DALLAS – Some players chose to bike, some chose to work out, and some chose to skate, but whatever option was chosen by the Winnipeg Jets players on Monday, the goal in mind was to be as prepared as possible for Game 4 against the Dallas Stars.
And as conversation continues to circle around the National Hockey League about the eventual game-winning goal from Alexander Petrovic in Game 3, Jets head coach Scott Arniel has already moved on.
“It didn’t go the way we wanted, but they responded better the next shift (after the Petrovic goal) than we did. That was kind of the difference,” said Arniel.
“We’ve been really good at washing away the last game after we do our post-work like we did. Tomorrow, it’s a new frame of mind and hopefully as a group, we’re a heck of a lot better.”
Despite the 5-2 defeat the Jets suffered in Game 3, the group can use the fact they’ve won three of four games coming off a loss this postseason. The most recent one was Game 2 of this very series against Dallas.
So, the Jets fall back into routine – using the next morning’s meeting to look back at the game, find where the breakdowns occurred, and discuss how to handle those plays differently.
“There are areas that certainly they exposed last night that we have to improve on, but we exposed some of those things in Game 2. They made adjustments,” Arniel said. “That’s what this is all about, that’s what the playoffs are about. We just have to make sure we’re a lot better than we were last night.”
Winnipeg has been successful at home, building a 5-1 record in the Stanley Cup playoffs to this point, but the road has been more of a challenge. The Jets have been outscored 22-7 in four road games and haven’t won once, which is a far cry from their impressive 26-15-0 record on the road in the regular season. In fact, the 26 road wins were the most in the NHL.
They know that to win this series against Dallas, they’ll have to find a way to grab a win in enemy territory. Cole Perfetti is confident that the Jets can turn the momentum on the road.
“We were the best team in the league all year. That gives us all the confidence in the world,” said Perfetti. “Our record isn’t great in the road playoffs games so far, but we were great on the road in the regular season. It’s because we played our style, didn’t give the opposition anything. That’s how we’re going to have to play here.
“We haven’t played a full 60 on the road yet. That’s on us. We need to come out and play that full 60.”
A noticeable theme from all the road games this spring has been the fact the Jets have given up goals in quick succession to turn a tight game into an insurmountable deficit.
In the St. Louis series, the Blues scored three times in 5:08 (Game 3), three times in 8:08 (Game 4), and four times in 5:23 (Game 6) to put Winnipeg on their back foot.
In Game 3 against Dallas, the Petrovic goal was followed by Mikko Rantanen’s fourth of the series 49 seconds later.
“We just have to make sure that when that does happen, when we get thrown a gut punch, we need to respond with the way we know we can play,” said Perfetti. “Each moment is building for the future, and for the next game, and for the next time adversity comes. We just have to stick together as a group and when something like that happens just play for one another and get back to our game.”
If the Jets want to have the postseason success they’re aiming for, responding to that type of adversity is going to be a key part of it. Of course, they’ve handled some adversity on home ice as well – trailing in the third to win Game 1 against St. Louis, bouncing back from two losses to win Game 5 of that series, then rallying from a two-goal deficit in Game 7 to come out on top in double overtime – so the group knows it’s only a matter of time before the tide turns on the road.
Each and every player has a role to play in that.
“We know what our standard is. We know where we’re at. We know we have to be better on the road,” said Perfetti. “We know when we’re on our game and what it looks like. We just have to get to that early and attack them and play the way we can.”
That’s why Monday’s optional was important. Not because there was anything outside of routine, but because it put the players in position to be at their best on Tuesday.
The group looked over the bad from Sunday, and when they wake up on game day, it’ll be all about being at their best when the puck drops at 7 pm CT.
“We know on the road we have to be better and be more consistent. At the end of the day, this group - all year long - has been able to respond,” said Arniel. “At the end of the day, the one thing about the playoffs, it’s the next game. It really is. You can love what you did if you win, hate what you did if you lose, but it really is all about the next step.”
