Blake Wheeler: “Adversity is a Real Good Thing”

The Winnipeg Jets are losers of six of their last seven games. The team’s 9-3-3 record from November 17 has quickly turned into a near-even 10-8-4 team stat line. From sitting atop the Central Division to now ranking third, the second half of the month of November has been one to forget in Winnipeg.

Sure, the schedule has not been kind to the team, but learning how to win away from Canada Life Centre will be important for a team looking to leave its mark in the 2022 postseason. Currently owning just a 3-5-3 record away from home this season, Winnipeg’s road struggles were put on full display over the past week-and-a-half.

“We just played eight games in eight different time zones,” Jets captain Blake Wheeler said on Monday. “I think it was the biggest bulk of our schedule. Not to make excuses, but I really think we are not getting the doors blown off by any means. The Minnesota game was an anomaly. Those happen. But we are playing pretty well. The offensive production is the part that is lacking, and that’s never been a problem with our team. Adversity is a really good thing.”

Dropping five straight from the 18th to 26th of November, the Jets seemingly hit an all-time low by way of the aforementioned 7-1 blowout loss to the Minnesota Wild in the State of Hockey on Thanksgiving Friday. But then on Saturday evening, Winnipeg bounced back with a 4-2 come-from-behind victory over a red-hot Calgary Flames team.

But, come Monday night, the Jets were back to their old tricks, beginning a four-game homestand with a 1-0 shutout loss to rookie netminder Karel Vejmelka and the league’s 31st-place Arizona Coyotes. Despite putting up 46 shots on net and more than tripling their opponents on the shot chart, the Jets’ offence just couldn’t buy a goal, even with the help of its raucous home crowd.

“When you go through tough times, that’s when you find out what you’re made of,” Wheeler added. “If you just coast through the season and score goals at will, you’re going to get punched in the mouth in the playoffs; how are you going to deal with it? I think our group going through some adversity and learning how to win games without relying on the offence, that is going to make us grow a lot.”

The team’s power play is currently in a 2-for-34 funk, including its 0-for-6 showing on Monday night. Currently ranked No. 21 in the league, the power play isn’t even the worst part of the Jets’ special teams. Its penalty kill (68.9 percent) sits 30th overall following its showing with the ‘Yotes.

“We had plenty of meat on that bone tonight,” Wheeler said of his team’s power play performance. “There were some looks, empty nets, ones we typically put in, but tonight wasn’t our night.”

Next up for Winnipeg is the continuation of a four-game homestand at Canada Life Centre. Sixty-four million dollar man Jack Hughes and New Jersey Devils roll into town on Friday, before an all-Canadian showdown on Sunday evening with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Jets finish their four-game stay with a Tuesday night battle against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

“It’s a long season, and every team goes through it,” Paul Stastny said following Monday’s loss. “It doesn’t matter if it’s early in the season, middle or late in the season. You might go through it a couple of times. But you don’t want that cheat in the game and you don’t want guys to quit on each other. I think we’re not doing that and staying focused on the task at hand… We’ll get a bit of rest here the next couple of days, recover a little bit, and then be ready for Friday against New Jersey.”