The Winnipeg Jets are one of the hottest teams in the NHL. After a start to the season saved by the performances of their goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, the Manitoba team had no further turmoil.
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We talk a lot about consistency when it comes to Pierre-Luc Dubois. This also applies to the jets. They played by over .500 for the first three months of the season.
Then they kicked off 2023 by winning six of their first seven games. Going back a little further, Rick Bowness’s squad have won eight of their last nine duels.
Enough performance to climb to first place in the Central Division of the Western Conference. As of this writing, they have the same number of points as the Dallas Stars (59).
A stark contrast to last season when the Jets disappointed in so many ways.
“We have a good team,” said Pierre-Luc Dubois. In the bedroom there was no doubt that this was the case.
“As a group, we realized that when things aren’t going well, things can go downhill very quickly. The race for the series is difficult. At some point you realize you have 20 games left and you have 2% to make the playoffs.
“Last year when we started struggling, we couldn’t stop our descent. This year we came with more self-confidence.
“We knew what a good team we had and we wanted to prove it to everyone.”
A Norris in the bedroom?
Good teams all have a good quarterback. For their part, the Jets can count on Josh Morrissey, who is one of the big upsets in the NHL.
Morrissey is having the best season of his career with 48 points in 44 games. He has a +11 differential and four game-winning goals. At this rate he has a very good chance of becoming a candidate for the Norris Trophy, which is awarded to the best defender.
Photo archive, AFP
Josh Morrissey
“I don’t know what he’s eating, but he’s had quite a season,” Dubois said. Josh is a very important player on and off the ice. He can do anything on the ice.
“We don’t have a captain this year. He is one of the players who took part in the tour. He’s a leader every night.”
The Bowness Method
This stellar season coincides with the arrival of Rick Bowness and a new group of coaches. Bowness, a veteran hockey player, has been cleaning the cabin since he arrived.
Nothing spectacular. An effective system that the best players seem to feel comfortable with. Dubois, Morrissey, Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele are happy as fish in water. The current successes of the Jets show this impressively.
File photo, Getty Images via AFP
“With the season we had last year, a coach could arrive with two visions. He could arrive in panic mode and we had to play a good season.
“Rick came with more of a calm attitude. He knew we had a good team when we worked on our system and the little details. He wasn’t stressed when he got to camp.
“Among his methods, he showed us footage from last year where we did good things in games. Those little things reassured the players and made us realize we could have a good season.”
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