New third line lone bright spot in Jets loss
The Jets may have found a new third-line in an otherwise forgettable loss to the Canucks.
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Something had to change with that third line.
The inseparable trio of Adam Lowry, Mason Appleton and Nino Niederreter had lost its lustre. Once lauded for shutting down opponents’ top guns and sustaining offensive zone pressure, their offensive output has dwindled since the Winnipeg Jets‘ historic 15-1-0 start.
During that 16-game stretch, the line produced 28.27 scoring chances and 3.77 goals per 60 minutes during five-on-five play. In their last 34 games, those outputs have plummeted to 23.18 and 1.78 respectively.
Things reached a boiling point in the first period of Tuesday’s 6-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. In just 4:34 minutes of ice time, the ‘Identity Line’ surrendered two goals against and didn’t register any shot attempts.
Head coach Scott Arniel re-jigged his bottom-six heading into the second period and the change amounted to the lone silver lining in an otherwise forgettable night for Winnipeg.
Winnipeg may have found its new third line: Brandon Tanev, Alex Iafallo and Lowry.
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On paper, it made perfect sense. Both wingers are ferocious forecheckers — Tanev leveraging his speed, Iafallo using his elite stickwork — who play the kind of simple, north-south game that maximizes Lowry’s strengths.
It didn’t take long for them to click.
The trio was dominant in 6:52 of ice time, outchancing Vancouver 4-0, winning the Corsi battle 9-1 and scoring a goal in the second period to cut Winnipeg’s deficit to 3-2. The latter was thanks to Iafallo, who capitalized on a net-front scramble that encapsulated the type of greasy goals Arniel wants from the bottom of the lineup.
“That’s what we’re going to keep doing,” Iafallo told reporters when asked about crashing the net. “And (we have) a big game in Edmonton to test that out.”
How can you not keep this line in tact?
It’s no secret how important Lowry is to this team, especially come playoff time. Lately, the players on his flanks just haven’t been delivering. Niederreiter has been snake-bitten, recording just two goals over his last 22 games. Appleton hasn’t had a palpable impact on the forecheck like he did to start the year.
Meanwhile, Tanev and Iafallo — who have logged just 12:46 and 10:35 minutes of five-on-five ice time, respectively, since the deadline — have shown that they deserve more opportunity.
According to AllThreeZones.com, Iafallo ranks 13th in Forecheck Pressures per 60 minutes (10.58) among all forwards. Since arriving in Winnipeg, his on-ice impacts have been sparkling, ranking in the 96th percentile for five-on-five scoring chances against per 60 minutes (21.81). Whenever the Jets top-six needs a shake-up, Iafallo is often the first man up.
Tanev hasn’t skipped a beat since returning to Manitoba’s capital, recording 14 hits and plenty of other pest moments through his first six games back with the Jets. In addition to his aggressiveness, Tanev’s footspeed adds a different dimension to the team’s shutdown line. Neither Niederreiter nor Appleton have the type of zone entry ability that Tanev does. And as he showed back in January, when he briefly had Nikolaj Ehlers on his wing, Lowry benefits from having a puck transporter alongside him.
Start thinking of some nicknames — something more clever than their initials (paging “G-S-T”) — because this line could be together for the long haul.
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Stoller Says
• Morgan Barron could help inject some life into Niederreiter and Appleton’s game. They need a linemate with speed to help them gain the offensive zone, and once they’re there, Barron has the tools to mesh with them off the cycle.
• Arniel said he never considered pulling Connor Hellebuyck after the first two periods, despite the goaltending allowing five goals on 18 shots.
“How many games do you see him have (a poor game)?” the coach said. “This isn’t on him.”
The fourth and fifth goals against — just over a minute apart in the second period— were ones Hellebuyck would likely want back but his rare off-night wasn’t the reason the Jets lost.
“A lot of (the goals), they were off mistakes that we made that ended up in the back of the net, whether that was coverage or off the rush,” Arniel said.
• It could have been a much worse night for the Jets as Josh Morrissey went down the tunnel after blocking a shot from Kiefer Sherwood in the second period. Luckily, he returned shortly after.
Minutes later, around the midway part of the period, Dylan DeMelo crashed face-first into the boards. The collision was hard to watch and the way he grabbed his head afterward was extremely worrisome. After being tended to by Jets trainers, DeMelo remained on the bench and didn’t miss a shift. I’m surprised the concussion spotters didn’t pull him from the game.
