Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/challenging-calls-as-important-a-play-as- any-466698513.html?k=Tm5csT
Challenging calls as important a play as any
By: Mike Sawatzky
The Winnipeg Jets have made big strides in team defence, goaltending and boosting their offence production during the first half of 2017-18.
The most obvious proof is their 20-11-6 record at the Christmas break, good for third in the Central Division.
As impressive as those big-picture upgrades have been, the Jets have also been good at some of the smaller details, such as their approach to video review.
Two examples in December stand out.
On Dec. 2, the Jets challenged a goal by Vegas forward Colin Miller, a scoring play that had given the Golden Knights a 3-1 lead in the second period.
After video review, Alex Tuch was judged to have been offside on the play and the goal was overturned.
Winnipeg responded by quickly tying the game and surging to a 7-4 triumph on home ice.
Seven days later, in Tampa, Fla., the Jets fell behind 2-1 on a goal by Cedric Paquette of the Lightning, only to successfully challenge the play, contending Chris Kunitz interfered with Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck.
Tampa Bay would go on to win the game 4-3 in overtime, but the visitors still earned a valuable loser point.
"Because we’re talking about goals, there’s always a huge payoff, right?" said Jets head coach Paul Maurice, whose club will host the Edmonton Oilers tonight at 7 p.m. (Sportsnet, TSN 1290.)
"If it’s 2-1 and you get the call to go your way, it keeps the game there, like the Vegas game. They’re huge, they’re huge calls.
"Actually, the Vegas one was clean. We could see it. It was not a huge overage, but it was over the line, so that one was a fairly easy call to make.
"The ones that are (tough) are the ones where you’re not sure. When it’s that close that you can’t really tell, then you’re trying to figure out what the linesman’s going to call on this and the call on the ice has a really big impact on it."
Jets video coach Matt Prefontaine monitors replays constantly during a game.
Assistant coach Jamie Kompon is equipped with an earpiece and is in communication with Prefontaine and goaltending coach Wade Flaherty, who watches games from the press box and offers immediate opinions on situations involving goalie interference.
Assistant coach Todd Woodcroft also adds his view from above while Kompon, assistant coach Charlie Huddy and Maurice monitor screens built into the floor of the players’ bench.
And don’t forget the players. Captain Blake Wheeler was among the first to question the offside goal by Miller of the Golden Knights.
Maurice hears plenty of input from players in real time.
"So, when that puck crosses the line, you’ve got 10 guys screaming, ‘Check that!’ Because the guys sitting right in front of the blue line see it clean," Maurice said.
"Or the guy on the ice will tell you, and it’s the same for the goalie. You can almost tell by the goalie’s reaction whether he feels he was interfered with. So the players know that.
"The most important people are the players on the ice telling you what’s going on. But there’s lots of them that looked offside and just aren’t."
Maurice, for his part, would prefer a failed challenge have less riding on it. Currently, a minor penalty for delay of game is issued for a unsuccessful challenge.
"I’m not complaining about the linesmen in this — it’s tough," Maurice said.
"They blow plays down that are onside, and as a league, we’re always trying to find more offence.
"My personal feeling is I’d like them to make the offside call less punitive... So, they could just say, it’s really, really close. I’m going to leave it because I have a good recourse if I’m wrong, and not take it so personally if (they’re) wrong.
"And don’t make it a penalty — lose your timeout, or whatever it is, fine. But adding a two- minute penalty because you’re trying to clean up a decision, I think that’s a bit egregious."
There are subtle differences affecting offside and goalie interference challenges.
Offside calls are more cut and dried, but the camera angles are usually not as definitive.
Overhead angles above the net make it easier to see contact with a goaltender, but the decision is more nuanced.
"You get better quality, in terms of making a decision on the goalie, but there’s more grey area, in terms of what’s allowed and what’s not," said Maurice, who is more likely to claim goaltender interference since the penalty of a lost timeout is relatively minor.
"The blue line’s simple — the puck’s over or not. Is he touching or not? But the video’s not as good, it’s not as conclusive. The goalie interference video’s very conclusive, but there’s a lot more grey area in terms of what’s allowed.
"At the end of the year, (the NHL will) send out 10 examples of goalie interference and they’ll ask every coach and GM to vote.
"It’s not even remotely unanimous. It’s all over the spectrum of what people think goalie interference is, which makes it tough. The reason is, it’s not easy. It’s a really difficult thing to figure out."
Maurice said he trusts his staff implicitly, but understands the final responsibility stays with him.
"Yes, these guys have all been around hockey," Maurice said.
"Jamie’s on the earpiece — between Jamie, Charlie and I, we’ve got thousands of games in the NHL. You’re not always going to get it right, but there’s a lot of hockey experience there. I trust them.
"That being said, I gotta make that final call, so, if I’m wrong, it’s me. I make the decision, they get the input."
Maurice insisted he does not keep a tally of his challenge decisions.
"I don’t want a trend," Maurice said.
"I don’t want to know if I’m lucky or not. I don’t want this to be a Vegas thing, where, ‘Hey, I’m on a roll, let’s try it.’ That’s not what we’re doing."
Winnipeg Sun http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/five-keys-to-jets-vs-oilers
Five keys to Jets vs Oilers
By Ken Wiebe
Winnipeg Jets vs Edmonton Oilers
7 pm CT, Bell MTS Place, TV: Sportsnet. Radio: TSN 1290
THE BIG MATCHUP Connor Hellebuyck vs Cam Talbot
Hellebuyck has started 27 out of the Jets 37 games and put up strong numbers (2.44 goals- against average and .920 save %), so he should be recharged and ready to go. The Oilers top netminder has won seven consecutive starts – including four since returning from injury – and given up only 14 goals during that stretch. Defensive structure is often a bit looser coming out of the holiday break, so the goalies will need to be sharp.
KEYS TO THE GAME Find comfort
The Jets picked up three of a possible six points on the three-game road trip prior to the break, but are coming off a 5-2 blowout loss to the New York Islanders. The Jets have lost three consecutive games only once this season, so they’ll attempt to snap this two-game skid as they return to action. The Jets are 12-3-1 on home ice this season.
Get Scheifele going
Jets centre Mark Scheifele has enjoyed a solid start to the season, producing 37 points in 37 games, but he’s been in a bit of an offensive rut of late with only one goal and three points in his past 10 games. The scoring chances have been there though, since Scheifele has generated 31 shots on goal during that stretch. Might a hot streak be right around the corner?
Containing Connor McDavid
The Oilers captain has heated up and goes into Wednesday’s game sixth in NHL scoring with 14 goals 43 points in 36 games. In six career contests against the Jets, McDavid has been limited to six assists. Limiting the offensive output for McDavid is the goal for every opponent, but it’s easier said than done.
Checking-line plus
The trio of Adam Lowry, Brandon Tanev and Andrew Copp have been doing more than just check these days, they’ve added an offensive element to their game as well. During the past nine games, Lowry has four goals and seven points, Tanev has a goal and five points and Copp has one goal and four points, which is solid production for a third line.
The Finnish connection
The second and fourth overall picks in the 2016 NHL Draft have taken different paths in terms of production. Patrik Laine leads the Jets in goals (18) and is third in points (29), while Jesse Puljujarvi is finding his way after spending the bulk of his first season and change of pro hockey in the minors with the Bakersfield Condors. Since being recalled in November, Puljujarvi has six goals and eight points in 19 games while generating 48 shots on goal. http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/tests-will-continue-to-ramp-up-for-jets- next-chance-to-recharge-comes-in-nine-games
Tests will continue to ramp up for Jets: Next chance to recharge comes in nine games
By Ken Wiebe
Are the Winnipeg Jets about to move from survival mode to attack mode?
As the Jets get set to return to action against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday following the three-day Christmas break, it’s one of the biggest questions to be discussed and eventually answered.
It’s obvious the Jets have positioned themselves pretty well through 37 games.
With 45 games left in the regular season, the Jets are right in the thick of things in the Central Division, thanks to a 20-11-6 record and 46 points – which leaves them one point behind the Nashville Predators (who hold two games in hand) and two behind the St. Louis Blues (with the Jets holding one game in hand).
The Jets have already played half of their road schedule, going 8-8-3, and they’ve been among the best in the NHL on home ice (12-3-1).
But what are we to make of this most recent stretch, the one that saw the Jets go 3-5-1-1?
In the final game before the break, the Jets came out flat and the New York Islanders scored twice before the tilt was three minutes old.
The Jets were simply unable to recover after rookie Matt Barzal banked a puck in off the skate of Tyler Myers in the final minute of the first period.
Going into the break with a thud was not what the Jets had in mind.
It’s important to remember that all teams are going to go through tough times over the course of an 82-game schedule.
And after the Jets were outscored 13-5 while losing the first two games of the campaign, many wondered if it might be a long season ahead.
Instead, the Jets turned things around with a game against the Oilers on Oct. 9, one that saw Connor Hellebuyck take over between the pipes and Nikolaj Ehlers provide a natural hat trick in what became a 5-2 victory.
With the benefit of hindsight, it’s clear that performance was the beginning of the turnaround for a Jets team that’s built a steady foundation.
So it seems rather fitting the Oilers are coming to town as the Jets get set for a nine-game block that will take them to the mandatory five-day break.
For the Jets, it’s a time to reset and try to get locked back in.
For the Oilers, opportunity is knocking, since they enter the contest on a four-game winning streak and just four points out of a playoff spot but having five teams to jump over.
During the recent stretch, the Jets were outscored 33-27, with one of the losses came in a shootout to the Boston Bruins.
Two of the victories came against the Blues and Predators and the Jets had the Blues on the ropes in a 2-0 loss that saw backup goalie Carter Hutton make 48 saves.
The Jets also beat the Vancouver Canucks and played well in an overtime loss to the league- leading Tampa Bay Lightning.
To suggest there haven’t been some cracks in the foundation isn’t reality either.
In three of those five losses, the Jets allowed five goals (to the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks and Islanders) and six against the Florida Panthers (including an empty-netter).
For a team that came into the season knowing it needed to be better defensively, that’s too many goals allowed.
This isn’t about pointing the finger at the masked men.
Goaltending has been the biggest source of improvement for the Jets this season.
Thus far, the Jets are tied for 13th in team save % (.911) after finishing near the bottom of the NHL last season.
With 18 wins in 27 starts (and 29 appearances), Hellebuyck is already approaching the 26 wins he had in 53 starts (and 56 appearances) he had as a first-year NHL starter.
After starting the season minus-8 in goal differential, the Jets have cleaned that up area substantially, sitting at plus-16.
Goal scoring wasn’t expected to be an issue for the Jets and for the most part, it hasn’t been.
By finding some balance and being able to play four lines consistently for the first time since head coach Paul Maurice arrived as head coach, the Jets are a much tougher team to play against than they’ve been in the past because opponents can’t just focus on trying to shut down the top guns.
Continuing to be tough to play against is going to be at the forefront for the Jets as they pursue the goal of punching a ticket to the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
Sportsnet.ca http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/goes-brown-nhl-western-conference-trade-grades/
Down Goes Brown: NHL Western Conference trade grades
By Sean McIndoe
Our annual trade grades post continues today, as we look back at every deal from 2017 that involved at least one player. Yesterday, we went through the Eastern Conference. Today, it’s the West’s turn.
Winnipeg Jets Best deal: Getting a sixth for Drew Stafford.
Worst deal: Only getting a sixth for Drew Stafford. Yes, I know we used the essentially same joke yesterday for the Bruins. Personally, I blame Drew Stafford, since making a deal involving him is apparently so traumatic that you can’t trade again all year.
To be determined: Why we even bother including the Jets in these things.
Total trades: One.
Overall grade: D. The whole “Kevin Chevaldayoff never trades” thing has been beaten into the ground by now, but this is getting ridiculous. You’re in a division with Poile, Armstrong and Bowman – at some point you’ve got to be willing to use the same tools those other teams are using, no?