James Duthies and Dave Poulins of the world, and a bunch of ink- stained wretches, uh, website scribes and camera lenses.

“Three-piece suit, Flower, thatta boy,” Perron cracked.

“No jacket. Two piece,” Fleury shot back.

The Golden Knights, like they’ve been through this remarkable record-breaking run from the start of the season to now, continue to be laid back about the circumstances they find themselves in.

And why wouldn’t they be?

The confident Pacific Division champs continue to defy odds, play an exciting brand of hockey that has proven to reel off victory after victory. Plus, the statistics are on their side: Teams that take a 3-1 lead in the Conference finals/semifinals (since 1974-75) own an all-time series record of 41-1 (97.6 percent).

The Jets are trying to keep that discouraging factoid from infiltrating a locker room that looked very much like a Stanley Cup contender after the NHL’s second-best regular-season record and a Game 1 win over Vegas. On Saturday, Jets coach Paul Maurice reminded everyone that this was still a team that went on the road in the second round and beat the heck out of the Nashville Predators in a Game 7.

“Going into Game 7, there’s as much pressure in that game as there was here, right?” he said. “It’s the exact same game. This one is at home. We’ll need that crowd. They’ve been great for us. … How you mentally frame things is important in NHL daily life. We know we’re capable of winning a hockey game against any of the 31 teams. That will be the attitude we bring to the rink.”

Only two NHL franchises in their inaugural seasons have previously moved within a win of the Stanley Cup final — the Toronto Arenas in 1918 and St. Louis Blues in 1968 — and the Golden Knights are confident they can get it done and avoid a Game 6 at home Tuesday night.

In their two previous series wins over Los Angeles and San Jose, the Golden Knights were able to close out on the road.

“We’ve done it twice, so we expect ourselves to do it again,” Perron said. “Again, it’s never easy to close out a series, but it felt like the last two rounds it was a really good game for us in the last game, the last win. And we’ve got to bring much of the same and have guys step up at the right time.

“You see (Brayden) McNabb score the big goal there against the Kings and (Ryan) Carpenter getting an assist on the empty net that closed out the last game (against the Sharks). So, I don’t know, it would be cool to see (Cody Eakin) or (Ryan) Reaves score a goal for us, something like that.”

That’s the cool part about this Golden Knights team. Nobody seems to care who gets the accolades, so to speak.

It’s why even before this series began, general manager George McPhee, who previously managed Washington, said, “I haven’t been around a team like this. This feels like more of a team than any team I’ve ever been with at the NHL level.”

The Golden Knights have been business-like about their situation since the start of the playoffs. Coach Gerard Gallant admits that fans and media are probably bored by his one-game-at-a- time, don’t-worry-about-yesterday, only-focus-on-tomorrow mantra by now. But he still thinks his group won’t freeze with the thought of what lies ahead if they win Sunday.

“It’s hard the attention our team is getting, but I thought that was going to happen from the first day of the playoffs, the first game of the playoffs,” Gallant said. “And really the guys just, they haven’t changed. There’s nothing different about them in practice, there’s nothing different about them in the breakfast room with them. Just come to the rink, have fun, work hard and hopefully we play a real good game and win.”

Unsolicited, Perron brought up twice how much the Golden Knights love playing for Gallant and the rest of the coaching staff.

“They turn the page no matter what after a good game, bad game, they give guys a chance to go right back at it,” Perron said. “A big example with Nozey (in Game 4).”

Tomas Nosek, a fourth-liner, took an offensive-zone penalty with a 1-0 lead in the second period. Patrik Laine made Vegas pay on the ensuing power play with the tying goal. Instead of benching Nosek, Gallant threw him right back onto the ice and Nosek redeemed himself with the go-ahead goal 43 seconds later. That marked the fourth time in this series that the Golden Knights answered a Jets goal within a two-minute span and the third time they have done so inside of a minute.

“I’m sure (Gallant) wasn’t happy with the penalty,” Perron said. “But he still gives him a chance to get right back on the ice, scores a big goal for us, and I feel like it’s happened so many times like that all year. It’s been fun to play for a guy like that.”

Gallant previously held NHL head-coaching jobs with Columbus and Florida and is best known as one of Steve Yzerman’s early wingers in Detroit. Asked if he evolved to be this type of coach or this has always been him, Gallant said: “As a former player, you feel good about yourself when your coach feels good about you. I just think guys make mistakes, it’s going to happen in a game. Players don’t want to make mistakes, but the games would be pretty boring if nobody made mistakes. There’d be no 2-on-1s, there’d be no breakaways. It’d be a different game.

“So you ask your players to go out there play hard, play hard, I mean, compete hard, but don’t worry about making a mistake because when you worry about making mistakes, what happens? You make mistakes. So, you try to be confident in your guys. They hold each other accountable. They really do. So, as a coach, play our guys, play your players and give them a second chance.”

The Golden Knights are well aware the Jets will be a desperate team during Sunday’s matinee. Winnipeg’s season is on the line, its fans will be loud and passionate at the hop.

Vegas players say it’s up to them to not, as Jonathan Marchessault said, “lay off that team.”

“Just be ready from the start,” Fleury said. “We always know they have good start in their building and it’s going to be loud, a little crazy. But I think just focus on the beginning, get to our game quickly and take care of business.”

“You just got to try to stay in the moment,” added James Neal. “Everyone’s going to say you’re just one win away, but that’s the hardest win. You can’t get too far ahead of yourself, you’ve got to be focused on the next shift, the next play. We’ve done a good job of staying in the moment and doing that this year.”

NHL.com https://www.nhl.com/news/vegas-golden-knights-maintain-focus-following-game-4-win-against- winnipeg-jets/c-298692252?tid=297172884

5 Keys: Golden Knights at Jets, Game 5 Vegas one win from Stanley Cup Final; Winnipeg seeks elusive first goal by Scott Billeck / NHL.com Correspondent

GOLDEN KNIGHTS at JETS

3 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVAS, SN

Vegas leads best-of-7 series 3-1

WINNIPEG -- The Vegas Golden Knights will try to become the third NHL team to reach the Stanley Cup Final in its inaugural season when they play the Winnipeg Jets in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final at Bell MTS Place on Sunday.

The 1918 Toronto Arenas and 1968 St. Louis Blues each reached the Cup Final in their first season.

The Golden Knights won 3-2 in Game 4 at T-Mobile Arena on Friday.

Teams that have taken a 3-1 lead in the conference final/NHL Semifinal (since 1974-75) own an all-time series record of 41-1. The are the only team to win a conference final after trailing 3-1, defeating the in 2000.

Here are 5 keys for Game 5:

1. Fleury fantastic Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury leads the NHL with 11 wins in the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs and is 3-0 with a 1.67 goals-against average and a .951 save percentage during a three-game winning streak.

"I feel good," Fleury said. "Every game is different a bit. Obviously, my teammates are playing great in front of me too. They're helping me out around the net. Got some wins out of it. Yeah, it's been alright."

2. Score first The Golden Knights and Jets each are 8-1 when scoring first in the playoffs. Vegas has scored first in the past three games.

"It's going to be really important, not only just to score the first, but just to have a good start," Jets forward Andrew Copp said. "We felt like we actually started OK last game, just kind of got in penalty trouble early. That can determine how it looks like you start."

3. One at a time Winnipeg's ability to compartmentalize is going to be tested as it attempts to rally from down 3-1 in the series.

"That's all you really think about, is taking it one shift at a time," Jets defenseman Ben Chiarot said. "It's cliche, but that's how you have to take it. If you look at it big picture, we got to win three in a row, it seems like a big job. When you break it down into segments, it becomes easier. Win your next shift, next period, just keep going."

4. Stick with it The Jets have 103 shots on goal during their three-game losing streak and have 30 or more shots in each of those games.

"I think we just need to continue doing what we're doing," Winnipeg forward Adam Lowry said. "I think it will start to come for us."

The Jets have not lost four straight this season.

5. Rebound quickly Vegas has scored within 1:28 of a Winnipeg goal four times in the series, including 43 seconds after the Jets tied Game 4 1-1 in the second period.

"I feel like we have a short-term memory," Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore said. "A lot of those situations, we want to get back out there quick and jump on pucks and try and throw it to the net, and we've been very, very lucky." https://www.nhl.com/news/winnipeg-jets-confident-going-into-game-5-against-vegas-golden- knights/c-298698486?tid=297172884

Jets confident despite odds heading into Game 5 against Golden Knights Western Final shifts back to Winnipeg with season on line by Scott Billeck / NHL.com Correspondent

WINNIPEG -- Historically, the odds are stacked against the Winnipeg Jets.

A 3-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Friday left the Jets trailing 3-1 in the Western Conference Final. The best-of-7 series shifts to Bell MTS Place for Game 5 on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, TVAS, SN), when Winnipeg's season will be on the line.

Since 1974-75, teams that take a 3-1 lead in the conference finals/NHL Semifinals are 41-1. The New Jersey Devils rallied to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers in seven games in the Eastern Conference Final in 2000.

Despite those slim odds, the Jets say they haven't stopped believing they can become the second team to accomplish the comeback.

"Well, we have the belief," Jets forward Adam Lowry said after practice Saturday. "[The] fourth game is the hardest one to win. I think we feel like we've been right there in this whole series. I think for the most part we really liked our game [on Friday]. We've been a great team at home all year."

Lowry said the Jets have been left frustrated at times; they've scored five goals on 103 shots during their three-game losing streak. But he's happy with the chances that have been generated.

"I feel we believe we're right there in the series," Lowry said. "I don't think it feels like it's a 3-1 series. We believe we're right there. We have a lot of belief we can come back. It's a little frustrating when you have those things, that much zone time, the pucks might not be going in as frequently as we are used to."

The Jets, who led the NHL with 32 wins at home during the regular season, faced elimination in Game 7 of the Western Conference Second Round against the Nashville Predators but came away with a 5-1 road victory. Jets coach Paul Maurice said he wants his players to replicate their preparations from that game Sunday.

"Going into Game 7, there's as much pressure in that game as there was here, right?" Maurice said. "It's the exact same game. This one is at home. We'll need that crowd. They've been great for us."

The Jets won the three home games they played in the first round against the Minnesota Wild but were 1-2 against the Predators in the second round.

"These are the best games, always are, when everything is on the line," Maurice said. "Everybody will be at their most excited. You have to find a way. It shouldn't be very difficult to love every minute of it.

"The greater the stakes in anything, we think, especially when you live a life in pro sports, eventually that's what it's all about. This has to be your finest hour. Before the puck drops, I'm not talking about the play, be able to get your mind that this is the most fun game of the year now."

Jets defenseman Ben Chiarot said as cliché as it is to say they have to take the game one shift at a time, it's the simple truth for a team that is playing with its season hanging in the balance.

"I mean, in the back of your mind you're going to have the big picture there, winning three in a row," Chiarot said. "Once the day comes, once game day comes, you're just focused on that day, what you do to prepare for the game. Once the puck drops, that's all you're focused on is your next shift." https://www.nhl.com/news/new-jersey-devils-responded-to-larry-robinson-tirade-in-2000/c- 298700662?tid=297172884

Devils responded to coach's tirade to win conference final from brink After losing three in row, like Jets, rallied to defeat Flyers in 2000 by Mike Battaglino / NHL.com Staff Writer

If Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice hasn't kicked over a garbage can yet, maybe he should.

That tactic worked for Larry Robinson, who was coach of the New Jersey Devils when they became the only NHL team to win a conference final after trailing the best-of-7 series 3-1.

"Larry absolutely snapped," New Jersey forward Petr Sykora recalled to the Devils website in February. "I've never seen anything like it. … The rant was unexpected but really got us going."

New Jersey won Game 1 against Philadelphia before losing three in a row, and Robinson took out his frustration on a locker room receptacle after Game 4.

"I don't think it's something you can do every night," Robinson said in the book "Tales from the New Jersey Devils Locker Room." "It just happened. The timing was right and I think I caught them by surprise. They don't normally hear things like that coming from me."

Winnipeg won Game 1 of this Western Conference Final against the Vegas Golden Knights and has since lost three straight, but Maurice seemed to be calm heading into Game 5 at home Sunday (3 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, SN, TVAS).

"These are the best games, always are, when everything is on the line," Maurice said Saturday. "Everybody will be at their most excited. You have to find a way. It shouldn't be very difficult to love every minute of it.

"The greater the stakes in anything, we think, especially when you live a life in pro sports, eventually that's what it's all about. This has to be your finest hour. Before the puck drops, I'm not talking about the play, be able to get your mind that this is the most fun game of the year now."

The Devils are the only one of 42 teams to win a conference final/NHL Semifinal after trailing 3- 1 (since 1974-75), and only three other series went to Game 7. Twenty-five series ended in five games, and 13 were over in six.

Robinson's out-of-character outburst is given much of the credit for the turnaround.

"It was a 'put your head down and try not to get hit by something' moment," forward Jason Arnott told the Devils website in February. "After Larry lost it on us, we regrouped and took it one shift at a time. It actually helped us calm down and refocus. Larry helped us recognize that we were the better team and if we played the way we did the first two series, we would be fine."

Unlike Winnipeg, New Jersey had to win Game 5 on the road (4-1). The Devils won Game 6 at home 2-1, when Flyers forward Eric Lindros played his first playoff game returning from injury.

"For whatever reason, we lost momentum when that series was at 3-1," Brian Boucher, a Flyers rookie goalie then, told Philly.com last year. "Was it Eric coming back? I don't know, to this day I can't really pinpoint it. But we lost momentum."

New Jersey then won Game 7 at Philadelphia 2-1 after Lindros was knocked out of the game in the first period by a hit from Devils defenseman Scott Stevens.

"I remember that place (First Union Center) was so electric. I had goose bumps going down my spine (when Lauren Hart sang) ','" Boucher said. "It was 1-0 (Devils), and then Eric got hit, and that place, you could hear a pin drop."

The Flyers tied the game 1-1 before Patrik Elias scored with 2:32 left in the third period.

"Knowing Larry, he's not a guy who reacts like that a lot and he wasn't asked to react like that, but I think everyone kind of felt for him, how much he cared," Devils goalie Martin Brodeur said in 2010. "The biggest thing he said was, 'You guys have tried it your way for a while and now I'm telling you what to do and just do it and you'll see, we'll be good.'

"It was an impressive speech and came from the heart, and you could see he was upset about the situation. We responded really well."

New Jersey went on to win the Stanley Cup, its second of three, defeating the in six games on Arnott's double-overtime goal.

"It was probably one of my favorite ones to win," Brodeur said. "It's hard to say a favorite because winning is winning, but that year we had a change of coaches, had to come back from a 1-3 deficit, and then had those OT games against Dallas. It felt like we earned that Cup." www.winnipegjets.com https://www.nhl.com/jets/news/maurice-wants-jets-to-embrace-the-challenge-of-game-five- against-vegas/c-298697576

Maurice wants Jets to embrace the challenge of Game Five against Vegas Jets face 3-1 series deficit, but are focused solely on one game by Mitchell Clinton @MitchellClinton / WinnipegJets.com

WINNIPEG - The further a team goes in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the more intense the pressure becomes.

For the Winnipeg Jets, who face a 3-1 series deficit to the Vegas Golden Knights, that pressure has now reached its highest level.

The need a win in Game Five tomorrow at Bell MTS Place to keep the Western Conference Final going. It's this kind of pressure that head coach Paul Maurice knows his team will embrace.

The Jets have faced elimination only once so far in the postseason, and came through in Game Seven against the Nashville Predators in the Second Round.

"I want them to take their experience between Game Six and Seven, and create the environment they created there - where they came out with an excitement and a smile on their face," Maurice said. "Going into Game Seven, there was as much pressure in that game as there was here. It's the exact same game. This one is at home, we'll need that crowd, and they've been great for us.

"Both teams, all four teams now, there is not quite as much in the tank as there was before, so you're looking to draw on that."

The key is not to get tied up in the thought of having to win three in a row.

It all starts with winning one.

"That's been our operating procedure all year," said Maurice.

"We've been under that procedure all year. The idea of winning three in the playoffs in a row in any series is a daunting task. The idea of one, is perfectly understandable.

"How you mentally frame things is important…. We know we're capable of winning a hockey game against any of the (30) teams."

The majority of the Jets stayed off the ice on Saturday, with only Michael Hutchinson, and seven skaters that didn't play in Game Four on the ice at Bell MTS Iceplex.

A meeting followed shortly after, and then, the players were on their own to prepare for Sunday's 2 pm CT start in whatever way they see fit.

"I'll play some video games," said Adam Lowry. "You have a routine going into the night before a game. You have certain things you're going to want to do. You just try and get back to doing that routine. For me, I'm going to play some video games."

Lowry's line mate, Andrew Copp, says he'll likely watch a bit of the Eastern Conference Final between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals, chat with some family and friends, before getting to bed.

He knows the Jets are doing the right things. The difference the last two games have just been bounces going the way of the Golden Knights.

The main focus is getting off to a good start. After getting the first goal in Game One, the Jets have given up the game's opening marker in each of the last three.

"It's going to be really important, not only just to score the first, but have a good start," said Copp. "It felt like we actually started okay last game, we just got into penalty trouble early. That can determine how it looks like you start.

"They've probably had the better starts in the series, so I think getting off to a good start is going to be really important tomorrow."

Winnipeg outshot Vegas 37-29 in Game Five, and also held the edge in shot attempts (at even strength) by a 64-47 margin.

But Lowry says there is even more the Jets can do to make things difficult for Marc-Andre Fleury.

"We're doing a good job getting in front of him. Now it's kind of finding those second and third opportunities," said Lowry. "He's doing a good job of stopping that first shot. They do a good job of not allowing any free ice in front of him. It seems like pucks have been bouncing past our first layer, and our second layer. We need to continue doing what we're doing, and I think it'll start to come for us."

The meeting the Jets had on Saturday afternoon was exactly 24 hours from when the puck will drop on Game Five against the Golden Knights.

While the tendency could be to grip the sticks tight, or be nervous, with the season on the line, Maurice wants his players to frame it a different way.

"These are the best games - always are. When everything is on the line, everybody will be at their most excited," said Maurice. "You have to find a way. It shouldn't be very difficult to love every minute of it.

"The greater the stakes, in anything we think, especially when you live a life in pro sports - eventually that's what it's all about - this has to be your finest hour. Not even before the puck drops, I'm not talking about the play. Be able to get your mind - this is the most fun game of the year now.”