Perfetti’s perseverence pays off with huge night against Kings

Perfetti’s perseverence pays off with huge night against Kings

It’s one thing to portray patience and positivity, as Cole Perfetti did while the healthy scratches — something he’d never previously experienced in his hockey career — began to pile up.

When opportunity knocks, be ready. Boy, was he ever.

A terrific two-goal, one-assist performance Monday night by the 22-year-old forward — in a game he wasn’t even supposed to suit up for — has raised an interesting question for the Winnipeg Jets.

How in the world does team brass park him back in the press box now?

“We will see what the lineup looks like on Thursday. You know I’m not going to answer that,” coach Rick Bowness said in the aftermath of a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

It snapped the Central Division squad’s season-high six-game winless streak.

When top winger Tyler Toffoli called in sick, the door opened for Perfetti to move from what was expected to be a third consecutive scratch (and seventh this season) to a prime spot on the second line with centre Sean Monahan and Kyle Connor.

In 60 magical minutes, Perfetti had equalled his point production over the previous 26 games dating back to Jan. 9 when he also had two goals and an assist against the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets.

“I’m not going to lie, it wasn’t easy. It has been tough the last little bit,” Perfetti said, during a post-game scrum.

“I just tried to come to work every day with a positive mindset and be a good teammate. If an opportunity presented itself, I just wanted to be ready. An opportunity came (Monday) and I just tried whatever I could to seize the moment. The last 25 games have been a roller-coaster. But just being ready at all times and staying engaged and focused in practices and just trying to be the best I can be. (Monday) felt really good.”

Assuming Toffoli has shaken the bug by the time the Jets host the Calgary Flames on Thursday night, what might that mean for Perfetti?

One option is leaving him exactly where he is and finding another spot for Toffoli on another line. In a results-oriented business, shouldn’t Perfetti be given another look almost immediately?

“He played a great game. Nice to see him using his tools out there and playing with confidence,” said defenceman Josh Morrissey, who scored his ninth goal of the season off a beautiful dish from Perfetti.

Not only did the 2020 first-round draft pick have a three-point night, but Connor racked up three assists while Monahan scored his 24th of the year.

“Obviously, the Monahan line had a big night for us. That made the difference in the game,” said Bowness.

Does that sound like a trio to immediately disassemble?

“(Perfetti) has been working really hard. The coaches have been spending a lot of time with him,” Bowness continued. “I did tell him, ‘Listen, when you get back in, we’re going to give you more time with the top six.’ That’s more his game, so he took full advantage of it. Give him credit for that. Tyler goes down and he’s ready to go. We put him in there and he did a great job.”

As for Toffoli, it makes sense to keep the reunited top line of Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers and Gabe Vilardi together. While they didn’t have a big night on the stats sheet against Los Angeles, they did control possession and zone time in impressive fashion and also have a proven track record from the recent past.

How about putting Toffoli beside Adam Lowry on the third line? He could either take the spot of right-winger Mason Appleton, giving that shutdown line a little more offensive pop, or that of left-winger Nino Niederreiter, whose status is uncertain after suffering a skate cut to his leg in the third period against the Kings.

After back-to-back two goal outings, Toffoli has now gone seven straight games without a goal and has just one assist in that span. If Bowness is reluctant to break up the most consistent line he’s had all year in Niederreiter-Lowry-Appleton, you could always work Toffoli in on the fourth line with one of of Vlad Namestnikov, Alex Iafallo or Morgan Barron taking a seat in a bit of a rotation to keep everyone fresh.

File this one under good problems to have.

The Jets cancelled Tuesday’s scheduled practice and took the day off, but we should get some clarity on the situation when they hit the ice on Wednesday.

“It was huge for my confidence. Just getting put in there for that chance,” Perfetti said. “We created lots as a line, scored lots as a line. So that felt really good. I was just really happy that I could contribute and help get back into that. I missed that for a little bit. It just feels really good to get back and help this team win.”

STINGIEST SQUAD — Don’t look now, but the Jets are back in a tie for top spot in the race for the William M. Jennings Trophy, which is awarded to the NHL team that gives up the fewest goals in the regular season.

Winnipeg and the Florida Panthers have each surrendered 186, with seven games each left to play. Los Angeles is third at 192 while the Carolina Hurricnaes (194) and Vancouver Canucks (195) rounded out the top five heading into action Tuesday night.

Whether they ultimately win it or not, the Jets are focused on making defensive dominance a priority once again after their play had slipped in recent games.

“I think we did a lot of good things,” Morrissey said, of the latest effort against the Kings.

“I thought we did a good job of limiting their looks. Obviously, they’ve got some good players. Every team is going to make plays. I thought our commitment to getting in the shooting lane was better. Just the little extra effort plays that it takes to knock a puck down or be in the right spot. Everyone says it’s a game of inches, right. Just a little extra effort sometimes can be the difference between getting a stick on a pass or a shot and getting in a lane and getting the puck out. I thought the urgency was a lot better for our group (Monday).”

In order to get your name on the trophy, a goaltender must make at least 25 appearances in the season. Jets backup Laurent Brossoit made his 20th start, and 21st appearance, against Los Angeles and stopped 25 of 28 shots he faced. Is there a scenario where he can get in four more games over the remaining seven?

No.1 netminder Connor Hellebuyck, the front-runner for the Vezina Trophy, is probably making five more starts, so the Jets would have to find a way to game the system a bit by sneaking Brossoit in for even a minute or two during a couple more games down the stretch. (Appearances, not starts, is the criteria).

Whether that ultimately occurs might depend on how meaningful the final games are and whether they are still fighting for positioning or locked into a certain spot. The Jets, who are currently in third place in the Central Division, can officially clinch a playoff spot Thursday with either a win against the Flames or a St. Louis Blues loss in regulation to the Nashville Predators.

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