Arniel credits Jets’ puck retrievals; McLellan faults Detroit’s penalty kill

“The attack mindset is there, but not just the first attack, it’s the retrievals. We’re doing a fantastic job on retrievals,” Scott Arniel said after Winnipeg’s 3–2 win at Detroit on Sunday.

Asked about the Jets’ power-play mentality, Arniel said their quicker entries helped them keep possession and wear down Detroit’s penalty killers. Winnipeg scored all three of its goals with the man advantage, going 3-for-4 on the power play.

Arniel also credited Kyle Connor for tracking back to break up a three-on-two rush. Connor scored twice and had an assist, but the coach singled out that defensive play when asked about his performance.

Asked what Stuart Skinner’s first Jets win would mean, Arniel said the goalie was popular with his teammates and that they had done what it took to hold on for him.

“Again, he was strong. He has to be your best penalty killer, and he was that as well,” Arniel said in Winnipeg’s published game report.

Skinner made 33 saves. The Jets killed four of Detroit’s five power plays and held their one-goal lead through the Red Wings’ late pressure.

In Detroit’s postgame interview, coach Todd McLellan said an unnecessary unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty immediately after Winnipeg’s opening goal contributed to the 2–0 deficit. He said the Red Wings generated more at five-on-five than against the Rangers, but their chances needed a better finish.

Asked about goals from close range, McLellan said Detroit had practised offense around the crease and getting shots through from the defense. “The positive, we’ve gone six periods now we haven’t given up a five-on-five goal,” he said.

Asked how Detroit could stop early losses from accumulating, McLellan said its focus was winning the next game. “We’ve got to keep games low scoring,” he said. He also explained that changing lines had helped Raymond and allowed teammates to use Emmett Finnie’s speed.

McLellan said Detroit kept trying to recover after falling behind and pointed to its late chance with the puck on Lucas Raymond’s stick. Skinner stopped Raymond twice with 26 seconds left, and Neal Pionk blocked his next chance.

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