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Fred Greenslade \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS<\/p>\n
Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard (right) makes a save while Jets\u2019 centre Morgan Barron (left) and the Oilers\u2019 Spencer Stastney look for a rebound Monday night in Winnipeg.<\/p>\n
A legitimate argument can be made Winnipeg deserved better.<\/p>\n
Some big-picture context is required here. The Jets are long past the point of moral victories, a reality underscored by the fact this group has now dropped 19 of its last 25 games overall (6-15-4).<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t criticize the effort. I can\u2019t criticize the battle,\u201d said an obviously frustrated Jets head coach Scott Arniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe opportunities, the game plan that we threw at them against their elite players. All of those things I asked them to do, they did it. At the end of the day, we\u2019re not getting points and that\u2019s the most important thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
All of which begs another burning question: What, if any, changes will be made to pull this team out of what has become an embarrassing tailspin? The need for help is obvious. The status quo is not nearly good enough to compete, certainly not in a results-oriented \u201cwhat have you done for me lately\u201d business.<\/p>\n
Winnipeg is now 15-18-4 on the year, leaving them one point removed from dead last in the NHL standings at press time. Edmonton, seeking a third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final, improves to 20-14-6.<\/p>\n
\u201cSooner or later, this has to fall. These goals have to come,\u201d Arniel said of his team\u2019s offensive woes, including the fact numerous forwards are in lengthy slumps.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, the process, I can keep saying that, but at the end of the day, just keep doing what we\u2019re doing. Hopefully we can score some goals and we can get some points.\u201d<\/p>\n
PLUCKY PICKARD: Tip your hat to Winnipeg\u2019s Calvin Pickard, who served notice Monday night he\u2019s not ready to give up his NHL job just yet.<\/p>\n
With trade addition Tristan Jarry now with the Oilers (albeit currently dealing with an injury) and reclamation project Connor Ingram up with the big club, there\u2019s been plenty of speculation Pickard\u2019s days in Edmonton could be numbered. A potential demotion to the American Hockey League might be looming.<\/p>\n
The 33-year-old, who began the night with three wins in 13 games, a bloated 3.93 goals-against-average and an ugly .861 save-percentage, was sensational in this outing. Pickard made 41 stops and, if nothing else, certainly increased the odds another team would claim him on waivers or perhaps even give up an asset and trade for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlayed a heck of a game,\u201d said Jets defenceman Dylan Samberg. \u201cYou know, it is what it is. You\u2019re gonna run into a hot goalie at one point. We wish we could have found the back of the net more than once.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Natural Stat Trick, the Jets had 18 high-danger chances and 4.46 expected goals in the game, yet only managed to sneak one puck by him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHad a couple of early ones, got into it. It was consistent. There was no, like, lulls in the game. They kept shooting, they kept coming,\u201d said Pickard.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe did a pretty good job keeping them to the outside. Their power play got some looks, had to make some saves there, but it was just one of those games. They were great and you\u2019ve got to give them credit and they played well. I needed to be good and we defended well, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was asked post-game what was in his Christmas turkey to inspire such a performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo turkey. Steak, ham, perogies, rice, Caesar salad. It was a Pickard special,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n
SEASON\u2019S BEATINGS: Raise your hand if you had a fight between Jets defenceman Neal Pionk and Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on your personal Bingo card.<\/p>\n
Yeah, we didn\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n
Sure enough, the two veterans dropped the gloves midway through the first period, causing plenty of observers to do a double-take at what they were witnessing.<\/p>\n
It appears Nugent-Hopkins was angered by a hit Pionk had just thrown on him and decided to take matters into his own hands, quite literally. It was a spirited scrap that helped set the stage for a fairly physical affair, with Winnipeg ultimately outhitting Edmonton by a 32-22 margin.<\/p>\n
COSTLY MISTAKES: When things aren\u2019t going well, even the smallest mistakes can quickly become magnified. That was certainly the case in this one.<\/p>\n
The Jets had largely dominated the first half of the game, yet found themselves in a 1-0 deficit when Logan Stanley passed the puck from behind his own net directly onto the stick of Oilers forward Max Jones, who no doubt appreciated the belated Christmas gift as he buried his first of the year behind a surprised Connor Hellebuyck.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Fred Greenslade \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS<\/p>\n Jets\u2019 blue-liner Luke Schenn (left) and Oilers\u2019 forward Curtis Lazar exchange punches Monday during a stoppage in play.<\/p>\n A few minutes later, with the Jets having already failed on three man-advantage chances of their own, Samberg tripped up Leon Draisaitl and gave the league\u2019s top power play a chance to go to work.<\/p>\n Sure enough, Winnipeg\u2019s only minor penalty of the night proved costly as old friend Jack Roslovic ripped a shot past Hellebuyck to make it 2-0.<\/p>\n CAPTAIN\u2019S LAMENT: It was a big night for Adam Lowry, who became the fourth player in Jets 2.0 history to play 800 games for the franchise. Just like Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler and Bryan Little did before him, Lowry marked the occasion by hitting the scoresheet.<\/p>\n His rebound goal at 5:46 of the third period cut Winnipeg\u2019s deficit in half and inspired hope a comeback might be in the cards.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s no secret secondary scoring has really been an issue for us. So I felt like it helped bring the building to life,\u201d said Lowry, who has struggled to produce offence since returning from off-season hip surgery with just two goals and four assists in 26 games.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I would trade that for a win.\u201d<\/p>\n Zach Hyman sealed the Edmonton victory when he scored into an empty net with 83 seconds left in the game. Connor McDavid assisted in the goal, which extended his point streak to 13 games (13 goals, 20 assists)<\/p>\n To put that in perspective, the Jets have scored a total of 31 goals so far in December. McDavid has been involved in 33 Edmonton goals this month.<\/p>\n \u201cThe results are going to follow if we can continue with efforts like those,\u201d said Lowry, who believes outside help isn\u2019t necessarily required at this point.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s in here. We look at the contributions of certain guys in this room and what they\u2019ve done in the past, they have long track records of producing offensively, good secondary rates. I think the chances, the posts, the looks we have, eventually the dam\u2019s going to break and you\u2019re going to get them, and then it seems like scoring comes in bunches.\u201d<\/p>\n KEY PLAY: The Roslovic goal \u2014 his 11th in just 27 games this season \u2014 proved to be the difference.<\/p>\n THREE STARS:<\/p>\n 1. Oilers G Calvin Pickard: 41 saves<\/p>\n 2. Oilers C Jack Roslovic: Game-winning goal<\/p>\n 3. Jets C Morgan Barron: 1 assist<\/p>\n EXTRA EXTRA: Veteran forward Andrew Mangiapane was a surprising late scratch for the Oilers, who signed him to a two-year free agent contract on July 1. Reports are now circulating a trade could be imminent.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n \t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t Mangiapane has 11 points (5G, 6A) in 39 games this year and is a team-worst minus-16. He is someone the Jets showed interest in this past summer before he ended up in Edmonton, so perhaps a team looking for some secondary scoring of their own could circle back and see if there could be a deal to be made at some point.<\/p>\n Winnipeg\u2019s healthy scratches were defencemen Colin Miller and Haydn Fleury and forward Cole Koepke.<\/p>\n The Jets have now sold out two home games in a row, and four on the season. They haven\u2019t given fans a ton to cheer for, going just 8-8-2 through 18 games at the downtown barn.<\/p>\n Next up is a three-game road trip which begins Wednesday in Detroit. Winnipeg is just 7-10-2 in enemy territory.<\/p>\n www.winnipegfreepress.com\/mikemcintyre<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Mike McIntyre Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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