Jets look to improve on road, in OT, shootout
Begin three-game trip at Sabres 9-8-6 away from home, including 0-6 past regulation
There are many reasons for their improvement.
Connor Hellebuyck is 23-4-6 with a .923 save percentage after going 26-19-4 with a .907 in 2016-17.
They have found consistent and balanced scoring. Their 143 goals are tied with the New York Islanders for second-most in the NHL, and six players have 12 or more goals.
Their defense has been better. They've allowed 2.70 goals per game, ninth in the League, after finishing 27th last season (3.11).
One area Winnipeg can stand to improve is its road play, which comes into focus this week with a three-game trip that begins against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; MSG-B, TSN3, NHL.TV). The Jets are 9-8-6 away from Bell MTS Place.
"We know it's something we need to get better at because when we get to the [Stanley Cup] Playoffs, it will depend on situations but we might have to win one or two away," forward Nikolaj Ehlers said after practice Monday. "It's something we're working on and something we need to get better at, for sure."
Winnipeg's 16-3-1 home record, including five wins in a row and a run of 16 of 17 games earning at least a point (15-1-1), has taken some of the heat off its inconsistent play on the road.
"It's tough to put a finger on," center Bryan Little said. "You see it a lot around the League, teams having a better home than away record. It's nice to be at home, playing in front of your own fans. I think you get up for those games a bit more.
"The last few years, our home record hasn't been this good, so I think it's just the fact that we're a better team this year and I think we feed off that home crowd."
The Jets are 0-6 on the road in overtime (0-5) and the shootout (0-1); they're 1-1 at home. Their six road losses after regulation are tied with the Sabres and Anaheim Ducks for most in the League.
"Overtime hasn't been our friend this year," Little said. "One mistake and it could go either way. I feel like most of the 3-on-3 games could have gone either way. You trade really good chances for most of it and it's the first team that scores that takes advantage of it. I feel like we've been a bit snakebitten in those games."
Winnipeg's poor record past regulation on the road is a bit of a glass-half-full, glass-half-empty situation. The Jets have seven points for OT and shootout losses through 43 games compared to seven in 82 games in 2016-17, when they finished seven points behind the Nashville Predators for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference.
"When you can push a game to overtime and get at least a point on the road, it's always good," defenseman Josh Morrissey said. "As far as overtime goes, it's really one of those things that we've had a lot of chances in those games we've lost in overtime. They could have gone either way. I don't think there's a whole lot we'd change in those overtimes. But it's something where the bounces could go either way."
Winnipeg's most recent overtime loss on the road, 3-2 to the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 2, was a great example of that. Defenseman Dustin Byfuglien hit the post on a breakaway late in overtime, and Colorado defenseman Erik Johnson scored on a breakaway seconds later.
The Jets have 24 points on the road this season, tied with the Anaheim Ducks for fourth-most in the Western Conference behind the St. Louis Blues (25) and the Los Angeles Kings and Predators (28 each).
Morrissey said that's evidence the Jets are holding their own on the road. He also said the Jets have the quickness and skill to do well in overtime.
"You get a chance to see some high-end skill on display," he said. "You often see at the start of overtime when teams are fresh that it's a puck-possession game (and nobody wants to make) that turnover.
"It's amazing, that both teams, if you watch, are feeling each other out, trying to play solid D and keep guys to the outside, and then once there's one chance, there's usually a flurry of three or four back and forth. You try to get the other team tired and then somebody tries to beat someone or somebody falls down or there's an odd-man situation."
The Jets play at the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday and at the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, taking them to 26 road games, which will be the most in the League.
They then have a six-day break (Jan. 14-19), maybe giving them more time to ponder their home-road disparity this season.
"We don't know why, to be honest," Ehlers said. "Or at least I don't know. You go out there every game with the same mindset and the way you're going to play. At home, we've got this incredible support every single time with a sold-out rink and we're used to our ice. So that's the same for everyone. Everyone has their home that they're used to and we're playing really well at home.
"And I think we've played well away from home, but every game in this league is hard and away games are always going to be a little harder."
