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CALGARY – Are we having fun yet?
The Winnipeg Jets certainly are after a thrilling 4-2 victory on Saturday night in Vancouver over the NHL’s No. 1 team. These were no ordinary two points for the visitors, who played with a purpose and extended their latest winning streak to three games.
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Now, they’ll try to make it four-in-a-row as they face a Calgary Flames squad that is not having a very good time lately, with three straight losses by a combined score of 13-3. That’s sub-optimal for a group fighting to stay in the playoff race, while also facing the prospect of a significant sell-off at the trade deadline.
It’s been a while since these teams faced each other. In fact, you have to go all the way back to Oct. 11 – that was opening night – when the Flames came away with a 5-3 win over the Jets. It’s safe to say, given where they currently are in the standings, that result was not a sign of things to come for either club.
A little bit of guesswork is involved in the projected lineups, given that neither group held a morning skate because of the afternoon start. This is also the start of a back-to-back for Winnipeg, which will charter home after the game and host the Minnesota Wild tomorrow night.
We’re expecting goaltenders Connor Hellebuyck and Laurent Brossoit to split those two games, with Hellebuyck likely going today, and Brossoit tomorrow night.
We’ll also see if Morgan Barron is good to go. The fourth-line winger only made it through two periods against Vancouver, then left with an illness. If he’s not fully recovered, expect Rasmus Kupari to drawn in. The Jets could also go with 11 forwards and seven defencemen, with Logan Stanley playing, but that seems less likely with two games in just over 24 hours.
Winnipeg Jets’ Dylan DeMelo (2) vies for the puck against Vancouver Canucks’ Ilya Mikheyev (65) and Teddy Blueger (53) as Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele, back centre, watches during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
As for the Flames, potential trade target Jacob Markstrom is the likely starter, and he’ll be looking to rebound after getting the hook for the first time all season in Saturday’s 5-0 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, which ended with the home team getting booed off the ice.
Here’s some other information to get you set for puck drop:
FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: I don’t know about you folks, but I’m still thinking about Saturday’s game which, for my money, was one of the more entertaining ones I’ve covered all year. The energy and intensity inside Rogers Arena was palpable. I’m already looking forward to the next two Jets vs Canucks meetings, and I certainly wouldn’t object to a playoff series this spring between these two deeply talented clubs, who seem to have rapidly developed a hate-on for each other. It’s a beautiful thing.
I also found it funny that both teams believe they got the short end of the stick when it came to officiating. I don’t disagree. It was a rough night for the refs. But at the end of the game, both teams had four power play chances. Winnipeg cashed in on two, while Vancouver came up empty.
Winnipeg won’t be facing nearly as elite an outfit today, but they’ll want to guard against two things: Taking the foot off the gas, something coach Rick Bowness repeatedly stresses. And falling victim to what should be a very surly and, you’d think, desperate opponent given recent events.
“That’s not acceptable,” Flames captain Mikael Backlund told Calgary media following Saturday’s loss, which left them with a 12-13-1 record on home ice. “We want to play well in front of our fans. We want to win games. And if we want to be serious about playoffs, we have to win games at home. We can’t be a .500 or below-.500 team at home to make the playoffs.
While Winnipeg’s top line had a very productive night against Vancouver, and second-line centre Sean Monahan scored his first goal with his new team on the power play, it was a very different story for the other two members of the top six in wingers Cole Perfetti and Nikolaj Ehlers. Both were stapled to the bench for much of the third period, and you wonder when (and how) they might get back on track. Perfetti played just 10:52 in the game, one of the lowest totals of his career, as he’s now gone nine games without a point and has just one assist in the last dozen outings. Ehlers had only 12:10 of ice time and now has just one assist in the last seven games. The Jets really need to find a way to get those two going.
Calgary likes to play a hard, heavy game, but Winnipeg has proven they are comfortable in those types of contests as well. Just look at some of the heavy hits handed out by the likes of Adam Lowry (to Nils Aman) and Vlad Namestnikov (to Quinn Hughes) on Saturday. Brenden Dillon, who returned from a three-game suspension and was very noticeable as well, also adds some physical punch.
KEN SAYS: Before digging into the matchup, let’s take a moment to appreciate the run that Hellebuyck is on. Not only was he outstanding in Saturday’s matchup against the Canucks, he’s now gone 31 games of allowing three goals or fewer, a run that stretches back to Nov. 4. Hellebuyck has given up only three goals during the past three games and is about to make his 40th start of the campaign.
The Jets power play finally got going on Saturday, scoring twice with the man-advantage for the first time since Dec. 22 against the Boston Bruins.
The Jets top line was dominant, with Mark Scheifele leading the way with a goal and four points, Gabriel Vilardi delivering two goals and an assist and Kyle Connor chipping in a pair of third period helpers after a lackadaisical backcheck on the Canucks second goal.
Markstrom was outstanding against the Jets in the season opener and is having a strong season, but he’s coming off a mercy pull after giving up four goals on 12 shots on goal against the Red Wings.
Flames forward Andrei Kuzmenko has three goals in six games since arriving in the big package for Elias Lindholm and is showing signs of the guy that scored 39 goals last season with the Canucks.
Flames D-man Chris Tanev is prominent on most trade boards and someone that many teams looking for defence help will be considering – the Jets likely among them – depending on the price tag.
Tanev, who started his professional career with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League, has one goal and 12 points in 52 games this season.
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