Playoff Performance Review

Whileee

Registered User
May 29, 2010
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Having a hard time watching the rest of this game, so I thought it would be a good time to review performances for this playoff series, with an eye to the changes the team will need to make to take another step. This kind of performance can be clarifying for management. I'll start with my perspective, for what it's worth.

Forwards:

Scheifele - Overall, Scheifele was okay, but still can't be relied on in all zones. His playoff was reminiscent of most of his season. A bit too anxious for offense, and not focused enough defensively to be the kind of #1 C the Jets will need. I'm generally confident that he can refocus next season, but there is some concern.

Wheeler - He played hard, but his limitations came into sharp focus. He has an increasing tendency to coast with the puck, and stand too still in his own zone. Overall, he still looks like he can lead and be effective, but you really wonder about whether the Jets need to split Wheeler and Scheifele to give Wheeler a chance for a different role.

Connor - Had some good moments, but really struggled with a heavy game, especially in his own zone. He's a keeper, but not the sort of all around winger that the Jets need more of.

Laine - An encouraging playoff, after a very discouraging regular season. He's definitely a keeper and shows signs that he can be a playoff difference maker. He needs to work diligently on his speed and quickness and skills in the off-season. But he's a core player going forward.

Ehlers - Very disappointing playoffs, after a disappointing playoff last year. He's a marvelous talent, but just doesn't have the edge and physicality to exert his game in the playoffs. I think he'll develop that. I don't think he's mature enough yet, though.

Little - Very solid playoff, as a third line type. He's not good enough to make an impact at 2C, and might need to be more of a 3C / winger in the coming seasons.

Perreault - Really disappointed with his play this season. He is a good play driver, but is undisciplined and impetuous. Odd man out in the future, I think.

Hayes - I think he was better than his ice time. Poorly used by Maurice. Too expensive for the Jets going forward, though I think he'd be a decent fit.

Copp - Strong playoff after a strong season. He's a solid workhorse with a decent skillset. He's a keeper.

Lowry - A big playoff game. He lacks some offense and ideally would be in a 4th line role, but he's a core player.

Tanev - Hard not to like him. He brings the heat and speed every shift. His play with the puck gets better and better. Would love to keep him.

Roslovic - I thought his playoff was very encouraging, overall. He showed a lot of jam and speed and created chances in his limited time.

Forwards summary: The Jets really have a couple of needs - another big, fast winger that can play a heavy game and a C that can play in the #2 role. They also need to split up Scheifele and Wheeler to spread out the size, speed and leadership. They need to shake up the way they deploy them. I hope Vesalainen fills the gap on wing, but I wouldn't rule out Appleton as a strong contender.

Defense:

Byfuglien - Strong start to the playoffs, but when he fell off the rails he fell hard. We saw way too much bad Buff as the series wore on. He looked too slow and tired defensively, and gave up a ton of grade A chances. The rust showed. I really hope he comes back in top shape next season, because we saw how the Jets are like when he's not good.

Trouba - Solid playoff overall. He didn't play up to a #1 level, though. He is who he is. A solid top pairing D that the Jets should try to keep, but if he's gone, not irreplaceable.

Morrissey - Was a shadow of himself in the playoffs. Too often out of position, didn't win enough puck battles, and hasn't shown any real offensive flair. I think the rust showed, but he was a disappointment.

Myers - Surprisingly, might have been the best RD defensively in the playoffs. He drives me crazy very often, but I have to grudgingly say he had a good season and a good playoff. He wasn't the Jets biggest problem as the series wore on.

Chiarot - He played hard, and has reached a level that few expected a few seasons ago. But the Jets need more talent on the back end, and this slot is where it starts.

Kulikov - Decent effort. He's a gamer. But he's limited in his skills and IQ. Can't see him being back.

Defense summary: Big changes are likely. They really looked questionable in the series. I could see them shaking it up. Trouba might not be as irreplaceable as we might think.

Hellebuyck: He had some rough spots, but overall I think he showed that he can carry the load for a winner. Every goalie gives up some weak ones, but he's a battler and I think the Jets are in good shape with him in net.

Maurice: I was disappointed with how he used his personnel all season. He overplayed Scheifele and Wheeler and Buff, and they were gassed. He's right that this was a tough schedule, but it's his job to manage minutes. He failed to get Hayes integrated into the lineup, which was a big deficit. He never split up Scheifele and Wheeler, which was a major issue. He'll be back, but he'll need to think break his rather solid mold and try some new approaches.
 

voyageur

Hockey fanatic
Jul 10, 2011
9,467
8,157
Having a hard time watching the rest of this game, so I thought it would be a good time to review performances for this playoff series, with an eye to the changes the team will need to make to take another step. This kind of performance can be clarifying for management. I'll start with my perspective, for what it's worth.

Forwards:

Scheifele - Overall, Scheifele was okay, but still can't be relied on in all zones. His playoff was reminiscent of most of his season. A bit too anxious for offense, and not focused enough defensively to be the kind of #1 C the Jets will need. I'm generally confident that he can refocus next season, but there is some concern.

Wheeler - He played hard, but his limitations came into sharp focus. He has an increasing tendency to coast with the puck, and stand too still in his own zone. Overall, he still looks like he can lead and be effective, but you really wonder about whether the Jets need to split Wheeler and Scheifele to give Wheeler a chance for a different role.

Connor - Had some good moments, but really struggled with a heavy game, especially in his own zone. He's a keeper, but not the sort of all around winger that the Jets need more of.

Laine - An encouraging playoff, after a very discouraging regular season. He's definitely a keeper and shows signs that he can be a playoff difference maker. He needs to work diligently on his speed and quickness and skills in the off-season. But he's a core player going forward.

Ehlers - Very disappointing playoffs, after a disappointing playoff last year. He's a marvelous talent, but just doesn't have the edge and physicality to exert his game in the playoffs. I think he'll develop that. I don't think he's mature enough yet, though.

Little - Very solid playoff, as a third line type. He's not good enough to make an impact at 2C, and might need to be more of a 3C / winger in the coming seasons.

Perreault - Really disappointed with his play this season. He is a good play driver, but is undisciplined and impetuous. Odd man out in the future, I think.

Hayes - I think he was better than his ice time. Poorly used by Maurice. Too expensive for the Jets going forward, though I think he'd be a decent fit.

Copp - Strong playoff after a strong season. He's a solid workhorse with a decent skillset. He's a keeper.

Lowry - A big playoff game. He lacks some offense and ideally would be in a 4th line role, but he's a core player.

Tanev - Hard not to like him. He brings the heat and speed every shift. His play with the puck gets better and better. Would love to keep him.

Roslovic - I thought his playoff was very encouraging, overall. He showed a lot of jam and speed and created chances in his limited time.

Forwards summary: The Jets really have a couple of needs - another big, fast winger that can play a heavy game and a C that can play in the #2 role. They also need to split up Scheifele and Wheeler to spread out the size, speed and leadership. They need to shake up the way they deploy them. I hope Vesalainen fills the gap on wing, but I wouldn't rule out Appleton as a strong contender.

Defense:

Byfuglien - Strong start to the playoffs, but when he fell off the rails he fell hard. We saw way too much bad Buff as the series wore on. He looked too slow and tired defensively, and gave up a ton of grade A chances. The rust showed. I really hope he comes back in top shape next season, because we saw how the Jets are like when he's not good.

Trouba - Solid playoff overall. He didn't play up to a #1 level, though. He is who he is. A solid top pairing D that the Jets should try to keep, but if he's gone, not irreplaceable.

Morrissey - Was a shadow of himself in the playoffs. Too often out of position, didn't win enough puck battles, and hasn't shown any real offensive flair. I think the rust showed, but he was a disappointment.

Myers - Surprisingly, might have been the best RD defensively in the playoffs. He drives me crazy very often, but I have to grudgingly say he had a good season and a good playoff. He wasn't the Jets biggest problem as the series wore on.

Chiarot - He played hard, and has reached a level that few expected a few seasons ago. But the Jets need more talent on the back end, and this slot is where it starts.

Kulikov - Decent effort. He's a gamer. But he's limited in his skills and IQ. Can't see him being back.

Defense summary: Big changes are likely. They really looked questionable in the series. I could see them shaking it up. Trouba might not be as irreplaceable as we might think.

Hellebuyck: He had some rough spots, but overall I think he showed that he can carry the load for a winner. Every goalie gives up some weak ones, but he's a battler and I think the Jets are in good shape with him in net.

Maurice: I was disappointed with how he used his personnel all season. He overplayed Scheifele and Wheeler and Buff, and they were gassed. He's right that this was a tough schedule, but it's his job to manage minutes. He failed to get Hayes integrated into the lineup, which was a big deficit. He never split up Scheifele and Wheeler, which was a major issue. He'll be back, but he'll need to think break his rather solid mold and try some new approaches.

I agree with almost everything here. The skating of our defense was the biggest weakness I thought. And our forwards don't now how to play tight with the d, we have some cheaters on the backcheck. I am not sure splitting up Scheif and Wheeler is the most important problem. I think Connor still has to mature to fill out his role on that line.

It would be nice to see Ehlers do well with somebody other than 55-26. He wasn't terrible, he just didn't want to get hit, and you can not play playoff hockey without getting pasted once in a while. I thought Little was one of our best players without getting on the scoreboard. Around the net, strong on the boards, and setting up quality chances. I think we had some of our best chances off his faceoff wins in the playoffs. Hayes was ok, but he looked slow in open ice. I think he has good offensive instincts, but not a great 2-way game. In a series where the secondary lines won the game for St. Louis, Hayes started as a top 6, before falling to the bottom lines. I think Maurice could have tried different combinations to get him into the top 9, but that's too late now.

I thought Chiarot was the biggest reason for Buff's failures, he just didn't complement him well, and the Blues scouted us well, they exposed the skating of that pairing. Put Buff alongside Samberg or Niku next year, and I think you have a different look, where Buff can use his power, without being exposed.

I also thought Morrissey played pretty well as the series went on. A lot of attacks died on his sticks. But if there was a marriage that I thought could have been broken up, it's him and Trouba. They were not the shutdown pair this playoffs, that we needed.

Maurice is the guy who has a lot to answer for. The Jets had every opportunity to win the division. And floundered, under his watch. He really grinded Scheif and Wheeler too much early, and I think they never recovered. Using them consistently on the PK when they were struggling was a curious decision, only to take them out of the playoff rotation. Can he coach young players? Can he play 4 line hockey, and let young players make mistakes during the season. For instance could Roslovic play in a 4 line rotation as a centre next year?
 

JetsFan815

Registered User
Jan 16, 2012
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I will say they exceeded my admittedly low playoff expectations, even though I had them losing in 6 in my bracket I expected them to get run out of the building in a few of these games and look like the way they did tonight in their wins. They weren't run out of the building and were in every game and legitimately good in many of them. That is more than I would have expected if I took my fan hat off in late March and evaluated the team purely on their play.

I will comment on individual players later when not in the heat of the moment.

He never split up Scheifele and Wheeler, which was a major issue. He'll be back, but he'll need to think break his rather solid mold and try some new approaches.

I disagree with this. I think this season him sticking with them to together was him giving them a "show me what you got" type thing after some expression by those two to keep them together. I thought for sure after Wheeler was signed to that big deal Maurice would be more likely to separate him from 55 without risking affecting the room by taking the captain off the top line in a contract year but it didn't happen because I think he wanted to give them a chance to show their metal. I would think this regular season and playoffs will give him more leeway to separate them next season.
 
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Whileee

Registered User
May 29, 2010
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I will say they exceeded my admittedly low playoff expectations, even though I had them losing in 6 in my bracket I expected them to get run out of the building in a few of these games and look like they way they did tonight in their wins. They weren't run out of the building and were in every game and legitimately good in many of them. That is more than I would have expected if I took my fan hat off in late March and evaluated the team purely on their play.

I will comment on individual players later when not in the heat of the moment.



I disagree with this. I think this season him sticking with them to together was him giving them a "show me what you got" type thing after some expression by those two to keep them together. I thought for sure after Wheeler was signed to that big deal Maurice would be more likely to separate him from 55 without risking affecting the room by taking the captain off the top line in a contract year but it didn't happen because I think he wanted to give them a chance to show their metal. I would think this regular season and playoffs will give him more leeway to separate them next season.
I agree that Maurice should and might split up Wheeler and Scheifele next season. I even wonder if he might try Wheeler at 2C (gasp!).

Whatever they do, they need to shake up their forward lineup to get more balance offensively and defensively. The Scheifele/Wheeler combo wasn't good enough defensively.
 
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WPGChief

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I agree that Maurice should and might split up Wheeler and Scheifele next season. I even wonder if he might try Wheeler at 2C (gasp!).

Whatever they do, they need to shake up their forward lineup to get more balance offensively and defensively. The Scheifele/Wheeler combo wasn't good enough defensively.
Wheeler as 2C is going to last as long as Myers as #2 LHD.
 

sipowicz

The thrill is gone
Mar 16, 2011
31,340
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Connor B
Schief C+
Wheeler C
Laine B+
Little C+
Ehlers D
Copp B+
Lowry B+
Tanev B+
Perreault C-
Hayes C
Roslo C

Trouba C+
Morrissey C
Buff C
Chariot C
Myers C- D+
Kuli C- D+

Helly A

Maurice F

Kompon F

Huddy D-

Jets Fans A+
 

NorCalhockey

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Jan 6, 2017
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Playoff Performance Review:

A season of poor underlying metrics and lack of appropriate adjustments continued into the playoffs with the expected end result.

Spot on. This basically sums up my thoughts as well. Going into Game 1, I felt the problems of the past few months would continue into the playoffs (in other words, no "switch" would be found), but given Columbus's success, I thought (prayed) the Jets too could follow their example and find that extra gear. (sigh) Now we're left to repeat the mantra of many heartbroken fans: we'll get 'em next year.
 

NorCalhockey

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Jan 6, 2017
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Connor B
Schief C+
Wheeler C
Laine B+
Little C+
Ehlers D
Copp B+
Lowry B+
Tanev B+
Perreault C-
Hayes C
Roslo C

Trouba C+
Morrissey C
Buff C
Chariot C
Myers C- D+
Kuli C- D+

Helly A

Maurice F

Kompon F

Huddy D-

Jets Fans A+

I agree with almost all of your ratings except for Helly. I'd give him a B+. Yes, he did make some great saves and kept his team in it, until (hopefully) his teammates could finally make great plays/score goals. [For example, in the 1st period of Game 6, Helly kept the Blues to just 1 goal when they were pouring it on, coming in waves, and if not for him, would easily have been ahead 3-0 by the end of the period.] But, unfortunately, Helly never stole a game. The series could have had a very different ending otherwise...
 

AKAChip

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Nov 19, 2013
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You're probably right. Maybe a Little / Wheeler second line is more rational. But I won't be surprised if they look at it.
It’s really hard to fathom that if the three of Wheeler, Scheifele and Maurice are all still with this team next year that Scheifele and Wheeler will be separated.
 

Duke749

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Apr 6, 2010
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You're probably right. Maybe a Little / Wheeler second line is more rational. But I won't be surprised if they look at it.

First off, think you nailed your assessments. Nice work dude.

Now to this post specifically. A Little/Wheeler second line wouldn’t be the worst thing IMO. Little is a solid player that brings what’s needed most nights even if it isn’t quite to a 2C standard. Wheeler in a lesser role could prove very valuable in the grand scheme of things. Think that may be our key to getting over the hump.
 

Adam da bomb

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May 1, 2016
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I agree with almost all of your ratings except for Helly. I'd give him a B+. Yes, he did make some great saves and kept his team in it, until (hopefully) his teammates could finally make great plays/score goals. [For example, in the 1st period of Game 6, Helly kept the Blues to just 1 goal when they were pouring it on, coming in waves, and if not for him, would easily have been ahead 3-0 by the end of the period.] But, unfortunately, Helly never stole a game. The series could have had a very different ending otherwise...
I disagree and think Helly has been our best player so I agree I wouldn't give him an A I'd give him something higher than the other players like a B+/A- but I'm probablywrongbut that's what I'd do.
 
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objectiveposter

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Jan 29, 2011
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Connor C was very meh but did score the big game winner in game 4
Schief D last year set an nhl record for road playoff goals, didnt play with the same grit this year
Wheeler F horrible leadership from the captain
Laine B much better than last year and scored a goal in each of the first 3 games
Little B solid in his role as 3rd line center
Ehlers F 0 goals in 21 playoff games. useless.
Copp A entire line was terrific in their roles and did a great job keeping puck in offensive zone
Lowry A
Tanev A
Perreault F horrendous play and took some poor penalties at key moments
Hayes F what a waste of a first round pick
Roslo C not very good but hes young and showed potential

Trouba C solid at time but made too many boneheaded plays
Morrissey C usually rock solid but struggled due to rust
Buff B was dominant at time and only had 1 bad game
Chariot C meh
Myers C meh
Kuli C meh

Helle B cost the jets game 2 but was good in the other games

Maurice F jets should shake things up with a coaching change but probably wont
 
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AKAChip

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Winnipeg
People are too hard on Hayes. He was pretty good and rarely put in a position to succeed. The first round pick was wasted by the coach playing him under 10 minutes a night and ensuring he wouldn’t be back. I’d be very interested to know what is the criteria for getting into Maurice’s doghouse because it’s clearly inconsistent.
 
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objectiveposter

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People are too hard on Hayes. He was pretty good and rarely put in a position to succeed. The first round pick was wasted by the coach playing him under 10 minutes a night and ensuring he wouldn’t be back. I’d be very interested to know what is the criteria for getting into Maurice’s doghouse because it’s clearly inconsistent.
hayes deserves an F alone for the potential 3rd goal in game 5 that was going in and he swatted it away like he was a defenceman. I dont think the jets would have blown a 3 goal lead and we would be going to a game 7.
at the end of the day he did not make the impact people were expecting regardless of coaching. F
 
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raideralex99

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hayes deserves an F alone for the potential 3rd goal in game 5 that was going in and he swatted it away like he was a defenceman. I dont think the jets would have blown a 3 goal lead and we would be going to a game 7.
at the end of the day he did not make the impact people were expecting regardless of coaching. F
Look at that play frame by frame the Blues defenseman grabbed Hayes' stick. The Blues were doing that a lot and getting away with it. Just look at the Buff penalty ... the SN panel were even laughing about that. Perron grabs Buff's stick and Buff gets the penalty and on that penalty Maroon grabs Helle's glove for a couple of seconds and its a goal ... total BS.
 
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Guffman

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Game 1: Binnington stole that one
Game 2: Jets should have won. Hellebuyck let in a few soft goals
Game 3: Jets dominate and solve Binnington
Game 4: Jets continue to dominate though the score was closer than it should have been
Game 5: Back breaker result. Up by two going into the third and letting the Blues steal it.
Game 6: Blues crush the Jets

We faced the hottest team in the West and we certainly had opportunities to win this series. Aside from tonight’s game, this was a great series to watch.

With a bunch of good teams falling in Round 1, it’s a shame that we could not take advantage of it. If we got past the Blues, and it was close, who knows how deep we could have gone?

It’s a shame that we struggled getting a good second line going. Maybe we should have pushed harder to get Stastny resigned.

A very intriguing offseason for the Jets coming up.
 

raideralex99

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Remember game one?
34 seconds in Scheifele gets called for goalie interference ... the refs made it clear to the Jets do not touch Binnington. Too bad the refs did not have the same rules for the Blues. I'm sorry but those 2 goals were goalie interference. The Blues were the better team tonight no question ... they did not help from the refs but its a good thing they did or maybe Helle would have stole that game. It's just too bad the refs stole it instead.
 
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WolfgangPuck

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I agree that Maurice should and might split up Wheeler and Scheifele next season. I even wonder if he might try Wheeler at 2C (gasp!).

Whatever they do, they need to shake up their forward lineup to get more balance offensively and defensively. The Scheifele/Wheeler combo wasn't good enough defensively.

When Scheifele was injuried last season for 1-2 weeks , Wheels was the 1C and we won games
I wondered about trying Wheels as 2C but Mo never split them up this year
 

PhilJets

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Remember game one?
34 seconds in Scheifele gets called for goalie interference ... the refs made it clear to the Jets do not touch Binnington. Too bad the refs did not have the same rules for the Blues. I'm sorry but those 2 goals were goalie interference. The Blues were the better team tonight no question ... they did not help from the refs but its a good thing they did or maybe Helle would have stole that game. It's just too bad the refs stole it instead.

Yeah that 2 goalie interference sucked.
 
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Tommigun

Registered User
Jan 5, 2018
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Connor B
Schief C+
Wheeler C
Laine B+
Little C+
Ehlers D
Copp B+
Lowry B+
Tanev B+
Perreault C-
Hayes C
Roslo C

Trouba C+
Morrissey C
Buff C
Chariot C
Myers C- D+
Kuli C- D+

Helly A

Maurice F

Kompon F

Huddy D-

Jets Fans A+

Roslovic was already tried at C and it didn’t work out. I can see you wanting to try Wheeler at C, but I don’t think Buff would be good at it, as little as moving Ehlers to D (he’s too weak for it). You used a few other letters also that I’m not familiar with.
 
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sipowicz

The thrill is gone
Mar 16, 2011
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Roslovic was already tried at C and it didn’t work out. I can see you wanting to try Wheeler at C, but I don’t think Buff would be good at it, as little as moving Ehlers to D (he’s too weak for it). You used a few other letters also that I’m not familiar with.


But, but, but.......
 

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