There are times when David Jones’ game can be as generic as his name. Then there are times, like Monday night, when he is DAVID JONES!
There is a lot in Jones’ toolbox as a player — speed, size, versatility, quick hands. Constructing a sound, consistent game with them had been the issue until recently.
Jones has scored goals in his past three games and in six of the past nine. He has 10 goals on 35 shots this season, making his shooting percentage of 28.6 percent second-best in the NHL, next to Raffi Torres’ 29 percent.
Jones is coming off an excellent two-goal performance in Colorado’s 5-4 victory over Philadelphia on Monday, a game in which he missed a hat trick by an inch with an empty-net attempt. The Avs have long felt they had a key player on their hands with the former Dartmouth star, but this is the first time that some hard, irrefutable numbers are backing up that belief.
In 20 games this season, Jones has matched his goal output of the previous 67 games over his first two seasons. He has been playing right wing on the first line, with Paul Stastny and Wojtek Wolski.
“I think one key this year in scoring goals is just being able to play with some really good players. Playing with those guys, you just have to go to the net and some good things are going to happen,” said Jones, 25. “Sometimes, things come in bunches. I’m getting some bounces now, and I’ve just got to take advantage of it.”
Other than defenseman Kyle Cumiskey, Jones probably is the fastest skater on the team. One of his favorite plays is to chip the puck in deep down the boards, then skate by the opposing defenseman and get to it first. But often in his first two years, Jones’ wheels seemed too fast for his hands. Or, there were times when he seemed to shy away from putting his 6-foot-2, 220-pound frame to good use in front of the net.
“I don’t think he realized how strong he is on the puck,” Avs captain Adam Foote said. “I think he’s starting to learn that he’s pretty tough to knock off the puck and using that more to his advantage.”
Jones says he’s realizing the importance of being more dogged and tougher in front of the net, whereas maybe he was too much on the perimeter before. But he has no illusions of being a stationary, sniping type of forward. He knows his game remains predicated on using his speed.
“A lot of my goals have come from standing in front of the net and generating some traffic on the power play,” Jones said. “As far as skating goes, I feel like it’s a strength of mine, and I just have to go hard up and down the wing and to the net.”
Said Avs coach Joe Sacco: “He plays a north-south game, and I think he and (Stastny) have complemented each other well. I like the fit of those two guys. The goals he’s scored have come because of the way he’s playing — hard on the forecheck, creating turnovers down low in the offensive zone, and as a result he’s getting chances.”
Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com
