Arniel says Jets must take lessons from rare loss to open season
Published
The Winnipeg Jets suffered a rare loss on Thursday night when they fell 4-1 at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Winnipeg came into Thursday's game on a seven-game winning streak and were historic winners of 15 of their first 16 games of the season. The loss marked the first time the team has lost on the road this season and first defeat in November, having fallen 6-4 to the Toronto Maple Leafs back on Oct. 28.
Jets head coach Scott Arniel pointed to the defeat as a learning point for Winnipeg, with far bigger goals still ahead this season.
"End of the day, they were on a mission and they were not going to let us get into our game, and that's a good lesson for us," Arniel said of the Lightning after Thursday's game. "We know how we have to continue to play, we know what helps us have success, and just get back to that."
In the loss, Winnipeg's league-best power play was held off the score sheet for only the fifth time this season, going 0-for-5 on the man advantage.
Captain Adam Lowry agreed with Arniel's sentiment, taking the loss as a lesson in adjusting to your opponent.
"I think there were parts of our game that we liked and there were certainly times when we were happy with how we were playing with the pressure and chances we were creating," Lowry said after the game. "Sometimes you just have to be patient when a team's going to sit back... Just a little bit of stubbornness on our part."
The Jets were without starting netminder Connor Hellebuyck, who was given a rare night off after starting 13 of the team's first 17 games of the season.
Hellebuyck is the reigning Vezina Trophy winner from last year and has maintained his high quality of play this season with a 12-1-0 record along with a 1.92 goals-against average and .934 save percentage, putting him in the conversation as an early Hart Trophy candidate.
Backup netminder Eric Comrie took the loss after allowing three goals on 25 shots. His record falls to 3-1-0 on the season with a 2.77 GAA and .909 save percentage.
Coming up for the Jets are a pair of dates with the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, who lead the Atlantic Division with an 11-5-1 record. They will face them in Florida on Saturday then viewers in the Jets' region can watch the back half of the home-and-home on Tuesday from Winnipeg on TSN3 at 6:00 p.m. CT.