Are the Jets Goalies Just the Easiest Target?

A Winnipeg Jets goaltender has a tough job these days. Stop the pucks, keep the team in the game, and somehow find a way to give everyone a reason to believe the next one will be different.

Clay Stevenson couldn’t do enough of that Tuesday night. He stopped 19 shots in a 5–1 loss to the Florida Panthers, Winnipeg’s sixth straight defeat. Florida scored three on the power play, and the Panthers built a 3–0 lead in the first period.

The numbers won’t help Stevenson’s case. He has a 3.57 goals-against average and an .870 save percentage through four starts. Those aren’t numbers that make a coach eager to hand him more playing time. But there’s a bigger question worth asking: How much responsibility should a goalie carry when the team in front of him keeps making life difficult?

The Goalie Is the Most Visible Part of the Jets’ Problem.

A goaltender can’t escape the scoreboard. When the puck goes in, everyone sees it. The defensive breakdown that gave an opponent time and space, the penalty that put the team shorthanded, or the lost battle that started the sequence can be easier to overlook.

That doesn’t mean Stevenson gets a pass. NHL goalies are paid to make saves, including some they probably shouldn’t be expected to make. The second goal against Florida, for example, came on a deflection, while other goals found their way through traffic or followed power-play opportunities. Each play deserves its own examination.

But three power-play goals against in one game should also prompt questions about the penalty kill and the discipline that put Winnipeg there. The Jets can’t reasonably expect their goalies to erase every mistake.

Losing Makes Every Jets’ Decision More Difficult.

There’s another complication. Winnipeg has been using three goaltenders, creating a competition in which every start matters. That can be a useful way to find the best option, but it can also make it harder for a goalie to build rhythm and confidence.

When losses pile up, the pressure to change something grows. The goaltender is an obvious place to start because a change in net is easy. Fixing a struggling power play, improving defensive coverage and getting the whole team playing with confidence are more complicated jobs.

Winnipeg’s power play has gone 14 opportunities without scoring over its last five games. That’s not a goaltending problem. It’s one more sign that the trouble reaches beyond the crease. The Jets need better saves, but they also need better support for the people making them.

Are the Jets Giving Their Goalies a Chance?

It’s fair to judge a goalie on his performance. It’s also fair to ask whether the team is giving him a reasonable chance to succeed. Right now, Winnipeg needs to answer both questions.

A goalie can be part of the problem without being the whole problem. And if the Jets want to stop this slide, they’ll need more than a new name in the crease.