‘They were dangerous’: Jets’ second line drives offensive attack in overtime win

Is the Winnipeg Jets’ second line evolving from a glaring weakness to, dare we say… a strength? 

It’s certainly trending that way. 

All year long, Mark Scheifele’s line has been exceptional, Adam Lowry’s line has remained rock solid and the rotating cast of fourth-liners have won their minutes. But that second line of Nikolaj Ehlers, Vladislav Namestnikov and Cole Perfetti? It’s been a black hole offensively. 

Until now. 

Since being reunited in the wake of Lowry’s injury, that trio has out-chanced opponents 35-22 and registered three five-on-five goals through five games.

But of all their eye-popping shifts and sequences lately, nothing compares to what they did during Saturday’s 5-4 overtime win over the Washington Capitals. On a night when Scheifele’s line was relatively cold (by their standards), the Jets’ second line drove the team’s offensive attack.

“I thought Vladdy’s line was outstanding,” Scott Arniel told reporters post-game. “I thought that him, Fetts and Fly did a great job. Every time they were out there, they were dangerous. They had O-zone time, they hounded pucks.”

In the first period — where they out-chanced the opposition 7-0 — Perfetti drew a hooking penalty at the 12:12 mark following a prolonged stretch of effective cycling. A beautiful cross-crease pass by Perfetti, amidst the hold, led to two wide-open chances for Namestnikov and Ehlers. At the 7:19 mark, a zone entry from Perfetti and Ehlers — followed by a subsequent scoring chance that Namestnikov fanned on — laid the groundwork for Dylan Samberg’s goal, which put the Jets up 2-0.

All game long, that trio was able to generate rush chances, convert defensive stops into offensive chances and outplay whichever line the best team in the East matched them up against.

It was the type of performance that ought to make Jets personnel exhale and say ‘Finally.’ 

“That line, they have to give us that kind of offensive output so we’re a lot more dangerous than just Scheif’s line,” Arniel told reporters after Thursday’s 6-2 win over the Bruins.

This is why Arniel has been so set on these three playing together. And while we’ve made the argument that a more balanced middle-six would best suit this team’s personnel, Arniel’s logic isn’t hard to grasp. 

The Jets need Ehlers and Perfetti to be their second wave of attack.

Theoretically, the best way for each of them to do that is by playing together and not subdividing the second line minutes among two lines. As great as Ehlers was alongside Lowry, Arniel’s going to want to have the luxury of being able to deploy Lowry as a true shutdown centre, rather than a player tasked with creating offence alongside Ehlers. As effective as Perfetti was with Nino Niederreiter and Rasmus Kupari, neither of those two are going to be able to get the most out of Perfetti. 

In the past, Ehlers and Perfetti weren’t jiving, with the latter struggling to make plays at top speed (a huge red flag if you’re playing with the Danish speedster). But things are clicking now. Since those two were reunited, Perfetti has looked more engaged in all areas of the ice — being more of a “prick” to play against, as he coined it — and he’s recorded seven points in his last five games. They’ve been more direct in the neutral zone, making a conscious effort to go north-south rather than east-west. And they’re finding one another in the offensive zone — Perfetti has been able to set up Ehlers for some high-end chances. 

Now, all Winnipeg needs is a bona fide second-line centre to get even more out of those two.

That said, the options out there are scarce. Over the last few days, we’ve seen Mikael Granlund shipped to Dallas, Yanni Gourde injured and Brock Nelson’s deadline day availability come into question, given that the Isles have won six straight. 

That said, the options out there are scarce. Over the last few days, we’ve seen Mikael Granlund shipped to Dallas, Yanni Gourde injured, and Brock Nelson’s availability for deadline day come into question, given that the Isles have won six straight.

Namestnikov may be far from an ideal ‘2C,’ but if the Jets are forced to deploy him there — it may not be that much of an issue. 

That is, assuming Ehlers and Perfetti can continue to build off this chemistry.

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