WINNIPEG — Dylan DeMelo couldn’t have scripted his 600th game any better.
On the morning of his milestone night – before the Winnipeg Jets’ 2-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken – the 2011 sixth-round pick said that if you had told him he would play that many NHL games, The younger version of him would definitely laugh. .
What would a young De Melo do if he was told he was going to score the winning goal in that game?
“Go buy a lottery ticket or something,” he said.
For a player like DeMelo — who had only 18 career goals before facing Seattle — what happened Thursday night was the equivalent of winning the lottery.
With the score deadlocked at 1-1 as normal time expired, Nikolaj Ehlers pounced on a botched clearance attempt which was redirected off the post. Ehlers picked up the puck, turned and passed it to DeMello, who fired a bullseye wrist shot over Joey Daccord’s right shoulder to give Winnipeg the lead with 27.9 seconds left.
The 31-year-old defenseman raised his hands in the air, looked up at the sky, and pumped his fists.
“Honestly, it’s just a feeling of euphoria,” he explained. “I was so excited. I kept my hands in the air for a long time, so I thought I’d also look up and see if there was anything up there. You just let your emotions take over. As the game goes on, you It will relax a little bit.”
When a player scores such a crucial goal, teammates must go crazy, especially on such a big night. But the Jets’ reaction — both on the field and on the bench — tells you everything you need to know about one of the team’s most popular players.
“In our original get-together, everyone was going crazy. Swear words and all that fun stuff,” DeMello said. “Then you come to the bench and you see everybody’s faces light up. So that’s great. But there’s 30 seconds left and we need to get right back in the game to get the win. Walk into the room “We have a special group of people who make you feel special, no matter what role you play here.”
De Mello played an important role in fostering this culture.
“We have our captains and our assistants, but we also have our leadership team and he’s a part of that. He deserves it,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said.
Off the ice, DeMello is one of the most personable people you’ll meet in an NHL locker room. Spend a little time with him — or scroll through the Jets’ social media platforms, where you can see his personality in behind-the-scenes clips — and you’ll understand why he was the glue in that room.
On the ice, he’s like the linchpin of the gears.
Behind DeMello’s witty and lovable personality lies a fierce competitor — and it’s that spirit that allows an undersized blueliner, one with no flashy skills, to play such a defensively brilliant game.
Some might say DeMello — like many in the Jets backend — has the wrong role on the depth chart. On paper, he doesn’t fit the mold of a top defensive player. But DeMello’s lethality and ability to win battles along the wall fit perfectly with Winnipeg’s defense-oriented system. This makes him the team’s main force in penalty kicks. And help the Jets get more out of Josh Morrissey.
“When you are thrust into a role like him, who has been playing top pairing (minutes) over the last few years, there comes a lot of responsibility with that,” Anil said. “So the biggest thing for these guys, for most guys, is they lead by example. How they play, how they train, how they work out and how they do things on the ice. That’s what ‘Mel’ does. He’s A role model for young defenders. He’s a great example for players who want to play 600 games or more. He just does his thing every day and is very consistent.”
In a long list of savvy moves made by Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, acquiring DeMello (for just a third-round pick) is nearly the most significant.
• Jets tight end Alex Iafallo had a big game Thursday night. He finished with seven shots on goal, four high-danger field goal attempts, and made several key defensive plays in the shootout and five-on-five. As much as we talk about the growing chemistry between Ehlers and Adam Lowry, Iafallo is a big reason why those two are able to spend so much time in the offensive zone. According to AllThreeZones.com statistics (minimum 200 minutes), Iafallo ranks second among forwards in front-check pressure per 60 minutes since joining last season.
• How about the Nino Niederreiter — Rasmus Kupari — Cole Perfetti collection? Through three games, the trio has tipped the scales in the Jets’ favor at five-on-five — winning expected goals share (61.89 xGF%) and high-danger shot attempt share (75%). On top of that, that line chemistry has allowed Perfetti to produce some of his best hockey this season — during that time, his 9.53 scoring chances per 60 were second only to Kyle Connor Connor, who leads the team. Perfetti had some good advice and some top-notch chances against Seattle.
“I think everything on this line is one of a kind,” Anil said after Tuesday’s 6-1 win over Vancouver. “Kupp has speed and can skate. You have Nino’s size and he knows how to get to the net. Fitz has the ability to make plays and catch the puck.”
• Winnipeg’s penalty kill has taken advantage of 18 of 21 opportunities this month (85.7 per cent). Notably, the Jets ranked seventh in penalty kill expected goals per 60 minutes in January (1.05), according to Natural Stat Trick. This is not surprising considering the team’s “power kill” has created several offensive climaxes in the past few games.
• Morgan Barron Fourth Line – David Gustafsson – Dominic earned high praise from Anil for his outstanding performance. This is well deserved.
“Whether they take a penalty or I put them in the D-zone draw, they get zone time and that’s the most important thing,” Anil said. . It’s not just the fourth line of defense they’re up against. They kept the Bernier line at the end of the ice a few times. That’s big. We got some running momentum there and I probably should have run a few more times. “
We talk a lot about the Jets’ depth and how well this defensive line — which includes Gustafsson and Toni Nato, two players who haven’t been NHL regulars this year — should be overlooked. It’s crazy that both Vladislav Namestnikov and Mason Appleton will likely be relegated to the press box once they return.
