BILLECK: Jets are already playing with their identity

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If you’re looking for one more thing to be thankful for as a Winnipeg Jets fan at this appropriate time of year, consider this: your team has already identified its identity.

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And they’ve leaned on it in their three wins to start the new season, including their back-to-back 2-1 overtime victories on Friday and most recently Sunday night against the Minnesota Wild.

Gone are the years when it took half the season to figure out what it was.

These Jets have it down to a tee.

“We’ve had to teach a lot the last few years,” head coach Scott Arniel said after Sunday’s win. “A lot of repetitive things that have become deeply rooted.

So much so, Arniel said, pulling back the curtain a little, that the coaching staff let its players — their veterans — tell the entire team what it looks like and what is expected.

“It’s hard to learn how to play like that in January, February or March if you don’t do it all year long,” Arniel said.

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When he spoke with Kyle Connor on Saturday, he felt like the core team has grown from year to year and learned from the experiences, especially when it comes to their team’s defense.

That identity was so sharpened at the end of last season that the Jets won the Wiliam M. Jennings away game for fewest goals allowed.

Still, the team finished tied for fifth in five-on-five scoring, a positive affirmation that a team that focuses on defending first can still boast a top-notch offense.

The 52 wins in the regular season didn’t hurt things either.

And then they learned the hard way what happens when that identity is abandoned.

The hasty elimination after five games in the first round was difficult to swallow, but the way they have been able to get off to a good start this year shows that they recognize that the blame lies with them and not the system.

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Arniel didn’t try to reinvent the wheel. It’s his team now, but Rick Bowness’ fingerprints are there. This is not a knock on the new head coach.

It was wise to build on the current foundation and not shake it.

He and his coaching staff have improved the team elsewhere to solidify what they have built.

The Jets are still perfect on the penalty kill and Sunday’s game was the first time they were tested more than once. They are a perfect five-on-five ratio.

The power play that the Jets ran in overtime when Scheifele scored is once again a weapon with three goals on seven attempts.

Considering Connor Hellebuyck’s great start to the year – two goals allowed, a .976 save percentage and a 0.66 goals-against average – it’s pretty impressive in these early days.

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A few more thoughts about the game on Sunday:

• Winnipeg starters Vladislav Namestnikov, Nikolaj Ehlers and Cole Perfetti put in a real night shift at the start of the third period. It looked a little like an Adam Lowry line. It established the zone, worked the cycle and created opportunities. That’s what Arniel and the coaching team are looking for. In his post-match comments, he raised the curtain for the second time and spoke of meeting the team on Saturday. “These guys are taking full control of their situation, but we’re already three games in. I think they’re still growing amongst each other and hopefully… the biggest thing is they just need to be rewarded. You have to bring one in.”

• Part of the discourse in “Jetsland” is about deviating from this line early on, but there’s a problem: Arniel likes his three other lines, particularly his third and fourth units. Arniel is ready to give the line some leeway to establish itself as an effective trio. Bowness always seemed quick to try something new and often didn’t give the chemistry enough time to develop. If the Jets were 0-3 and their other three lines were scoring, there would be a better argument. For now, they have the luxury of letting it mature. And the message to this trio would have been simple: “Figure it out.”

• Be that as it may, Namestnikov’s team got to the minute in the second row and played a total of 10 minutes in the game. For reference, Lowry’s line was 9:03, while Scheifele’s line was 15:52.

• Few people expected Rasmus Kupari to have taken such a big step at the start of this season, but he continues to impress. It made the fourth line tick. Alex Iafallo was really strong and Morgan Barron is his usual consistent self. They create and give up so little. Arniel played them together for 7:40 on Sunday.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

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X: @scottbilleck

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