Five Unanswered

This team will continue to flounder unless the coaching staff can figure out how to get 18 players in front of the netminders to play the same game for a full sixty minutes. In tonight's episode of "How'd The Jets Do?", the Calgary Flames, who trailed 3-1 after one period, hung five unanswered goals on the Jets to claim the 6-3 victory in a game in which the visiting team played a solid opening period and then forgot what made them successful in that opening stanza.

"We have to realize what gives us success as a group," Tyler Myers told NHL.com's Aaron Vickers. "We can take a look at that first period and try and build off of that, but we've got to break that habit of trying to do something more when things get a little tight."

Things seemed final, but things came unraveled in a matter of 9:56 in the second period when the Flames lit up the Jets for four goals to take a 5-3 lead. TJ Brodie, Micheal Ferland, Johnny Gaudreau, and Kris Versteeg scored between 8:42 and 18:38 in the middle frame, and the Jets looked like they were shell-shocked from offensive barrage. The Johnny Gaudreau goal, which put the Flames up 4-3, saw Mathieu Perreault lose his jockstrap on the TJ Brodie move, but check out the solid defensive effort from Patrik Laine in his own zone on this shift.

Outstanding work by Laine to pick up the unchecked Gaudreau - excuse my sarcasm. Even better was the outstanding work to simply allow that pass to go across the high slot from face-off circle to the face-off dot to the back of the net. He doesn't pick up a man, he doesn't get a stick or body in the lane after Brodie shakes Perreault loose, and the end result is the Jets finishing the puck out from behind Steve Mason again.

Need more proof this team hasn't a clue on defence?

A turnover at the blue line will often see players out of position, but this one is egregious. Brandon Tanev tries to pick up Versteeg, but he's unable to catch him. However, what in the heck are Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Copp doing pleasure skating back to the crease area? Byfuglien, of all people as a defenceman, should have double-timed it over to where Versteeg was headed to break up that play, but the end result of the red light being on tells me that these Jets players are waiting for someone else to do the dirty work. As seen with Tanev, he couldn't get there in time, and the Jets found themselves down 5-3 at that point. Would Byfuglien have made it? I can't say yes, but his presence alone may have changed Versteeg's course to the puck.

The Jets are now 0-2, have given up 13 goals in those two games, and haven't been close to playing a full sixty-minute game. They move onto Edmonton for a game on Monday evening, and it appears the Oilers aren't having a very good game as they trail the Canucks 3-1. Could we see an angry Oilers team on Monday? Will it matter with how the Jets are playing?

Something needs to change here. And quickly.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!