Pre-Game Talk: New, New Jets vs. Old Jets - 7pm CST MTSC Winnipeg, MB

[garret9]

I want to win this game.

I like winning.

 

[Jimby]

I will be at this game!

It will be great!

Jets 2.1 will win this. Doane will be hearing boos.

 

[Skidooboy]

Winning is good!!!

 

[StaticPrevails]

Get er' Doan. The Coyotes will be Doan like dinner. Let's knock them Doan for the count.

Alright, i'm out of puns. Ger Jerts.

 

[YWGinYYZ]

Get er' Doan. The Coyotes will be Doan like dinner. Let's knock them Doan for the count.

Alright, i'm out of puns. Ger Jerts.

Shoulda said:

"Alright, my work is Doan here."

 

[Mathil8]

Shoulda said:

"Alright, my work is Doan here."

And here I was hoping these puns would be Doan by now.

 

[Bristo]

Also, I think Chevy tries to pick up someone like Holtby, Neuvirth, Emery at the TD, and a good 4th liner, or I hope it's a good 4th liner.

I would be shocked if this were to happen, but ecstatic is we landed Holtby or Neuvirth. Couldn't care less for Emery though, we need a goalie, not a MMA wannabe.

 

[CaptainChef]

Sorry I find this to be a very simplistic and weak argument.

1> Pardy and Ellerby's role, skill level and pay grade make them bottom pair guys. That is the role they play. I feel like most criticism of these guys happen when they end up on the ice against the other teams best players or are on the ice with the Jets bottom 6 forwards. Byfuglien is paid very well to be a top 4 defenceman so he should of course be held to a higher standard.

2> Putting all of that aside, my issue again with Byfuglien is, and always has been, the way he approaches the position and his compete level in his zone. As a defenceman myself I pay very particular attention to the defence when I watch games. I always have and I actually credit that in making me a better hockey player. My issues with Byfuglien are not based at all on stats. I know how dicey plus minus is and you won't see me use it to support an argument. What bothers me about Byfuglien is the fact that he loses his man in coverage, he is not aggressive enough with the opposition in front of our net. I also do not like the cavalier way he treats the opposition in our zone. PMo preaches doing everything 'fast'. Part of that is defencemen closing in quickly on opposing forwards when they have the puck in our zone along the boards and in the corners. Byfuglien does not attack the puck carrier nearly hard enough 80% of the time.
3> That leads me to what bothers me the most about Byfuglien. He shows when he 'cares' or is motivated he can do all of these things at a very high level. Problem is, I only see motivated Buff for fits and starts. I am afraid that is all you will ever see from him. He's a guy who could have been one of the best of this era but his lack of passion is stopping him.

He reminds me of the guys at drop in hockey who line up at D not because he wants to play D, but because he can stay on the ice longer and he can carry the puck and create offense with less backcheck pressure. Buff is still doing a decent job of getting points at forward but he is not as dynamic because anyone who plays D but has taken some shifts at forward can tell you, the pressure you face as a forward is far greater than when you are playing D. You get more of a free pass in the neutral zone as a D man with the puck, and you can sneak into spots and be forgotten in the offensive zone more often.

I might be old school, but defencemen should always be able to play D first and foremost. Creating offense is just what makes a D man special.

Love this assessment JET. Kinda need a reminder every once in a while what was so frustrating about Buff playing defence - he could do a heck of a job when he felt like it, but he didn't feel like it very often. He was much more into rushing the puck up ice, taking his sweet time getting back, cruising around the defensive zone looking for a guy to stick check, and the only time he took a guy out of the play is if they really pissed him off. Your cavalier attitude in the defensive zone pretty much sums it up.

I'm sure if CoMo puts him back there we're going to see a demon and a top 2 defenseman for at least the first three games. Then slowly that lazy streak will creep back in. Man, I love the guy when he's on, but he's off playing his own game way too much. So even though most of his great talents appear wasted at forward, I don't see where else he fits.

 

[GJF]

Yeah, olympics are over. Nothing against the olympics but with pretty much no Jets to follow and no Germany... I was kinda bored tbh. I'm pretty hyped for Thursday though.

 

[rehf]

Let's come back from the Olympic break with a bang, please boys...

So excited to have NHL back.

 

[Howard Chuck]

O..M..G..... I can't wait for Thursday night!

 

[pateramus]

I know everyone is high on getting rid of the Gouch, but... would this not be a good opportunity to buy when his value is low? If we keep him and sign him with a 3rd line wage we should be good. He is a decent 3rd liner with potential to go through hot streaks and can fill in on a top line role for short periods if someone is injured. Might not be bad to keep him.

 

[Aavco Cup]

@WiebeSunSports: Blake Wheeler is on the ice with #NHLJets doing some early power play work in with Andrew Ladd and Bryan Little

@WiebeSunSports: Toby Enstrom is on the ice as well and Devin Setoguchi (elbow) has ditched the non-contact jersey and should be a full participant #NHLJets

@ScottBilleck: Tobias Enstrom is on the ice today, as is Blake Wheeler. Bronze Medalist from the Sochi Olympics, Olli Jokinen, is absent. #NHLJets

 

[Aavco Cup]

@WiebeSunSports: Evander Kane will be back in for #NHLJets on Thursday but Maurice said he was a bit hesitant to make many more changes vs #Coyotes

 

[Huffer]

@WiebeSunSports: Evander Kane will be back in for #NHLJets on Thursday but Maurice said he was a bit hesitant to make many more changes vs #Coyotes

Nice! It would be great to see KSW again. Hopefully that happens.

 

[wpgsilver]

I wonder what happens when Hali and Slats are back.

Ladd Little Frolik
Kane Schiefele Wheeler
Seto Olli Buff
Thor Slater Hali

That seems like the most logical line up.
Assuming buff stays at forward. It just concerns me that he doesn't even hide his distain for playing forward. I don't want that festering. He's being a good solider, but if he tunes out the team it can really hurt us.

 

[ICdave]

Coach Maurice - Injury update. Getting those players into the lineup. Re-starting the momentum from before the break. His approach to the trade deadline. Has his focus changed? Any revelations over the break? Status of Wheeler and Jokinen. Olympic impact on Wheeler? Maintaining same lineup from St. Louis game into the Phoenix game.

To listen click here.

 

[Savardian Spinarama]

I wasn't sure where to put this but this is easily one of the creepiest/awesomest Ollie things I've ever seen.

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/

 

[Duke749]

If he was paired with a clunker partner 100% of the time, his partner should also have a similarly bad +/-. Clitsome (playing hurt?) at the beginning of the season didn't help. But who was Byfuglien paired with before moving to RW? I don't see any 3 other Jets Dmen who total -17. Yes, I do take things in context (strength of matchup, etc). Byfuglien's comparables are Bogosian, Enstron, Clitsome, and Trouba, of whom Enstrom+Clitsome combined don't match Byfuglien's +/-. I don't know Clitsome's exact situation. Was the last half of last season a fluke, or was he playing hurt this season?

You do realize that 20 of Buff's 43 points do not count towards +/-, right?

Buff's on ice goals for and against is a -8. Stuart is a -14, Wright is a -16 and Clitsome is a -7.

 

[mzappa]

Is it hockey time yet? I want to yell at the Coyotes again!

 

[KCjetsfan]

You do realize that 20 of Buff's 43 points do not count towards +/-, right?

Buff's on ice goals for and against is a -8. Stuart is a -14, Wright is a -16 and Clitsome is a -7.

now you're just being silly

 

[KingBogo]

I wonder what happens when Hali and Slats are back.

Ladd Little Frolik
Kane Schiefele Wheeler
Seto Olli Buff
Thor Slater Hali

That seems like the most logical line up.
Assuming buff stays at forward. It just concerns me that he doesn't even hide his distain for playing forward. I don't want that festering. He's being a good solider, but if he tunes out the team it can really hurt us.

Except the last thing a good solider does is tune out the team especially during a playoff push. We just watched Canada win Gold because 25 guys bought into a team first game plan. Not only do the Jets need that they should expect that.

 

[cbcwpg]

If Slater can stay healthy, play well right away, and get in Maurice's good books, that should be the last we see of Wright's 57 games and 2 assists ( which of note is the same offensive production as Pavs )

 

[Puckschmuck*]

Is it hockey time yet? I want to yell at the Coyotes again!

It doesn't need to be "hockey time" to yell at the dingy desert mutts. Hunting season is year round on that team, my friend

 

[BigZ65]

If Slater can stay healthy, play well right away, and get in Maurice's good books, that should be the last we see of Wright's 57 games and 2 assists ( which of note is the same offensive production as Pavs )

But Wright has a better save percentage.


Wheeler seems almost traumatized by his Olympic experience. Hopefully that motivates him going forward and not the opposite.