Browsing: Jets

Mark Scheifele couldnâ€t have asked for a better start to this season.

Over the weekend, Scheifele surpassed mentor Blake Wheeler as the Winnipeg Jets†all-time points leader. On Monday, he scored for the fifth consecutive game in Winnipegâ€s win against the Calgary Flames — his longest goal streak since February 2022.

And to top it all off, the Jets, who won the Presidents†Trophy last season with 116 points, are back near the top of the standings after winning five in a row.

“Heâ€s been such a consistent player,†Jets coach Scott Arniel told reporters after Scheifele broke Wheelerâ€s record. “He has such great offensive skills and instincts.â€

Scheifele, 32, is out to prove that his 39 goals and career-high 87 points last season were not an outlier (and that he deserves a spot on Team Canada at the Winter Olympics). Truthfully, it will be difficult for him to continue scoring on 26.9 per cent of his shot attempts — more than double his rate from last season (11.9 per cent). But he is getting to the high-danger scoring areas far more frequently, which could allow him to maintain his inflated shooting percentage for a little longer.

Roughly 80 per cent of Scheifeleâ€s shot attempts (21 of 26) have come from the slot. Only Montrealâ€s Juraj Slafkovsky (82.8 per cent) has taken a higher percentage of his shots from the slot out of the 144 forwards with at least 20 attempts this season. (Last season, 64.2 per cent of Scheifeleâ€s shot attempts came from the slot, leading to 33 of his 39 goals.)

After netting the game-winning goal against the Flames on Monday, Scheifele credited his linemates, Kyle Connor and Gabriel Vilardi, for helping to spark his blazing-hot start. Winnipeg has outscored its opponents 5-2 at 5-on-5 over the 69-plus minutes when its top line has been on the ice. Connor has been setting up Scheifele exquisitely, feeding him on all three of his one-timer goals.

Connor, Scheifele and Vilardi have picked up where they left off last season, when they formed the highest-scoring line in the NHL with 50 on-ice goals at 5-on-5. But it is worth noting that they have not dominated territorially. The Jets have generated 44.6 per cent of the expected goals at 5-on-5 during the top lineâ€s minutes, compared to 51.5 per cent a season ago.

Collectively, the Jets have a 37.2 xGF% at 5-on-5, including a league-worst 8.06 expected goals for (1.81 per 60 minutes). Scheifeleâ€s goal-scoring frenzy has helped prop up the Jets, as has the play of reigning Hart Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck, who has already stolen three games this season based on the number of goals he has saved above expected. Hellebuyck has recorded steals in each of his past two starts, saving a combined six goals above expected against the Flames and Nashville Predators.

Most of Hellebuyckâ€s best work has been done on the penalty kill, where he has saved 6.6 of his league-leading 9.5 goals above expected. That is why Winnipeg has stopped a league-best 96.3 per cent of opposing power plays despite ranking 26th in shorthanded shot quality against per two minutes.

“When you have (Hellebuyck) in net or (Eric Comrie), you trust in those guys so much,†said Scheifele, who is averaging a career-high 1:18 of shorthanded ice time per game. “Iâ€m still getting used to it. Thereâ€s still some bad reads that I make out there and (have) got to clean up.â€

It isnâ€t easy following up on a Presidents†Trophy season. Since 2005-06 (excluding shortened seasons), the winners of that award have averaged around a 15-point decline the year after finishing atop the league standings.

The Jets†good fortune is bound to run out eventually, but the good news is that critical reinforcements are on the way in the form of key defensive forward/captain Adam Lowry, top-six winger Cole Perfetti and top-four defenceman Dylan Samberg. All three will bolster the Jets†lineup. In the meantime, Winnipeg will continue to lean on Scheifele and Hellebuyck as the team banks points that could prove critical come April.

Source link

CALGARY — Jonathan Toews’ first NHL goal in more than 2 1/2 years was a pivotal one on Monday night.

Toews’ power play marker at 2:41 of the third period came off a deflection of a Neal Pionk point shot to tie the game 1-1. Mark Scheifele notched the game-winner at 15:06 as the Jets rallied for a 2-1 decision over the struggling Calgary Flames.

“The No. 1 thing was the chemistry and the energy in the locker-room that this team has, that was a big selling point, and playing for a team like this that can contend and have a chance to win a Stanley Cup,†said Toews, playing his 16th season in the NHL.

After missing the past two seasons due to health issues, the longtime Chicago Blackhawks star signed a one-year deal in the summer.

“On top of all that, to do it in my hometown in Winnipeg, that’s a big part of it too,†said Toews. “So when I really came down to it, I couldn’t really see myself wearing any other sweater.â€

So far, so good with his new team. After Winnipeg dropped its season opener, 5-4 to the Dallas Stars, the Jets have reeled off five consecutive victories with Toews looking more and more comfortable every night.

“These last few games, I feel like I’m really starting to settle in, and just think less,†said Toews. “Now that some of the systems, and the play calling, and the draws, and what we do off faceoffs, all those little details of our team game have finally become second nature, I can go out there and maybe not overthink but start to relax with the puck and feel a little bit more comfortable and not as afraid to make mistakes.

“And then from there, the offence comes.â€

Toews’ last goal was on April 13, 2023.

“His game has been getting better every game,†said Jets’ coach Scott Arniel. “It’s probably a big weight off his shoulders, but at the end of the day, we’re not looking at these early games, we’re just trying to get him up and running and playing and being comfortable with how we play, and him feeling good about himself.â€

In addition to logging more than 18 minutes in ice time, the 37-year-old was a deadly 15-6 at the faceoff circle against the Flames, bumping his season win percentage to a stellar 63.5 per cent.

“That’s a huge asset for us. We weren’t the best faceoff team over the years and he’s helped us in that area, and it’s helped everybody pick up their game,†said Arniel.

But the intangibles the three-time Stanley Cup champion brings extend far beyond that.

“That leadership, the hockey sense that he has. He’s got a great mind for the game. You can hear him when he talks to his linemates, talks to his teammates. He has drive,†said Arniel. “All that stuff we’ve seen in the past, but now he’s real good for our group in the sense that he passes on that knowledge.â€

At this stage in his career, slotted in as the club’s No. 2 centre, Toews is no longer relied upon to lead the offence. The team has Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor to lead the way on that front, both of whom are off to a superb start.

Scheifele (7-3-10) and Connor (3-6-9) have both opened the season with six-game point streaks. Scheifele has goals in five straight games to pace the club with seven.

“The game nowadays, there’s no space, it’s so fast, but they just have that connection. And a guy like Gabe (Vilardi) goes out there too and just finds that empty space. He’s such a good catalyst for those two. So it’s fun to watch that line,†said Toews.

Scheifele welcomes Toews’ veteran presence.

“He’s a guy that wants to get back in the rhythm of things. He wants to excel each and every game and I think that’s the coolest thing,†said Scheifele. “A guy with as much experience as he has is still wanting to grow his game each and every night. He fits right into this group and we’re lucky to have him.â€

Toews sees great things ahead for his new club.

“Everything I had heard was that they’ve got an experienced group, and you saw what they did in the playoffs last year, and experience like that only continues to build, and especially their success in the regular season,†said Toews.

Source link

Reinforcements could be arriving sooner than expected for the Winnipeg Jets.

Forward Cole Perfetti is ahead of schedule in his injury rehab and is targeting a mid-November return, head coach Scott Arniel said on Monday, per Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press.

Meanwhile, captain Adam Lowry is trending toward a return around the end of October or early November. The timeline for defenceman Dylan Samberg is still being determined, Arniel said.

Perfetti, 23, suffered an ankle injury during the team’s pre-season finale earlier in October and was ruled out on a week-to-week basis.

He is entering his fifth season with the club after being selected 10th overall in the 2020 draft. Over 222 career games, Perfetti owns 125 points (47 goals, 78 assists).

Lowry, 32, had hip surgery in May just 10 days after Winnipeg was eliminated from the playoffs.

He played in all 13 of Winnipeg’s playoff games and scored the biggest goal of the Jets’ season when he fired home the double-OT winner during Game 7 of the team’s first-round series against the St. Louis Blues.

A career-long Jet since being drafted in the third round (67th overall) in 2011, Lowry posted 16 goals and 18 assists in 73 regular-season games last season before adding four more tallies in the playoffs.

Samberg, 26, broke his wrist during the pre-season and was given a six-to-eight week timeline as of late September.

Despite the key absences, Winnipeg has begun its Presidents’ Trophy defence strongly with a 4-1-0 record through five games.

The Jets return to action Monday with a road game against the Calgary Flames.

Source link

The Calgary Flames are making the forward a healthy scratch for Monday’s game (Sportsnet, 9:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. MT) against the Winnipeg Jets, coach Ryan Huska told reporters.

The move comes after the Flames lost 6-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday, dropping them to 1-5 to start the season.

“Last game, we were like a 50-50 team, is the best way I can put it. There was 50 per cent of our guys that I thought really worked really hard and were committed and then I don’t think we had enough from the other 50. And he would fall into that category,” Huska said about the decision to scratch Sharangovich, per Wes Gilbertson of Postmedia. “You can’t make a 50 per cent change, but certain areas that weren’t acceptable, we can change a few. So it happened to be him.”

Sharangovich, 27, has just an assist through the first six games of the season and is a minus-3. Last season he had 17 goals and 32 points in 73 games, a noticeable dip from the 31 goals and 59 points he had in 82 games in the 2023-24 season.

His performance during the 2024-25 season earned him a five-year, $28.75-million deal ($5.75 million AAV) back in July 2024.

Sportsnet analyst Kevin Bieksa criticized Sharangovich for failing to finish a check on William Karlsson late in the game during an intermission report on Hockey Night in Canada.

“I would absolutely lose my mind if I saw that on the bench,†said Bieksa.

“Thatâ€s a culture thing for me. I would show that clip in practice and say, ‘where are my guys that care?†Play the guys that care. If youâ€re going to get an effort like that, get rid of him. Youâ€re disgracing the NHL with an effort like that. Be a little mad. Hate to lose. That guy doesnâ€t hate to lose.

“You have so many good young players … you have a young nucleus and you canâ€t have them poisoned by that type of behaviour.”

Source link

After another abysmal performance by quarterback Justin Fields in the first half of Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers, the New York Jets benched Fields for veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor to start the second half after falling behind 13-3 in front of their home fans at MetLife Stadium.

The change wasn’t enough for the Jets to earn their first win of the season, as they fell to 0-7 with a 13-6 loss. Head coach Aaron Glenn said after the game it was a “tough decision” to bench Fields. On Monday, Glenn announced he was undecided about who will start against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday in Week 8.

In addition to the Jets benching Fields, the Panthers also made a quarterback change after Bryce Young suffered an ankle injury after taking a sack. Veteran backup Andy Dalton replaced him in the third quarter, and Carolina announced during the Fox broadcast that he’s out for the remainder of the game.

Fields completed six of his 12 passes for 46 yards and ran the ball four times for 22 yards in the first half of Sunday’s game. He was sacked three times, including a crushing sack at the end of the first half that knocked New York out of field goal range.

The disappointing performance continued a run of recent struggles for Fields. In last week’s 13-11 loss to the Denver Broncos in London, he threw for just 45 yards while sustaining nine sacks for 55 yards for a franchise-worst -10 net passing yards.

Fields showed promise with a three-touchdown performance in a Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it’s been all downhill from there. He suffered a concussion in a Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills, and he’s been relatively ineffective since returning to the field.

As the NFL’s only remaining winless team, the Jets need to do whatever it takes to end their skid. Glenn will have to evaluate whether Fields or Taylor is the best quarterback to lead the team next week against the Bengals.

Source link

New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn decided to make a change under center on Sunday, replacing Justin Fields with Tyrod Taylor as the team fell to 0-7 with a loss to the Carolina Panthers.

Fields doesn’t blame his coach for pulling him out of the game.

“Can’t be mad about the decision,” Fields told reporters. “I understand why. It’s life, it’s football. I’ve learned to not take anything personal.”

The Jets turned to Taylor to start the second half after Fields threw for just 46 yards on 6-of-12 passing in the first half. New York trailed 13-3 at the time of Fields’ benching.

Taylor didn’t necessarily turn things around, as he threw for 126 yards and a pair of interceptions in the 13-6 loss. From Glenn’s point of view, he was hoping for a “spark” coming out of halftime.

“We needed a spark at that time. I felt it was the right time to do it,” Glenn told reporters.

Glenn added that it was “a tough decision” to pull Fields out of the game.

“It’s always a tough decision, but as the head coach, you have to take a look at what is best for you to to put yourself in a position to go win the game,” he said. “And that’s the only thing that was going through my mind when I was walking in.”

Fields’ tenure with the Jets has not gone well so far as he’s thrown for just 845 yards and four touchdowns through six games, adding 257 yards and three scores on the ground. The 26-year-old was hoping to hit the reset button after his time with the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers, but so far, he’s left much to be desired.

Whether he will get the chance to turn things around next week or if the Jets will stick with Taylor remains to be seen.

Source link

Up until Saturday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets, the Nashville Predators didn’t have a lot of issues when it came to starting off games.

In four of their first five games of the season, if Nashville wasn’t scoring in the first period, it was scoring the first goal of the game. The 7-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs was the only game out of the first five where the Predators didn’t have a first-period goal or score the first of the match.

Facing off against the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners, the Winnipeg Jets, following that trend would’ve been critical for the Predators to keep pace with Winnipeg. That did not happen.

Steven Stamkos took a hooking penalty a minute into the game, allowing the third-best power play in the NHL to go to work and take a 1-0 lead less than three minutes into the game.

Halfway through the period, Nino Niederreiter snuck past the defense and scored on a breakaway to make it 2-0 Winnipeg. Six minutes after that, Brady Skjei was called for hooking.

A disastrous first period put the Predators in a hole that they were unable to dig themselves out of, falling to Winnipeg, 4-1.

“We didn’t start on time,” Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said. “We took a bad penalty right away against a really good power play and made a mental mistake on the second goal. It was a lot of things we’ve haven’t done this year so far that crept into the game a little bit.”

The Predators struggled to get the offense going in the first period as well, getting outshot 11-5 before registering 10 more shots in the second period. To Nashville’s credit, outside of a bad fight by Michael McCarron and a slashing peanlty by Roman Josi that led to a Jets goal in third period, the Predators evened out the game.

Throughout this four-game road trip, where the Predators posted a 1-2-1 record, Nashville has shown flashes that they can be a good team and play complete periods.

“You see the images of when we play a certain way and it’s a good picture,” Brunette said. “For us, going forward, we need to be a little more consistent with that from the puck drop. For the most part, through this trip, we have been.”

The biggest thing the Predators need to avoid is bad habits from last season. The power play needs to improve as it is sitting at a low 8.7% efficiency. Its offense needs to start scoring more, as its 15 goals for in six games is tied for the 10th lowest in the league.

Then there’s the penalty minutes. The Predators are smack dab in the middle of the league with 49 penalty minutes in six games, but it’s about the type of penalties that are taken and when.

McCarron, who was one of the league leaders in penalties and led the Predators in fights last season with nine, squared off against Logan Stanley when the Predators were down 2-0 in the second period.

While McCarron was likely trying to “fire up” the Predators, Nashville was playing predominantly better already than in the first period. It outshot Winnipeg 15-4 and went to the power play three times.

Returning to Nashville with a balanced 2-2-2 record, the Predators have a five-game home stand to take advantage of and potentially turn things around halfway through the first month of play.

Source link

The San Francisco 49ers could use some defensive reinforcements given the injuries they are dealing with this season, and they are reportedly interested in a handful of New York Jets players ahead of the Nov. 4 trade deadline.

ESPN’s Rich Cimini reported Sunday there is belief around the league the 49ers will inquire about edge rushers Jermaine Johnson and Will McDonald IV and linebacker Quincy Williams.

Notably, former Jets head coach Robert Saleh is the defensive coordinator for the 49ers. Cimini called that trio of defensive players “some of Saleh’s favorites in New York,” so there is already an obvious connection in place.

What’s more, Williams is playing on the final year of his deal, so the Jets may want to move him and get something back in return before he potentially leaves next offseason.

New York is 0-6 and already seems to be playing out the string on a lost season. Whether it is these defensive players, running back Breece Hall or someone else, it is an obvious trade candidate team that could start focusing on the future with draft assets.

San Francisco is a team that entered the season with a win-now plan, and a 4-2 start has done nothing to quell those expectations. However, defensive stars Nick Bosa and Fred Warner are both out for the season.

Williams could help make up for some of the veteran leadership lost with Warner in the middle of the defense after four straight seasons with more than 100 tackles, while Johnson and McDonald are potential replacements for Bosa on the edge.

It is unrealistic to expect either of them to be as productive as Bosa, but the 49ers need healthy players to bolster their depth chart.

And Saleh is someone who is familiar with the options from the Jets and could maximize their impact after a trade.

Source link

PHILADELPHIA — Mark Scheifele scored a pair of goals to tie the record for the most career points in Jets franchise history, Connor Hellebuyck made 15 saves, and Winnipeg beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2 on Thursday night.

Scheifele tied Blake Wheeler with 812 points for the franchise, which includes the team’s years in Atlanta.

On his first goal, Scheifele fired a snap shot from the right circle past Philadelphia goalie Sam Ersson, beating him over his glove to put the Jets ahead 2-0 at 7:01 of the second period.

His second goal was a one-timer from the left circle on the power play in the third period to extend the lead to 4-1.

Hellebucyk, the reigning Hart and Vezina Trophy winner, won a game in Philadelphia for the first time in his 11-year NHL career. He had lost in each of his four previous tries against the Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

His team helped him out in the third period, as the defense held the Flyers without a shot on goal for the first 17:39 of the period and held them with a shot at even strength for the entirety of the period.

Vladislav Namestnikov and Morgan Barron also scored goals for the Jets, and Tanner Pearson added an empty-netter to help Winnipeg win their third straight game after losing their season opener against Dallas.

Owen Tippett and Matvei Michkov scored for the Flyers and Ersson finished with 10 saves.

Winnipeg: Returns home to host Nashville on Saturday night.

Philadelphia: Continues its four-game homestand Saturday, hosting Minnesota night.

Source link

The Flyers didn’t play a good game against a top team and the result showed it.

They fell to the Jets, 5-2, Thursday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Owen Tippett drew the Flyers within 2-1 in the middle stanza. But Winnipeg responded just 1:21 minutes later with a goal off a whacky bounce to send the Flyers into second intermission trailing by two.

“I thought Tip was probably our only guy that played well tonight,” head coach Rick Tocchet said. “Then we give them that goal, that was a killer.”

About midway through the third period, Mark Scheifele put the next dagger in the Flyers with his second goal of the night, this one on the power play.

“I think it just comes down to execution,” Tippett said. “I don’t think they did anything special. It just comes down to execution and they buried on their chances and we didn’t.”

Matvei Michkov picked up a late goal before the Jets tacked on an empty-netter.

“We made some mistakes, for sure,” Travis Konecny said. “There was definitely opportunity there. I think they came out flat and so did we. It was not how we wanted to start the game. Regroup, put it aside.”

The Flyers (1-2-1) have dropped three of their first four games.

“It’s the fourth game of the year,” Tocchet said. “I know coaches say it all the time, but we can learn from this.”

The schedule hasn’t been easy. The Flyers have faced the two-time defending champion Panthers twice, a Hurricanes team that has made the playoffs in seven straight seasons and a Jets club that won the Presidents’ Trophy last season.

“It’s a tough stretch,” Tocchet said Tuesday. “You’ve got to play them eventually. We’ve got some quality opponents right away. There’s no easy game in the NHL.

“We go from the Stanley Cup champs to the Presidents’ Trophy champs. It is a tall order, but even in practice today, I see guys want these moments. … We’re looking for big moments from players. But in the meantime, you have to have the small moments to add up to the big ones.”

The Flyers don’t see the Jets (3-1-0) again until April 11 when the clubs meet at Canada Life Centre.

• At morning skate, Tocchet said the Flyers would be in trouble if they committed turnovers against a team like Winnipeg.

The Flyers had a bad one lead directly to a Jets goal in the second period. Nikita Grebenkin couldn’t handle a pretty low-key pass from Travis Sanheim. Winnipeg pounced on the mishap as Scheifele blasted a shot past Samuel Ersson to put the Flyers down 2-0.

It was a critical momentum swing because the Flyers had just come up empty on a power play.

“Winnipeg kind of played kitty by the door and they waited for their chances,” Tocchet said.

The Flyers Postgame Live crew broke down the team’s 5-2 loss Thursday night to the Jets.

• Ersson was not particularly sharp and the Flyers weren’t, either.

The netminder surrendered four goals on 14 shots.

The Jets opened the scoring 5:45 minutes into the action when Vladislav Namestnikov buried a rebound at the doorstep. Before Winnipeg got the puck in deep, it looked like Jett Luchanko had an opportunity to clear the defensive zone, but he was quickly pressured and lost the puck.

“They made a good play, I’ve just got to be able to advance the puck,” Luchanko said. “They were able to pounce on us from there.”

In the second period, the Jets countered that Tippett goal when a shot ricocheted off Adam Ginning’s stick and then clanged off Noah Cates’ backside to make it 3-1. On the NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcast, Ginning could be seen saying “no way” after the puck went into the net.

“Ginning makes a good block and then it takes a bad bounce,” Ersson said. “It’s a little sh–ty goal.”

Connor Hellebuyck, last season’s Hart Trophy winner as the league’s MVP, stopped 15 of the Flyers’ 17 shots.

“They played a perfect road game,” Tocchet said. “Plus, they’ve got Hellebuyck in net.”

The Flyers fell to the Jets, last season’s Presidents’ Trophy winner, with a 5-2 decision Thursday night.

• Michkov recorded his first point of the season with his goal late in the third period. That could be a silver lining for the Flyers, who would love to see him get going offensively.

• Cam York made his season debut after missing the first three games with a lower-body injury.

The 24-year-old played on the top defensive pair alongside Sanheim and finished with 22:32 minutes.

With York’s return, Emil Andrae was sent back to AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.

The Flyers play their third of four straight home games Saturday when they welcome the Wild (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

Source link