Jets rally, but fall short against Caps in Lowry's head coaching debut

WINNIPEG - The Winnipeg Jets (13-11-5) did all they could to try and earn a victory in Dave Lowry's first game as the interim head coach, but Vitek Vanecek had other ideas.
The Washington Capitals goaltender made 40 saves as the visitors handed the Jets a 5-2 loss at Canada Life Centre on Friday night.
"When you put up 40 shots you're doing something right," Lowry said. "I thought it might have taken us a little while to get it going, but the second period I thought we did a good job of playing fast, managing the puck, creating opportunities."
The high-danger chances narrowly favoured the Jets at five-on-five (14-13, according to Natural Stat Trick) but highlight reel saves from Vanecek - including a couple on Mark Scheifele and his linemate Nikolaj Ehlers.
"Those are the ones we have to start putting into the back of the net," said Ehlers, who finished with two assists. "We're going to keep working on our game. There's not excuses out there, we just got to put pucks in the back of the net, it's that easy and play well as a team, and I believe this team can do that."

Winnipeg is 4-8-2 in their last 14 games, but it's not for a lack of trying to bust out of it.
The Jets are seventh in the National Hockey League in shots on goal in that span (463) but are 31st in shooting percentage (7.1 percent).
The focus has been getting to the middle of the ice, creating traffic, and creating chaos. They did that against Washington, but didn't get the reward at the end of the night.
"We have a lot of high-end skilled guys; they're shooters," Lowry said. "When you have guys who can shoot the puck, you need to find some guys who are willing to go to the net. That is something we will continue to work at. It's something we will continue to show."
After a scoreless first, Washington got on the board first with Brett Leason's third of the season. It came after a couple dominating shifts from the Jets, who couldn't capitalize on their opportunities. At the other end of the ice, Leason found some space in the slot and beat Hellebuyck under the glove with 16:49 to go in the second.

Then, shortly after Scheifele was robbed by Vanecek on a cross-crease pass at one end, the Capitals made it 2-0 at the other. Daniel Sprong took a pass in the left circle from Aliaksei Protas and fired home his fifth off the campaign with 11:17 remaining in the middle frame.
Seconds before the goal, though, it looked like the Capitals got away with having too many men on the ice.
"That is obviously a bounce that we felt didn't go our way," Lowry said. "Their player was in behind him and he thought that he was off the ice. You know, there is not a lot that you can do."
Winnipeg cut that lead in half with 5:28 left in the second, and it was a former Capital that did it. Brenden Dillon's snap shot from just outside the top of the left circle beat a screened Vanecek on the glove side, pulling the Jets within one.

Dillon's first goal as a member of the Jets came against his old club.
"It's obviously nice to contribute like that. (Ehlers) made a great play," Dillon said. "I think he's given me about 20 of those this year, so it was nice to finally put one in."
An early power play in the third period gave the Jets a chance to tie it up, and that's exactly what they did. Josh Morrissey fired a wrist shot from the high slot into the top corner for his fifth of the season (surpassing last season's total of four), with Ehlers picking up his second assist of the game.
It was Morrissey's fourth power play goal of the season, and it came on the night that Jamie Kompon rejoined the Jets coaching staff after spending the first 34 games in California with his wife Tina - who is battling cancer.
"It's huge having Jamie here," Lowry said. "I think you all know his value to our organization and our staff. He has been greatly missed and he brought a lot of life and a lot of energy to the bench tonight. We are super excited that he is back."
The Capitals took the lead back with 10:51 to go in regulation, as Conor Sheary banged home a loose puck in the crease, the result of a point shot that went off Connor Hellebuyck and the post, before falling into the blue paint.

It's the kind of bounce the Jets have been working hard to get.
"We'd like to get one of those our way, but at the same time we can only really look at how it happens, maybe plays leading up to it or how we would stop it in the future," said Dillon. "Maybe it is finding a bounce or working for it or an off-the-shinpads, and I think with our team, we're so talented, we want to make that one great play because we know we can make it. Sometimes it might just take a knuckle or something to get us going."
Empty net goals from Michael Sgarbossa and Alex Ovechkin turned a 3-2 game into a 5-2 final.
Next, the Jets host the Blues on Sunday to close out the home stand.
ICE CHIPS
David Gustafsson and Evgeny Svechnikov left the game with injuries.
Gustafsson, who just earned a recall from the Manitoba Moose on Thursday, crashed into the post in the first period after 2:37 of ice time.
Svechnikov left in the third period following a collision in the neutral zone. The forward finished the night with 9:10 of ice time and two shots on goal.
Both players will be re-evaluated on Saturday.