Jets focused on recovery ahead of series finale with Toronto

TORONTO - If a member of the Winnipeg Jets wanted to get on the ice for Friday's optional practice, that player had to convince head coach Paul Maurice that it was necessary.
"It's not really even an optional," said Maurice. "You've got to kind of beg to get out there today; you have to make a good case for yourself to be on the ice."
Following Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the emphasis around the Jets is recovery as they prepare for the third and final game of the three-game set on Saturday night.
Maurice and the Jets have dealt with busy schedules before.

In March of 2016, the Jets played every other day for the entire month, a trend that continued until the end of the regular season on Apr. 9, 2016.
Two years later - also in the month of March - the Jets played 15 games in 31 days.
So perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise that March 2021 is another busy one, which sees the team play 17 games in 31 days, including a stretch of 12 of 14 away from home.
"In truth, we're learning how to do this. This is a whole different deal," Maurice said, adding that he's had conversations with other coaches in the NHL about how they're handling the condensed schedule.
"We're trying to find different ways to recover -mentally and physically - with the schedule that we have," said Maurice. "Today we just thought you get around the players in the morning at breakfast and see how everybody's doing. We didn't think we'd get anything done by putting them on the ice today. So, we put a few guys out; make sure that LB's (Laurent Brossoit) staying sharp and then try to come back with some energy tomorrow."
The Jets (16-8-2) will certainly need energy. Both of this week's games against the Maple Leafs have been back-and-forth affairs with high-danger chances at both ends.
Although, when the top two teams in the North Division - and two of the highest scoring teams in terms of average goals per game - are involved, that's to be expected.
"They brought it last night and even the game before. We know they have a quick team and can strike pretty much anywhere all over the ice," said Jets forward Kyle Connor. "For us, we're looking to support a little closer all over the ice and battle the puck through our defensive zone, make sure we're under it, and not make any mistakes and give them any easy goals."

The phrase 'easy goals' might be a relative term, as it's been anything but easy to get a puck past Connor Hellebuyck the last two games.
He made 34 saves in the overtime loss, including three on breakaways, to help the Jets earn a point. On Tuesday, he stopped 36 of 39 in a 4-3 Jets win.
"He's a Vezina Trophy winner for a reason. He's unbelievable," said Mark Scheifele. "He keeps us in so many games and he gives us a chance to win every single day that he's in the pipes. When you have that confidence of your goaltender, it helps every guy."
In an effort to help out Hellebuyck (as well as Laurent Brossoit when he's between the pipes) the Jets continue to work on limiting high-danger chances against.
Toronto had 17 of them at five-on-five (according to Natural Stat Trick) on Thursday and 16 of them on Tuesday.
"We really want to defend that area. It's not in our…we're not necessarily built to be really great in that department, but we can be good at it," said Maurice. "We've been exposed in our slot within the last two games at a higher level, and probably the one other game this year, and not for the entire night, certainly the second half of the second period last night, it happened a whole bunch of times. And then late in the third, it happened again for us. It's our thing that we got to work on. That's our challenge."
At the other side of the ice, the Jets also want to generate more of their own high-danger chances.

The trio of Connor, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Nikolaj Ehlers were able to cash in on some chances off the rush on Thursday. Connor thinks the group is capable of generating a bit more while also being responsible defensively.
"Thinking offensively, if I cut back and try to take a step to the net and beat my man, there is going to be someone else coming toward me. That's when you open up a lot of the ice in the slot and you find little two-on-ones," said Connor. "there are certain spots that we have to make better reads in our defensive zone. It's getting more familiar with each other and getting the right switches.
"I think a lot of it just has to do with communication."
The Jets will spend Friday working on those things before they're back under the national spotlight on Saturday night.
What could be better?
"You've just got to be excited about playing in the one-two matchup on Saturday on Hockey Night in Canada," Scheifele said. "Nothing gets better than that. That's the way I've looked at it, I'm excited for another match against them tomorrow."