I was fortunate enough to catch the Jets vs. Rangers game Sunday night in its entirety. And what was one of the first things I noticed? It was the increase of team play.
There were definitely some bonehead moves — like Ladd taking back-to-back penalties — and quite a few more. The one thing I notice though was with so many players on the injury list, six in total, the players actually had to step up their play. Yes, it was a 3-0 loss, but it was a team loss. Well, ok it was a Ladd – Byfuglien loss, but who’s keeping track of that?
The bottom line is that with some key players missing from the line up, the guys that were called up have been making a positive difference. It seems to be affecting the play of others. Maybe it’s just me but it seems that way.
And then there’s also Pavlec. He looked so much more confident between the pipes. He managed to cough up fewer rebounds and actually made some amazing saves anticipating the play. Maybe it’s the pressure of playing in front of passionate fans that are causing the team to be so shaky?
While the season is slowly moving on, there’s still 68 games left to play. Plenty of time to impress, or tank. Remember that Winnipeg got the Thrashers, not the Penguins or Stars or (insert any better team here).
You think in crazy don’t you? Let me hear about it then, but you can’t argue that on this crazy long road trip the team has actually become a team.
Marshall Stevenson regularly contributes to one of the best Winnipeg Jets blogs as an editor and co-founder while also working on JET FUEL – a documentary about Winnipeg Jets fans. Of course he’s also behind the only official, unofficial Jets fan gear site. And as if he wasn’t busy enough, a co-host on the popular Winnipeg Jets focused Jets Hockey Podcast.
