Jets return from holiday break with loss to Wild

WINNIPEG - Rick Bowness' summarization of the 4-1 Winnipeg Jets loss to the Minnesota Wild was concise and accurate.
"Our margin of error right now is thin."
All one had to do was watch the first goal of the game to realize how thin that margin is.
Adam Lowry hit a post on a shorthanded breakaway, a chance that if it catches the inside of the post instead of the outside, it goes in and Winnipeg leads 1-0. Instead, it stayed out, and Minnesota went back the other way and scored on the rush.
And with seven regulars already out due to injury, an inch here or there can make a difference.
"We have to live with that reality, which is fine," said Bowness. "The solution is to make sure that our details are... We're ready to start games at a very high level of urgency and we're ready to pay attention to details."

Pierre-Luc Dubois scored the lone goal for the Jets (21-13-1) in the game, but after falling behind 2-0 in the opening period, the Jets never got back on level footing.
For the first time this season, the Jets have lost three straight games.
"I think after every loss there is urgency," said Lowry. "Losing three in a row is frustrating and tough, but we need to find a way to stop the skid and start compiling points again."
Jared Spurgeon was the one who opened the scoring after Lowry's shorthanded chance, as he popped one under the arm of Connor Hellebuyck in tight to make it 1-0 for the visitors 5:29 in.
Just 1:04 later, Mats Zuccarello's wrist shot from the high slot squeaked its way through Hellebuyck and gave Minnesota a quick 2-0 lead less than seven minutes into the first.
"The biggest thing for them is the forwards blow out of the zone, and their D throw the high flippers and the hard rims and bouncing pucks are tough to handle sometimes," said Brenden Dillon. "They made some nice plays on their goals. It overall it clearly wasn't good enough."
Winnipeg responded at the midway mark, as Dubois' strong drive to the net from the right-wing side around Minnesota defenceman Jonas Brodin gave him a chance in front. Like Lowry's attempt earlier, Dubois' shot went off the post, but this one came back and banked off Filip Gustavsson and in. Kyle Connor and Josh Morrissey picked up assists on Dubois' 16th of the campaign.

The trio of Dubois, Connor, and Scheifele was put together as a way to get all three of them minutes in the return from the holiday break. They certainly generated chances, as Scheifele was turned away on quality opportunities by Gustavsson on three occasions during the contest.
"Their goalie made some timely saves for them, there's no question about that," said Bowness. "I still think we're passing up way too many chances to shoot the puck on the net. It just goes back to our details, a little more urgency, and the fact that we fell behind 2-0, that hurt us."
They weren't the only line creating scoring chances, as Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, Kevin Stenlund, and Karson Kuhlman had 17 shot attempts for compared to just two against, and scoring chances were 3-0 with those three on the ice.
"That line was really effective," said Bowness. "They spent time in [the Wild's] zone. I'd like to see more shots from them get to the net but that line was very, very good."
One of the chances for Jonsson-Fjallby led to a hooking penalty on Mats Zuccarello, but when the Jets couldn't cash in on the power play (they went 0-for-2 on the man advantage), Minnesota made them pay.
Shortly after the penalty expired, Zuccarello - fresh out of the box - found Frederick Gaudreau on a two-on-one and he made no mistake on his ninth of the season.

Again, the margin is razor thin.
"I don't think we played up to the standard we expect out of everyone in terms of execution," said Lowry. "The race is tight, there is a lot of teams that are within five or six points. Every divisional game is critical."
The Jets outshot Minnesota 11-10 in the third, but couldn't beat Gustavsson to cut down the deficit.
Instead, Sam Walker scored his first NHL goal to make it 4-1 with 2:05 left in regulation, shortly after Kyle Connor was on the receiving end of an uncalled high-stick that left him cut open.
That, combined with Morrissey leaving the game briefly in the second with what looked like an upper-body injury - before eventually returning that same period - and the Jets have a couple more bumps and bruises.
Thankfully, those two won't add to the seven already out.
Next up, a much needed practice as the Jets prepare for the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.
"Every team, the rest of the way, we're a measuring stick for teams with the way we've played these first 35 games," said Lowry. "They're coming here knowing what to expect. Playing their best hockey. We just can't be surprised at that, especially come next game."