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This movement worked. The Jets went two-three on the power play Friday night and Byfuglien took both goals into account.
But Maurice will have to find some to try to revive Winnipeg.
The Jets are facing a huge hole after losing 4-3 against the St. Louis Blues on Friday night at Bell MTS Place. Winnipeg leads series two to seven 2-0 and will be heading to St. Louis for the next two games. The Jets must win one to bring the series back to Winnipeg next week.
"We will move some things," said Maurice. "Our five-on-five game needs to be tightened."
Mauritius began changing lineal combinations in the third period after Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck allowed Blues striker Ryan O'Reilly to score on a long-range shot to break a tie. -3 to 3:46 of the last period.
But these changes did not trigger a tying goal.
The only change that worked well was to reinstate Byfuglien in the top power play group with Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine. Byfuglien helped Laine and Scheifele to score two goals that briefly reversed the trend for the Jets.
Byfuglien, who missed half of the regular season with injuries, scored three of Winnipeg's four goals in the playoffs.
"We had only one (power play) first game, so it was good to have some extra opportunities," said Wheeler. "This is of course a real source of confidence for our team, it was good to see some players play tonight."
But Winnipeg will need more future.
"This time of year, you must get results," said Wheeler. "Go to St. Louis and take care of your business."
Delayed transaction time pickup
Mauritius is wondering how to solve the problem of the acquisition of Kevin Hayes in the prescribed time.
The Jets gave up their first-round pick to get Hayes, but the former Ranger from New York did not play at all in the first two games of the series.
On Friday, Hayes only played 8:32 – the second lowest ice time for a player from one or the other teams. After the Jets bowed early in the third period, Hayes only played the rest of the game once again.
He was rarely used in the special teams. Hayes only played 15 seconds on the penalty and eight seconds on the power play.
"We participated in penalty kicks and I used (Brandon) Tanev in that hole," said Maurice about the little ice time for Hayes. "I was pretty happy with our PK about it. We lost Nik Ehlers for a long time in the second period, following this blow and the concussion protocol, and then we continued the game. I always wanted to keep the game pretty tight. I liked the way (Adam) Lowry was going, so that was the flow of the game. "
Last season, Winnipeg traded a first-round pick for Paul Stastny for the playoffs. This gesture paid off as Stastny had 15 points in 17 games. Stastny scored several important goals for the Jets, who reached the final of the Western Conference.
This season, neither Hayes nor his line have been factors. Hayes has not even scored on goal.
It is possible that Hayes plays injured. NHL coaches are known to keep their wounds secret during the playoffs.
Winnipeg striker Mathieu Perreault is a good example. He was absent from Friday's game with an undisclosed injury during the morning skating session. Maurice refused to give an update on Perreault after the match.
Maurice said there could be some compositional changes before Sunday's third game in St. Louis.
"We are trying to be closer in some areas and get more in others," said Maurice. "But you're not going there with the feeling that you're so far away. We are a good team on the road. It's a good team on the road. Both teams are strong on the road. You will certainly see very similar matches in the next two games, so finding that little advantage is key. "
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