Jets aim to return to playoffs after solid 1st half

DETROIT -- When Andrew Copp left the Winnipeg Jets on March 21, the mood was sour.

The Jets were on their way to missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in five seasons. With his contract expiring after the season, the forward was sent to the New York Rangers before the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline.
But when Copp met eight former teammates for dinner in suburban Detroit on Monday, things had changed.
"It was a very happy mood that they were in," said Copp, who signed with the Detroit Red Wings as an unrestricted free agent July 13. "I don't know if that was to see me or because of the record or what."
Copp laughed.
The record might have had something to do with it.
Winnipeg had one of the best first halves in franchise history despite a 7-5 loss at Detroit on Tuesday.
The Jets are 26-14-1 at the midpoint, second in the Central Division.
Their 26 wins are tied for the most through 41 games since the Atlanta Thrashers joined the NHL as an expansion team in 1999-2000. (The team moved to Winnipeg and became the Jets after the 2010-11 season.)
Their .646 points percentage is tied for third through 41 games. The Jets had a .659 points percentage in 2018-19, when they were 26-13-2; the Thrashers had a .659 points percentage in 2006-07, when they were 24-11-6.

"It's not surprising that they've done well but maybe a little bit surprising how well they've done," said Copp, who played eight seasons for the Jets. "And I think that speaks to really how talented the room is, and when they put it all together, it clicks."
It didn't click last season.
Paul Maurice resigned as coach Dec. 17, 2001, saying the Jets needed a new voice. At that point, he was in his ninth season with them, and they were 13-10-5, fifth in the Central.
Dave Lowry was 26-22-6 as interim coach the rest of the way, the Jets finishing 39-32-11, sixth in the division.
Forward Mark Scheifele made headlines after the season finale. Even though he was signed for two more seasons, he said he needed to know where the team was going and what changes would be made, because he had to think about his career and what would be best for him.
Then the Jets hired Rick Bowness as coach July 4.
"I knew the nucleus was there, and it was a better team than it showed," Bowness said. "Let's put it that way."
The Jets announced Sept. 16 they would not have a captain, removing forward Blake Wheeler from the role he had held since Aug. 31, 2016. Wheeler said he had talked with the Jets about a trade but decided to stay.
Bowness said at the time Wheeler would continue to lead, but the Jets wanted more players to share in the responsibility.
He said Tuesday the Jets had to get the players on the same page and away from the distractions around the team.
"We've had to fix that first and foremost, because you're not going to fix the X's and O's on the ice until you change the culture," Bowness said. "The culture wasn't nearly as bad as perceived, so that was a certain help."
The X's and O's came next, though.
The Jets have been better defensively, reducing the Grade A scoring chances and bringing out the best in goalie Connor Hellebuyck.
The loss at Detroit, where Hellebuyck allowed six goals on 22 shots, was an anomaly. He won the Vezina Trophy voted as the best NHL goalie in 2019-20 and ranks second in the NHL in wins (20) this season. Among goalies who have played at least 20 games, he's fifth in goals-against average (2.42) and third in save percentage (.924).

The Jets have gotten more out of their defensemen too, Bowness encouraging them to jump up in the play. They have 105 points from their blue line, including 46 from Josh Morrissey (seven goals, 39 assists), who is tied for second in the NHL among defensemen with Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres (13 goals, 33 assists).
Despite illness, injury and a challenging schedule in December, Winnipeg has improved across the board compared to last season, going from 3.05 goals per game to 3.34, 3.09 goals against per game to 2.68, 21.1 percent on the power play to 23.8, and 75.0 percent on the penalty kill to 82.5.
"When you try to win every game 5-4, you miss the playoffs in this league, so we had to tighten things up," Bowness said. "I thought we were making really good strides for a while. Then the injuries hit and the schedule hit, and we lost a little bit of the way we were playing. But we're going to get it back now that the lineup is back.
"So we're happy where we are, knowing we're going to keep getting better."
That's the challenge now -- to keep getting better, to finish first in the Central at best, to make the playoffs at worst.
This is a nice start. The goal, as general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff reaffirmed after the disappointment of last season, remains the Stanley Cup.
"I think we've had a good first half of the season," forward Sam Gagner said. "We like where we're at. But at the same time, I think there's still room for growth, and we feel that in here. We're confident that we're going to get to another level."