That Deju Vu Feeling

Last season, it was easier to accept the slide that the Jets went on after winning the first game against Vegas. It still hurt to watch them drop a game in overtime where they rallied with three goals in the third period that could have had them up 2-1 rather than down 2-1 in the series, but that's how those games went against a far superior opponent. The Jets showed they could hang, but the Golden Knights knew how to close out games without giving a lot up, and the Jets were nothing more than a footnote in Vegas' Stanley Cup-winning season.

Fast forward to this season, it seemed like Jets had all the accolades and statistics to pose a serious threat to Colorado, yet tonight's game felt a lot like Game Two against Vegas where a 2-2 game after 40 minutes was broken wide open by the Golden Knights for a 5-2 finish. I don't know what it will take for the Jets to put the Avalanche away in a game, let alone the series, but they need to figure it out before Sunday.

The biggest issues I see right now are Hellebuyck being able to see pucks and defending inside the "home plate" danger area. The first is simple because Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen are making life in front of Hellebyuck very difficult, and the Jets are doing little to help their goaltender see pucks coming in from above the face-off circles. Until someone makes life very uncomfortable for those two Avalanche players - who have three goals apiece - the Jets might as well open a campground in front of their crease with how often those two camp there without handing out s'mores.

The second issue is that whole "home plate" danger area where Colorado sends players through from east to west looking for deflections on shots from the top while positioning themselves in open spots once they finish their cuts. It's almost like basketball where the cutting player is looking for that open space at the end of the cut if they don't get the pass in the slot, and the Jets seem to lose checks, forget about players, or collapse in too far to be able to react quick enough to stop the second opportunities. This chaos caused by the Avalanche and their movement has caught a number of Jets too far away from a check to do anything to stop them, and the result is a flashing red light.

With Brendan Dillon's hand putting him in question for Game Four, the Jets aren't exactly built with earth-moving defenders on their blue line. You won't get that kind of play from Josh Morrissey or Neal Pionk. DeMelo and Samberg will give it the ol' college try, but both are going to struggle hard against the 6'4", 210-pound Nichushkin. That kind of size isn't moved very well unless a guy like Logan Stanley is willing to pay the price, and I'm not sure we've seen that mean streak from Stanley in front of the net ever.

Lehkonen will be the easier of the two to move at 5'11" and 179 pounds, but he's also tough as nails when he gets into the dirty areas of the ice. Nearly all of his goals in the regular season came within three feet of the crease, and the vast majority were scored standing at the very top of the crease. In other words, not many defenders moved him when he got in position, and he was highly successful when he got to his spots. That should concern the Jets in a big way.

Both of these would help solve the second problem as well as the Jets are often trying to defend the middle of the ice when a shot gets through to Hellebuyck because of players cutting and the guys who are visiting Camp Goal Crease, and shots hitting Hellbuyck aren't being controlled like they were in the regular season. We've seen pucks bounce out without Hellebuyck knowing where they've gone and he's often frantically searching for pucks that hit bodies in front of him. If he can see the puck, he can freeze the puck.

Right now, though, it's fundamentals on the first save and scrambling on the second and third shots. None of that is how a Vezina-calibre goalie would play throughout the season, but it's been to what Hellebuyck has been reduced thanks to the Avalanche going to the net, putting lots of shots on, and pouncing on rebounds as the Jets flounder. As a result, 17 goals-against in three games should have the Jets in a foul mood if they hope to return home tied 2-2 in the series.

The Jets need to get back to basics when it comes to defence: stand players up at the blue line, protect the middle of the ice, close gaps quickly, and clear the front of the net. As Chris Martin of Coldplay sang in The Scientist, "Nobody said it was easy/No one ever said it would be so hard/I'm going back to the start". That would be a good place for the Jets to go if they're going to climb out of this hole in which they've allowed the Avalanche to put them.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!