Lowry's big night personifies Jets' growth

WINNIPEG - It was way back on Nov. 1, 2016.
The Winnipeg Jets had just rallied from a third-period deficit to level the score, 2-2, with the Washington Capitals and were seconds away from sending the game to overtime.
It never got that far, though.
Capitals forward Jay Beagle scored the winning goal with under 30 seconds to play after winning an offensive-zone faceoff, driving the net and depositing a loose puck after establishing body position with the very man he beat on the dot moments earlier.
That man - the one taking the barbs and facing the music post-game - was a young Adam Lowry who, in a cruel twist of fate, scored the emotional game-tying goal earlier in the final frame.
It was a moment Head Coach Paul Maurice knew would be painful at the time, but would one day prove to be an invaluable lesson for the raw, then-23-year-old forward.

"There's going to come a time when he takes that draw in a far more important game with the experience he got tonight.
"That's the job he's training to do."
Fast forward a year-and-a-half, and with the Jets protecting a one-goal lead late in Game 1 of their First Round series against the Minnesota Wild, and there was No. 17 back in the circle to the left of Connor Hellebuyck, staring down one of the league's best in Mikko Koivu.
In a span of only 15 seconds, Lowry won three straight draws - the last with only seven ticks left on the clock, allowing linemate Andrew Copp to easily clear the zone and help the Jets draw first blood in the best-of-seven series.

"You want to be out there in those key situations and you want to be taking those key draws," Lowry said following Thursday's optional practice at Bell MTS Place. "You certainly don't expect to win every faceoff - if you look at the top guys, they're only winning about six of every 10 draws - but (at the very least), you're seeing where their shots are going to come from and you're trying not to lose it clean so they get a clean pay off the faceoff.
"Fortunately, I was able to get those ones back and were able to clear the zone without allowing them any time to set up. It's great to see the work that we've put in to faceoffs paying off."
Indeed, it's one of the tangible areas of Lowry's game that has improved the most over the past year, having jumped more than five per cent to an elite, 55 per cent mark in the dot here today. Along with ample practice time and the cutting-edge coaching of Assistant Coach Todd Woodcroft, Lowry credits the access to video as being a big reason why he's taken that part of his game to a new level this year.

"Some of it comes with experience… and getting to know certain guys and their tendencies," Lowry said. "(Woodcroft) does a great deal of work with us and he presents us with a lot of video, so going into a faceoff, we always have a plan, we're always prepared, and we kind of know what to expect with each and every guy we're going against."
Of course, it wasn't just in the faceoff circle where the 6-foot-5, 210-pound pivot had an impact in Game 1.
The fourth line of Lowry, Copp and Brandon Tanev was one of the top trios in the win, combining for seven shots, a number of high quality scoring chances, nine hits, and all the while delivering a rock-solid defensive game that helped keep the Wild's top guns off the board.
Lowry finished the night with a 69 per cent efficiency in the faceoff circle.
With a game like that and those oh-so critical draws won clean to give the franchise its first-ever post-season victory, the forward's big night personifies the growth of this team and the work they've put in just to get here.
Maurice was right. There was a more important game than the one back in 2016.
"That's what he's been training to do."
- Ryan Dittrick, WinnipegJets.com