Practice report - Improved defence

WINNIPEG – The Winnipeg Jets got back to the ice after an off day on Super Bowl Sunday.

The players were feeling pretty good about their effort on Saturday in the 2-1 win over Pittsburgh that left them one point behind Colorado for second in the Central, with three games in hand. Most importantly, the Jets looked more like themselves for at least two periods.

“I thought it was a really good effort. You know, obviously Helly had to make some really big saves on our breakdowns. Second period, mostly, we were turning the puck over there and getting a little loose with our structure a little bit,” said Dylan DeMelo after practice.

“But in that third period, I think they maybe had two three scoring chances that were pretty good outside of that we did a really good job of limiting their opportunities. So, I think that was a step in the right direction things we can continue to work on and get better.”

During the five-game winless streak and in that second period on Saturday, there have been reminders for this group about what happens when they get away from their structure. But Rick Bowness says they weren’t playing that badly during the slide.

“The biggest issue we had clearly was we weren't scoring any goals, it comes down to that,” said Bowness.

“Then it goes back to just making sure you're playing the right way, our way. And so, there's hours harsh reminders during the course this season to get back on track. And if you look at our last game, the harsh reminders get back on track after that that second period and we did.”

It’s hard to believe that five games have passed since the Jets saw their incredible run of allowing three goals or less end at 34 contests. With the game on the line in the third period on Saturday, the Jets buckled down against a desperate and talented Penguins team.

“We're still giving up a little bit more than we'd like, but that was probably one of our best defensive efforts in the last, I don't know, five, six games or so I thought the guys battled really hard. And we're gonna need more of that going forward,” said DeMelo.

“It's, you know, this time of year everybody's structure is a lot better than it was in October, November. And we got to realize that we're gonna get everybody's best games and everybody's gearing up for that playoff push.”

IMPRESSED BY STANLEY

Logan Stanley played his second game in a row on Saturday while Brenden Dillon serves his three-game suspension. Stanley recorded his first assist of the season while playing 14:12 and added two hits and two blocked shots.

“I think he's done a great job. It's probably one of the hardest things to do in sports is sit out that long and one physically but two, mentally to stay in and stay focused, and I thought he's done a great job. He's been moving pretty good,” said DeMelo.

“He's been moving the puck well, he's made some strong, smart, simple plays and that's what we need from him. You know, we need him to just do his thing and be confident with his style and we don't need him to do anything earth shaking or ground-breaking. We just need him to be solid and steady and he's been doing that for us so far.”

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