Kelly who is best known for his work on TSN and NHL Network loves the way the Lowry line is getting the recognition that they deserve outside of Manitoba.
“I feel like we've talked forever about the Jets top six and in the past, certainly all the firepower there,” said Kelly.
“They still have a lot but when you got a third line that can not only tilt the ice but score, they've been on for eight goals for and one against, that's significant.”
Appleton (3G, 6A) and Niederreiter (5G, 4A) are tied with Kyle Connor (6G, 3A) and Mark Scheifele (4G, 5A) for the team lead in scoring. The 27-year Appleton is more than halfway to the 16 points he put up in 41 games in 2022-23.
“It’s been a blast. We like to go to work together, and we managed to score some pretty nice goals, obviously. I think it’s a lot of simple, direct hockey, where we can all read off each other, feed off each other,” said Appleton following the Jets win Saturday in Tempe.
“We really pride ourselves in winning battles and getting first touches on pucks and not giving up on any play. So, when those come around, then you score. You score nice ones; you score ugly ones.”
The 19-3 cycle chances ratio speaks to what Appleton was saying the other day. Simply, the Lowry line is doing their job well and then some more on top of that,
“Play in there (ozone) for 30 seconds, make the goalie cover the puck, make the other team ice whatever, set up an ozone draw for your top guys. That, that's fine. This line is doing more than that,” said Kelly.
“They're taking that zone time, turning it into solid opportunities. You see by the 19 to 3 advantage in cycle chances.”
Niederreiter started the year with Cole Perfetti and Nikolaj Ehlers and you have to wonder how the lineup will look when Gabe Vilardi returns to the lineup. But if this keeps up, Scott Arniel will be hard pressed to break up the Lowry line. The Swiss forward is in the final year of his contract, and it sounds like he wants to remain a Jet. The trade with Nashville last year looks to be a steal for Kevin Cheveldayoff.
“I think what Winnipeg was hoping that they were getting the type of player that he's showing that he can be and more importantly for him to be able to kind of take some of the raw tools that he has that make him an effective player,” said Kelly.
To be able to produce offense and really see results, at least early in the season, it's got to be huge for his confidence.”
The Jets close out their three-game road trip tonight in St. Louis against the Blues, the second meeting of the season between the Central Division rivals. In their first meeting back on October 24th, guess who was the best line 5v5 that night?
I think you know the answer.
