DALLAS – The official start time for practice today at American Airlines Center was 1:00 pm, but the first members of the Winnipeg Jets hit the ice around 12:30 – after all, there was work to do.
First it was Haydn Fleury, then Neal Pionk, Adam Lowry followed shortly after, and over the course of the next half hour it seemed every Jets skater worked with Skills Coach Matt Larke on different aspects of the game.
For some, it could’ve been part of a regular routine to keep their skills ready to perform at the National Hockey League level. But perhaps for others, it was in an effort to find the one drill, the one play, that will help the team snap the three-game winless skid.
Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to St. Louis was tough to swallow, not only because it was a Central Division foe, but it was a night that saw the Jets put 33 shots toward Joel Hofer with only Cole Perfetti finding the back of the net.
The Jets had their chances – and even hit a couple posts – but ultimately it wasn’t enough. The backbone of this team will always be defending first, but they’d also like to see pucks start going in offensively.
“As much as you try to tell them, ‘Don't worry about it. Go play your game, go do all the other things. It'll come.’ It just still lingers on the back of the mind,” said head coach Scott Arniel. “It may have to be a rebound or a reflection. It isn't always just a shot, so go to the areas where the puck’s going to be and maybe that'll help speed things up.”
Winnipeg’s 24 goals scored this season have them ranked 23rd in the NHL (with Thursday’s opponent, the Dallas Stars, in 27th with just 22). The Jets have also been locked in one-goal games seven times in the nine contests they’ve played this season.
In that scenario, any goal can make the difference.
“I thought last night in the third there, obviously 1-1, we had some real good looks. Had some real good opportunities but that's what it is,” said Arniel. “It's limited in what you're giving up the other way and not all of a sudden, opening it up and trading chances with the opposition. I think we've done a pretty good job of staying in those and again, it's that mindset of finding a way.”
Isak Rosen is 10th on the Jets with 11 shots on goal this season. He knows one of his best assets is that shot (along with his speed), and in a situation where he’s still looking for his first goal of the season, confidence might be the most important tool in his toolbox.
After all, in his 231 games of AHL experience, Rosen scored 87 times (including three 20-goal seasons).
“That’s a part of the game I need to help with here. I can do it. I just have to get to those hard areas even more,” said Rosen. “If you haven’t scored for a while, you want to do it. But you’ve got to do the right things. That’s been a good thing, playing with (Lowry). Doing the right things and checking – and then the chances are going to come. If you keep them in their D-zone and make the right plays, then the chances will come.”
The formal part of Winnipeg’s practice lasted 30 minutes as they prepared to take on a Stars team that sits at 5-3-1 after an overtime win over Boston on Tuesday night.
Winnipeg’s line rushes in practice looked like this:
