The sarcasm in the voice of Scott Arniel was impossible to miss.
It was early in Friday’s question and answer period when the head coach of the Winnipeg Jets fielded a query about what had not been going as smoothly during the previous two games in California, specifically pertaining to the slow starts in San Jose and Anaheim.
“It’s no secret. I don’t know if you guys have seen the standings, we are No. 1 in the league. I don’t know if you notice that,” said Arniel. “But teams are ready for us. And they’re coming out hard.”
Kyusung Gong / The Associated Press
Anaheim forward Troy Terry attacks the Jets net Wednesday in Anaheim.
There was a bit of an edge in Arniel’s voice as his team prepares to face the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.
With two games to go before the holiday break arrives, there’s little doubt that the Jets have put themselves in an excellent position.
The historic 15-1 start assured them of that.
It may have also skewed some of the external expectations.
While some observers are caught up in the fact the Jets have gone 8-9-1 since the 16-game mark, Arniel was quick to point out while the Jets are 5-4-1 during the past 10 games, the three teams closest to them in the Central Division standings were all 6-4.
This wasn’t Arniel putting on rose-coloured glasses, he was trying to provide some perspective on the rigours of a long season.
“If we had started 9-6 and got ourselves to this (record), how would we feel and how would we be looking at it?” said Arniel. “It feels great to be sitting in first place, but that is not our goal. We’ve got to win this division, first and foremost. And then whatever happens moving forward.
“There have been sputters along the way. We had a four-game losing streak and it was like the earth shattered. Teams go through it and we knew it wasn’t going to be roses all the way through. But we’ve gotten better in our last 10, in my opinion. We’ve played better.”
Speaking of early in the year, Arniel pointed to an important reason the Jets haven’t been simply running roughshod over teams lately.
“We need to get where all four (lines) are up and running, where all four are looking alike, all four are making hay each and every shift and creating chaos and forcing the opposition,” said Arniel. “Right now, it’s been a little bit of everybody being one night on, one night off. That’s kind of the consistency shift to shift, game to game that we’re hoping for and looking for.”
Back to those slow starts, which sounds like an area the Jets want to address against the Wild and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday.
“We can’t wade into games, we can’t chase games early and maybe rely on our goaltenders to make big stops. We have to be better. That’s an area that we do need to improve on, that we have to get out of the gate early,” said Arniel. “At the end of the day if you give teams momentum, teams are prepared for us and we have to make sure that we come out and make it a little bit easier on ourselves.
“If they’re expecting us to come out and play like a top team, let’s do it and maybe we win a hockey game in the first period like we did early in the year.”
The Jets are 2-0 against the Wild heading into the final meeting of the regular season, but both games were highly-entertaining and tightly-contested.
Facing a heated Central Division rival should help the Jets ensure they aren’t coasting into the holiday break.
“Again, I can only speak for myself. I don’t go out there, sitting before the game and get myself fired up because I hate the Minnesota Wild, that’s not the way it goes,” said Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers. “But you want to go out and win that game. You know the crowd is going to get into it right away. Those games are played a little harder, a little more of a playoff style and that’s what you want to get to by the end of the regular season and the quicker you can get there, the better chance you have of doing well. So these games are a lot of fun.”
Jets defenceman Dylan DeMelo conceded his team isn’t sneaking up on anybody these days and that brings with it an important responsibility that comes with the lofty position atop the NHL standings.
“So, there’s a challenge in that and there’s some pride in that. Obviously we want everybody’s best because that makes us be at our best and it’s a different role when you’re the hunted instead of hunting,” said DeMelo. “When you had a great start like us you are where you are in the standings, we are definitely the hunted. So, that’s a responsibility that we have to take on our shoulders.
“Enjoy that moment, enjoy those battles. It’s what we play for.”
On the injury front, Arniel revealed that defenceman Logan Stanley has been sidelined by a foot injury and will be out until at least after the holiday break, so Ville Heinola will be shifting to his strong side on the third pairing with Colin Miller.
Heinola has played in eight games since returning from a foot issue and he’s been working hard to get back up to speed after being on the shelf since the second day of training camp.
The Finnish blue-liner is still looking for his first point of the season, but he’s been working hard at earning the trust of the coaching staff in his quest to become an NHL regular.
Speaking of injured defencemen, Arniel also said he’s hoping that Dylan Samberg will be back on the ice with the Jets (most likely in a non-contact jersey) on Dec. 27 when the team returns from the holiday break.
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The Jets have missed Samberg since he left the lineup with a broken foot after blocking a one-timer from Steven Stamkos on Nov. 23.
“He’s become a top-four defenceman and those guys don’t just fall out of trees,” said Arniel. “He’s learned how to become that. Him and (Neal) Pionk, (with) their chemistry. They’re so good together. And he’s one of our elite penalty killers. So that’s an elite piece that comes out of your lineup when one of those top four guys comes out.”
Jets forward David Gustafsson missed Friday’s workout due to an illness, but he’s getting closer to returning to action after being sidelined with a concussion since Dec. 10.
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Ken WiebeSports reporter
Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken.
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