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FROM THE PRESS BOX
The Winnipeg Jets are back for some home cooking — and you’d think they should be a hungry group given how things played out Saturday night in Vancouver. A lopsided 5-0 loss to the Canucks had Jets head coach Rick Bowness declaring it the worst game he’s seen from his group in two years, one in which not a single player had anything going.
Ouch.
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Now, a chance to respond against a Washington Capitals club that is fighting for its playoff life.
“They’re right there, they’re knocking on the door,” Bowness said following Monday’s morning skate. “They had a big game their last game, they’re scoring goals and they’re a desperate, hungry hockey team. That’s what we’re seeing straight through and that’s what we talked to the guys about this morning. Every game from here on out is going to get tougher and tougher… just be ready to respond.”
Indeed, Washington is coming off a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday and enters play tonight just three points out of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot, currently held by the New York Islanders.
This is the start of three consecutive contests at Canada Life Centre for the Jets, who will welcome a pair of new players into the lineup.
Tyler Toffoli will make his Jets debut. (Ben McKeown / The Associated Press files)
Forward Tyler Toffoli makes his debut on a line with Sean Monahan and Alex Iafallo, whom he’s previously played with in Calgary and Los Angeles, respectively. And defenceman Colin Miller comes in on the third pair beside Dylan Samberg.
“It’s obviously an amazing group and they’ve done so well this year. I’m really just here to help out however I can,” said Miller.
Forward Cole Perfetti also returns to the lineup after being a healthy scratch against the Canucks. David Gustafsson, Rasmus Kupari and Nate Schmidt all come out as healthy scratches, joining Logan Stanley in that department. Gabe Vilardi will miss his sixth game in a row with an upper-body injury, and there remains no timeline for his return. He has yet to resume skating, but the hope is he will later this week.
Washington has several game-time decisions with a few injured players on the cusp of returning.
Here’s some other information to get you set:
FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: The reunion line? The old friends’ line? Whatever you want to call them, Toffoli, Iafallo and Monahan need no introduction to each other, and it’s a smart move to put them together right off the hop,
“I’m excited for it. It definitely feels a little familiar. I’m just excited for the opportunity,” Toffoli said this morning.
Iafallo took Toffoli out for dinner Sunday night. Being the investigative journalist that I am, naturally, I had to find out who paid.
“He did. That’s the first time. Normally it’s me picking up the tab for him back in the day, so that’s nice,” Toffoli joked.
I also had to sniff out some more details on the golden retriever that was on the charter flight Sunday from Jersey which brought Toffoli, Miller and their families to town.
“That’s Nelly, so she’s almost four and she’s full of energy and happy to see some snow again,” Miller told me.
News you can use, folks. Where do I collect my Pulitzer?
There’s been a lot to like from the trio of Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers in the short spurts they’ve played together this year, and Bowness is going back to them as his top line against the Caps. Scheifele and Ehlers, in particular, seem to bring out the best in each other.
KEN SAYS: Most of the attention will be on the new guys — and rightfully so. I am curious about what type of response we see from the Jets given what Bowness had to say.
“I was more upset at myself than I was the players, so that’s easy to overcome,” Bowness said this morning. “Yeah, we’ll respond. We’re a good group, a good team, we’re having a good year and I have full faith that they’re going to respond.”
The Jets need to be sharper defensively, there’s no doubt about it. A full commitment will be required against a Washington team right in the thick of things for the second wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference.
They also need a big effort from goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who was beaten at least three times in each of his past five starts and 18 goals against in total during that span. That’s not to blame Hellebuyck for the rise in goals against, but it’s a reminder he’s played at a Vezina level this season and will be looking to return to that form.
It’s always a treat to watch Alex Ovechkin play. Dating back to the world junior in Grand Forks, N.D., he’s always been a guy who grabs my attention. Although it’s been a down year, Ovechkin remains a threat and Winnipeg must be aware of where he is at all times. The fact he’s chasing down Wayne Gretzky to become the all-time NHL goals leader is still hard to believe. But it’s a reminder of how prolific he is and that fans should enjoy however many meetings he has left against the Jets. Oh, and remember the Capitals captain has made a habit of scoring against the franchise in bunches (53 goals, 45 assists in 71 career games).
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