The Winnipeg Jets know what they need to correct.
Head coach Scott Arniel has shown the players recent game film. He has pointed out the self-inflicted mistakes and the inconsistencies from period to period within the same games.
Arniel wants to go back to reviewing scenes from well-played games.
The Jets will get a chance to put on a better show when they face off against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night in Saint Paul, Minn. Winnipeg will try to bounce back from a 3-2 loss against the Utah Mammoth, which marked the Jets’ second defeat in the past three games.
Bad habits and up-and-down performances marked both recent losses for the Jets.
“We’re in Game 9 here,” Arniel said. “It’s time to end that stuff. It’s about playing 60-minute games in this league. What we did in the first period (against Utah) was hard work, and it has to happen each and every shift, and it has to happen from all four lines and all of our D.
“Our DNA is usually our work ethic and our compete (level), and I didn’t like what we saw in the second period.”
Minnesota is also looking for a fresh start as it tries to snap a three-game winless skid. The Wild are coming off a 6-5 overtime loss on home ice against the San Jose Sharks, who won for only the second time this season.
In their past seven games, the Wild are 1-4-2.
“It’s not great,” Wild forward Ryan Hartman said. “We know that. We’ve got to focus on our next game and dig ourselves out. No one else is going to do it for us.”
Wild coach John Hynes believes in his players but is disappointed in what he has seen so far. Hynes is trying to stay positive and keep his focus on the bigger picture instead of getting too angry or too down about recent outcomes.
“We know that we can play really good hockey,” Hynes said. “We know we’re capable of better than what we’re doing. But I did like the fight in the team (in our last game).”
Minnesota likely will go back to Filip Gustavsson in net after he had a night off Sunday. Gustavsson is 2-5-0 with a 3.34 goals-against average and an .897 save percentage this season.
In seven career games against Winnipeg, Gustavsson is 4-2-1 with a 1.95 GAA and a .937 save percentage.
The Jets likely will counter with Connor Hellebuyck, who is set to make his eighth start of the season. Hellebuyck is 4-3-0 with a 2.16 GAA and a .928 save percentage.
Hellebuyck has faced the Wild 30 times in his career. He is 15-10-2 with a 2.49 GAA and a .921 save percentage in those contests.
Mark Scheifele leads Winnipeg with 13 points (eight goals, five assists) in nine games. Kyle Connor also has posted double-digit points with 11 (four goals, seven assists).
Kirill Kaprizov is the Wild’s top scorer with 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 10 games. Matt Boldy ranks second with 11 points (five goals, six assists).
–Field Level Media
