Jets focused on tall task — Moose ready to run

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This article was published 04/04/2022 (1268 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

You can count on one hand the number of practice days the Winnipeg Jets had during a marathon month of March which included 16 games on the docket. There simply wasn’t any time.

So the opportunity to hit the ice on Monday to fine-tune their skills, and then do it all over again on Tuesday, was welcomed with open arms

“We’re looking at areas that we continue to work on. We want to get pace and we want to get some battle into our practice. That’s not going to change,” said interim coach Dave Lowry on how he planned to use these two skates ahead of Wednesday’s date with Detroit.

There was plenty of five-on-five and special teams work, with a special focus on taking care of the defensive end. There was also a lengthy skate near the end to wrap it up.

“We know what our focus has to be and we know that you’ve got to be mindful of the days. You can’t make them too taxing,” said Lowry. “We have to make sure that we do use them wisely, in terms of maximizing the rest but we’re trying to get some quality work done as well.”

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The big club may not be having the type of season they envisioned. But life on the farm these days is pretty good for the Manitoba Moose, who are poised to make a run at the Calder Cup this spring. At 36-20-6, Mark Morrison’s crew sits second in their division, and sixth-overall in the AHL.

Lowry said it’s an ideal environment for young skaters like David Gustafsson, Dylan Samberg, Declan Chisholm, Johnathan Kovacevic and many others to develop.

“You want your prospects in an environment that is conducive to winning and I think that it really goes a long way,” he said.

“You see the culture that they have, that they’ve created and the support that they have for each player. They’re happy for the next guy and there isn’t that animosity if somebody gets called up. You’ve got a real good support group down there and they do a really good job of pushing each other. They do a good job of challenging each other and they’ve done an excellent job of being excited when the guys get that opportunity to come up and play here.”

The latest example is forward Morgan Barron, who was summoned from the Moose last week after Kyle Connor tested positive for COVID. He’s played in the last two games with the Jets.

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A brouhaha between Arizona and Anaheim the other night has become the talk of the hockey world.

Ducks emerging star Trevor Zegras scored the latest in a growing list of highlight-reel goals earlier in the game, then was part of a late-game scuffle that left teammate Troy Terry bloodied thanks to a flurry of punches from Coyotes forward Jay Beagle. Arizona broadcaster (and former player) Tyson Nash added fuel to the fire by suggesting if players like Zegras are going to “skill it up” and show up their opponents, they should expect violent payback.

Connor, who can dazzle with the best of them, clearly doesn’t subscribe to that old-school way of thinking.

“I think everybody likes seeing them, yeah. They’re pretty sick, for sure,” he said of the kind of eye-popping goals that have become the norm for Zegras. Connor doesn’t believe Beagle was out for blood in the way that Nash explained to television viewers.

“I don’t think that’s the issue. I don’t think (Terry) gets jumped for being too skilled of a player in that instance. He’s just coming in trying to defend Zegras, who gets cross-checked,” he said. “We see that so many times in scrums. It kind of happens. You’ve got to be ready for it. Obviously unfortunate that he ended up getting hurt on the play.”

Veteran Jets defenceman Nate Schmidt hopes to see more creativity from young stars in the game — although he’d prefer not to be on the wrong end of it.

“I think it’s great. It’s awesome. Anytime you can introduce something new to the game, skill-wise, I think it’s super-cool,” said Schmidt.

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The games are getting bigger down the stretch. So, too, are the goal lights.

The Budweiser “Red Light” has taken up shop in True North Square, in conjunction with a birthday tribute to the late, great Dale Hawerchuk. “Ducky” would have turned 59 on Monday. The beer also company donated $20,000 to the Hawerchuk Strong initiative and have also created limited-edition Hawerchuk #10 cans which are exclusively being sold in Manitoba.

Good friend and former Jets teammate Dave Ellett was on hand for a ceremony.

A Hawerchuk statue is set to be unveiled later this year outside the rink. The goal light will remain for Wednesday’s game against Detroit, going off every time Winnipeg is able to light the lamp.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg