Jets coach Scott Arniel: ‘We did a horses— job’ in loss to Utah

Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel was less than impressed with his team’s loss to the Utah Hockey Club on Monday.

A scoreless game by the midway point, Utah then cashed in two times late in the middle frame before then tallying twice more early in the third period en route to a 5-2 victory, marking just the ninth road loss this season for the Jets. Adding to injury, Utah’s first four goals all came at even strength before captain Clayton Keller sealed the victory with an empty netter.

“Of all the games this year, that was the most embarrassing game,” the first-year Jets head coach told reporters postgame. “For me, for our players, I have to be the one who has to hold these guys accountable and make sure we are better. That was embarrassing. From top to bottom, we did a horseshit job.

“We didn’t win a whole lot of battles. They got in on the forecheck and created turnovers. Even though it was 0-0 for a long stretch there, we still didn’t get enough opportunities and do enough to win a hockey game … I have got to push these guys to be a heck of a lot better than that.”

The loss marked the second-straight defeat for the Jets, coming on the heels of Saturday’s 3-1 home ice loss to the Calgary Flames.

Despite the recent cold stretch, the Jets remain atop the Western Conference with a 31-14-3 showing, three points ahead of the second-place Vegas Golden Knights. On Wednesday, the Jets will look to return to their winning ways when they take on the Central Division rival Colorado Avalanche in Denver before welcoming Utah to Winnipeg on Friday.

Meanwhile, with the victory, Utah pushed its win streak to two and improved to 20-19-7 on the season to move within four points of the Flames for the West’s second wildcard seed.