Is Scheifele a puck hog? Nah

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This article was published 30/10/2022 (787 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Mark Scheifele is no stranger to scoring points, nor is he unfamiliar with having a strong start to a season. A veteran of 650 NHL regular-season games, the Jets centre is nearly at a point-per-game clip over his 10-year career, scoring 236 goals and 347 assists for 583 points.

But while he’s certainly been hotter out of the gate in previous years, with his best start — at least statistically — to a new campaign coming during the 2019-20 season, when Scheifele had 12 points (4G, 8A), this might be the weirdest.

It’s not that the points haven’t come; the 29-year-old has six through the Jets first eight games. It’s the fact they’re all goals and no assists. He’s never gone eight games without an assist over his decade-long run in the NHL.

“It’s strange. I don’t think I’ve ever in my career had more goals than assists. And then not even having an assist on the year, it’s a little funky,” Scheifele said hours before the Jets fell 2-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena Sunday. “I’ve been giving some guys some chances, so I know I’m not just a selfish player. You just want to get wins in here, and if that’s a matter of scoring or getting an assist or just making a good play in the D zone, that’s what we want to do here and that’s what we’re building here.”

Scheifele entered Sunday’s game with a three-game goal streak, including in each of the first two games or their three-game road trip. He opened the scoring in a 6-4 win over the L.A. Kings and scored a critical marker midway through the third period to tie the Arizona Coyotes 2-2, before Blake Wheeler sealed the game in overtime. Prior to puck drop he was in a 10-way tie for second in the NHL goal lead, three short of Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, who leads the league with nine.

Scheifele isn’t all that concerned with the lack of assists, understanding they will come. But for a player who likes to dish the puck as much as he likes to shoot it, he’s looking at it as more of bad luck that anything.

As for the coaching staff, they’ve liked what they’ve seen from the team’s No. 1 centre, particularly of late. Scheifele started the year with three goals in the first two games, then cooled down, going three straight games without.

“We kind of challenged them a few games ago to get to the slot. In the last three or four games, Mark has gotten a couple right in the dirty area of the ice,” Jets assistant coach Marty Johnston said. “He’s a super-skilled player that can score from the outside, but he’s getting goals from the inside. We have to make sure we get to the net front, and he’s done an excellent job of that.”

The focus for Scheifele hasn’t been all on the offence, especially while the Jets, under new head coach Rick Bowness, continue to adjust to new systems in all zones. One of the biggest differences from previous years is a greater expectation to play stronger defensively, with Bowness expecting his top lines to set the example.

Scheifele has faced heavy criticism in recent years for his defensive play, and while it still remains a work in progress, there has been some notable improvement.

“It’s a new system for everyone. We’re just trying to get into that rhythm,” Scheifele said. “It’s exciting to do some new stuff and also they’ve done a great job of communicating and asking how we’re feeling, what do we think works. They’ve been awesome at communicating with us, helping us doing video and all of that stuff and it’s been a very, very pleasant surprise this year compared to years past.”

Scheifele has been the trigger man for his line, often finding himself being set up to shoot the puck rather than the other way around. Part of that is intentional, while it’s also simply how things have turned out early in the season.

He started the season centring a line between Nikolaj Ehlers and Kyle Connor, which switched to Connor and Mason Appleton by the third game after Ehlers suffered an injury he has yet to return from. His line then switched to wingers Cole Perfetti and Wheeler near the end of the second period in Arizona and it remained that way against the Golden Knights.

“Maybe in that St. Louis game (Oct. 24) I took a few shots that I wouldn’t normally take, I’m kind of a quality shooter as opposed to quantity,” Scheifele said. “I’ve just been getting in spots, and I play with some pretty good players who make some good plays. I’m happy to be in the right place at the right time.”

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton