Jets’ Eric Comrie proves he can be trusted down stretch
Once again, Eric Comrie delivered in a shootout win over the Blues on Saturday. Given what we’ve seen from the backup goalie, there’s no reason the Jets shouldn’t be comfortable giving him more time in net.
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Once again, Eric Comrie delivered.
His stats weren’t eye-popping — with the backup netminder saving 21 of the 24 shots he faced during the Winnipeg Jets‘ 4-3 shootout win over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday — but for a second-stringer? It was an A+ effort, helping the Jets win a team-record ninth game in a row.
The 29-year-old made key saves at key times, starting with a high-danger stop on Pavel Buchnevich, who was left all alone net front, less than a minute into the game. Comrie bailed the Jets’ top line out late in the second period, making three saves during a minute-long stretch where Winnipeg was hemmed in its own zone. And he was brilliant in the shootout, appearing calm, cool and collected while going mano a mano vs. Robert Thomas and Buchnevich — shutting the door on each of them with a pad save after the two Blues forwards attempted to undress him with dekes. He didn’t give Brayden Schenn any openings on the game-winning save, with the Blues captain shooting the puck off the post after being forced wide.
Boasting a .910 save percentage and a 2.59 goals-against average through 14 starts, Comrie has solidified himself as one of the league’s most efficient backups. And Winnipeg will need more from Comrie — who has shouldered just 25 per cent of the goalie workload — through their remaining 25 regular-season games.
All year long, Jets coach Scott Arniel has talked about managing Connor Hellebuyck’s workload in a year where the 4 Nations Face-off was squeezed into the regular season. Hellebuyck is the last of a dying breed — a goaltender who can perform at a world-class level while playing nearly 80 per cent of his team’s games. But he’s also flamed out in each of his last two post-seasons, sporting an abysmal .878 save percentage.
From here on out, It’d be worthwhile to dial Hellebuyck’s workload down.
At this point, there’s no benefit to Hellebuyck playing 75 per cent of the team’s games. The only thing Winnipeg has left to play for is home-ice advantage in playoffs, and that’s already looking like a very good bet (according to MoneyPuck.com, the Jets have an 84.7 per-cent chance of finishing first in the Central).
Given what we’ve seen from Comrie, there’s no reason the Jets shouldn’t be comfortable giving him another eight to 10 starts to finish the season.
The Jets need Hellebuyck to be fresh for what looks to be a lengthy playoff run
Namestnikov re-signs
Kevin Cheveldayoff got a head start on re-signing his pending free agents, inking Vladislav Namestnikov to a two-year, $6-million contract on Saturday morning.
For all the (warranted) discourse regarding whether or not Namestnikov is an apt second-line centre on a Cup contender, we’d be remiss to overlook his value as a utility forward. Since joining the Jets — the seventh NHL team he’s been on — the 32-year-old has played some of the best hockey of his career.
Recently, Namestnikov has been flourishing on that rejuvenated second line — his assist against St. Louis gives him 10 points in his last nine games. But while his offensive totals are under a microscope, given where he plays in the lineup, Namestnikov’s value goes far beyond offence. He’s the type of player coaches love — a two-way forward who plays a steady game night-in, night-out, can check and also possesses some offensive creativity.
Namestnikov’s comments Saturday morning surely brought a smile to Jets fans’ faces.
“I love Winnipeg,” Namestnikov told Jets colour analyst Mitchell Clinton. “Ever since I got here I’ve loved every second of it. I wanted to get something done and it was fairly quick, so I’m happy we could get something done.”
Connor snubbed
It’s somewhat mind-boggling that Team USA scratched Kyle Connor for the 4 Nations Face Off final.
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Sure, Connor — who has the most goals of any American this season (30) — went scoreless throughout the tournament but hyper-fixating on that is a disservice to his all-around game. Saturday night was a prime example of that and no, it had nothing to do with the 10(!) shots he registered. Connor logged the second most penalty=kill ice-time of any Jet (2:36) and his impact was palpable on the PK — getting his stick in passing lanes and swiping away loose pucks on a handful of occasions.
For whatever reason, Connor didn’t get a second of penalty-kill usage during the tournament.
It’s a short tournament and any coaching staff in this situation is forced to make tough decisions — but after watching that final, didn’t it seem like the Americans could’ve used a bit more pop in their bottom-six?
