Arniel Calls Jets ‘Soft’ in Fiery Postgame Comments

Following a 5-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel ripped his team during a 68-second postgame media availability.

“We were looking for a pond hockey, don’t get hit, don’t hit anybody. Just play an easy, soft game. That’s pretty much what we did for two periods,” Arniel said when tearing into the Jets team.

With a 1-1 game headed into the third period, the Jets were fighting to keep the mark alive and hopefully force extra time or score a goal to restore their lead.

The Canada Life Centre was at full capacity tonight, one of their few sellouts of the season, and when things got out of reach, the Red Wings fans and some Jets fans made themselves heard.

With the goalie pulled, a fan screamed, “Do something!” which was incredibly audible in the building as Winnipeg displayed zero urgency after going down 3-1 around the halfway mark of the third period.

Later on, a loud “Let’s Go Red Wings!” chant developed late in the third period when the Red Wings went up 4-1.

It certainly felt like the fans began to turn out of frustration, and Scott Arniel was clear that the game wasn’t something that turned tonight.

“That game didn’t turn,” Arniel said to the media. “That was one of the most embarrassing games for me in the last month – all of us,” Arniel said when asked if the game turned at any point in the third period.

It was clear from the moment that Arniel’s availability started that he was upset with the Jets’ performance. Given that the Jets didn’t push back following JT Compher’s first goal of the night and the tying goal, Arniel had reason to be upset.

“We’re fighting for our lives, and we go out and lay that egg,” Arniel said as his media availability was drawing to a close.

Giveaways and being unable to sustain any pressure for long stretches of time decimated the Jets’ chances of closing the gap, and once Detroit settled into a fast game, Winnipeg was dead in the water.

Arniel’s comments are likely the culmination of frustrations that have accumulated over time and are now reaching its boiling point.

Winnipeg and Detroit locked horns in the first period, and it was a fairly even 20 minutes. It was a similar stretch in the second period, but it is worth noting that it’s unknown which two periods Arniel was talking about.

One must mention that five unanswered goals by the Detroit Red Wings certainly left a sour taste in the coach’s mouth.

Back-to-back daggers by JT Compher prompted the start of the run, and the speed of Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat, and Marco Kasper locked it in for the Red Wings late when they needed it.

“That was two points that we needed badly. Not good enough,” Arniel said to end his fiery postgame comments.

Three questions in total were asked, and sometimes less is more. As seen and heard in Arniel’s postgame presser, the Jets are in a spot where it all matters now.

Arniel said it clearly: the Winnipeg Jets are fighting for their lives right now. If this were an outlier game, Arniel may not have been as frustrated with the team. However, Winnipeg sits eight points out of a wildcard spot, and their margin for error continues to shrink.

As secondary scoring has been an issue for a good chunk of the season, it’s emerging far too late with this team.

The Jets sit seventh in the Central Division, and they’re not too far removed from their 11-game losing streak.

The Jets don’t have an easy schedule until the Olympic break either. If they want to start accumulating points and get themselves back into a tight race for a wildcard spot, they must win games on their upcoming four-game road trip.

Winnipeg ends the home stand having lost their last two games. They begin their road trip on Tuesday night in New Jersey against the Devils. They’ll make stops in Tampa Bay to face the Lightning, Florida to face the Panthers, and Dallas to face the Stars.