Jets focused on building identity as home stand continues

WINNIPEG - Paul Maurice was quick to acknowledge that seven games is far too small of a sample size to make any sort of proclamation, but from what he's seen so far, the Winnipeg Jets head coach likes how his team is generating offence.
The 28 goals the Jets have scored this season are the seventh most in the National Hockey League as of Friday. Six of the teams ahead of the Jets have played in more games, including the Vancouver Canucks - who have played 10 games and lead the NHL with 35 goals.
"We are creating more offence inside the dot lines," said Maurice, who said in camp he didn't like how the Jets had created offence the last couple seasons. "I felt we spent an awful lot of time on the outside and didn't spend enough time getting to the inside and creating some chaos there. We're starting to generate more shots from the slot, from the tight areas of the game. We have a far better net presence when we have control of the puck."

The head coach is right. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Jets are in the league's top 10 when it comes to high-danger chances generated at five-on-five with 65.
At the end of the 2019-20 regular season, Winnipeg finished 30th in that department.
Perhaps one example of this characteristic can be found in the game of Nikolaj Ehlers, who is currently on a five-game goal streak.
"So much of it is you turn pro. You don't spend your night on the outside waiting for a break. Sharking is the word we'd use," said Maurice. "You're on the perimeter and trying to find a hole. Now he's got a job to do when he's got the puck. Sometimes that's taking the puck into traffic to draw people to you to kick it to the outside. So much of it is maturity, that all these young players go through."

Ehlers is tied for fourth in the NHL with 11 points. The players ahead of him, including league-leader Connor McDavid (14 points), have all played more games than the 24-year-old.
He's been part of a line that has caught fire over the last three games. His trio with Paul Stastny and Andrew Copp have combined for 20 points in that short span.
"The switch from Paul (Maurice) to put Stas, Copper, and Nik together - it needs no explanation. It's firing on all cylinders," said Blake Wheeler, who likes how the entire forward group is built at the moment.
"We're really working on staying close to each other on the ice and in close support, trying to work our way up the ice that way - trying to produce offence coming up the ice together."
The next chances the Jets have to continue that offensive success comes on Saturday against the Canucks. That will start a stretch of four games in six days to wrap up a seven-game home stand for the Jets.
The final tune-up before that first meeting with the Canucks was Friday's 50-minute practice, which saw no changes to the lines that helped the Jets to a 6-4 win over Edmonton on Tuesday.
Connor-Scheifele-Wheeler
Copp-Stastny-Ehlers
Perreault-Lowry-Appleton
Harkins-Gustafsson-Lewis
Morrissey-DeMelo
Forbort-Pionk
Stanley-Beaulieu
Winnipeg has had Vancouver's number of late, having won each of the last 10 meetings with the Canucks.
Wheeler said he doesn't read much into that, though.
"I didn't even know it existed," he grinned.
"Our match-ups with Vancouver have always been very competitive and very close. Not many of them were by more than a goal. All very competitive and close games. It's a new year, new teams, we have to focus on tomorrow night."

More important than any streak is continuing to build on the identity the Jets have been working to build.
How they generate offence is part of that identity.
And just like the team identity, it's something they have to continue to build on each and every day. He expects it's the same with every team in every division.
"It takes a while to get firing on all cylinders," Wheeler said. "I think everyone is still trying to figure each other out. Every match-up is kind of a mystery. You learn a little more about yourself and who you're playing with every time you face a new team."
ICE CHIPS
Paul Maurice said there was "no new news" on Pierre-Luc Dubois' quarantine requirements. The Jets, along with the other Canadian teams, had hoped the modified quarantine from training camp would carry into the regular season. However, with no word on any update in that regard, Maurice expects Dubois will serve the full 14 days of quarantine.
He arrived in Winnipeg late in the evening on Jan. 23. Two weeks from that date would be Feb. 6, with the Jets in action in Calgary on Feb. 9. However, Maurice felt it would be premature to immediately declare Dubois would play that night in his Jets debut.
"That's a long time to be off the ice," said Maurice. "We'll get him on the ice and make an assessment from there."