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The Winnipeg Jets face a daunting task Thursday night as they try to snap a four-game winless streak.
Standing in their way is a Vegas Golden Knights team that has absolutely owned them lately, rattling of six straight victories going back to their first-round playoff series last spring. Winnipeg took the opener in Sin City, then dropped the next four. The Jets then lost the first two meetings earlier this season.
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Captain Adam Lowry was asked Thursday morning if there’s some “hate” for the opponent given recent events.
“I don’t think there’s a hate,” he replied.
“Obviously, we know they’re a great team. They’ve got a lot of great pieces. We were disappointed with our playoff series last year, and they’ve gotten the better of us the two times we’ve played them since year. It’s a big game for both teams. Playoff positioning. They’re fighting for space, we’re chasing Colorado and Dallas, Nashville is chasing us. I’d expect a high-energy game. A lot of desperation for both teams.”
The matchups came in late October and early November and both teams have undergone some significant changes to the roster since then.
“They’re a little different because they’re missing (captain Mark) Stone and that. But they’re a hell of a team,” said Jets head coach Rick Bowness. “They’re big and they’re heavy, and that’s how they play. And all their defence are big and heavy, they keep you to the outside and it’s going to be a battle.
“They’re legitimate contenders again, obviously, regardless of where they are in the standings. We don’t look at that. We look at that as a great team over there and that’s going to be big (Tuesday night) and it’s going to make it very hard for us to play against.”
Winnipeg is coming off a 4-3 overtime loss Tuesday to the visiting Edmonton Oilers, a game in which the hosts rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the third period to at least salvage a point. Vegas is coming off an implosion in Nashville where the team squandered a 4-1 lead in the final frame, then fell 5-4 in overtime to the scorching-hot Predators.
“These are very important games. We had a very good lead going into the third and we pissed it away, so it was unfortunate we couldn’t get the second point. We can be happy that we have three out of four points (on the road trip so far), but with our standard of play and what we hold ourselves accountable to, we should be at four (points),” said Golden Knights forward and Winnipegger Keegan Kolesar. “We’ve got X amount of games left and we’re trying to (lock) in a playoff spot. Getting into that playoff mindset a little quicker can help us in the long run. Teams that start playing playoff hockey down the stretch have more success going into the playoffs because you don’t have to find it. It’s second nature.”
The Jets will make a pair of lineup changes. Forward David Gustafsson and defenceman Dylan Samberg come in, while Cole Perfetti and Nate Schmidt come out.
Connor Hellebuyck makes a fourth consecutive start in goal. Logan Thompson gets the assignment for the Golden Knights.
Here’s some other information to get you set:
FROM THE PRESS BOX
Mike says: It was, to put it mildly, an absolutely terrible look for Kyle Connor. Not only did he cough the puck up in overtime on Tuesday night against Edmonton while trying to create something in the offensive zone, he didn’t exactly break a huge sweat trying to get back into the play as the Oilers took it the other way.
And when Zach Hyman took the initial shot, then got his own rebound to bury the winner, there was Connor essentially doing a fly-by at half-speed a few steps behind him.
Connor needs to be better. Much better.
He, like many of his teammates, have struggled lately. Connor has just one assist over his last four games and is a ghastly minus-seven. I’ll be watching him closely tonight to see what kind of response he has.
The same goes for Winnipeg’s other 30-goal man, Tyler Toffoli, who has gone five straight without scoring and has just one helper in that span. After posting back-to-back two-goal games against the Anaheim Ducks and Columbus Blue Jackets, it’s safe to say the Jets expect (and need) more from the big trade deadline add. He needs to start putting more pucks on net, with just three shots total over the past three games. Hard to score if you’re not shooting.
As I mentioned the other day in this space, I’m not a huge fan of how the top lines are currently configured, but Bowness is going to roll them out again without any changes.
The power play has gone ice-cold again. An 0-5 performance against the Oilers, including a four-minute advantage when they generated zero shots on goal, played a big factor in the loss — especially when the Oilers took all of 27 seconds to score on a four-minute power play they received in the third period.
Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) has enjoyed success against the Jets with eight goals and 16 points in 20 games. (David Becker / The Associated Press files)
Ken says: After showing signs of progress against the Oilers, the Jets are going to need to put together a full, 60-minute effort if they want to snap their four-game losing streak against the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Let’s just say the urgency levels figure to be high based on where things stand for each of these hockey clubs.
For the Jets, the top offensive weapons are going to need to raise their level of play, as Mike mentioned earlier. Connor has 11 goals in 23 points in 16 career games against the Golden Knights and he’d like that trend to continue. Another player who has enjoyed success against Vegas is Alex Iafallo, who has nine goals and 25 points in 31 games (most of which came while he was in the Pacific Division as a member of the Los Angeles Kings).
This is going to be another game where Lowry’s line is going to be tasked with a tough assignment. After doing a great job of keeping Connor McDavid in check at even strength, Lowry, Mason Appleton and Nino Niederreiter will try to minimize the damage inflicted by Jack Eichel, Jonathan Marchessault and Ivan Barbashev.
The Golden Knights are in a playoff chase, but they’re also a legitimate candidate to win the Stanley Cup provided they lock things down during the final 10 games. Yes, they’re missing some key cogs but they’ve also gotten healthier down the stretch and still boast four deep lines and more than three solid D pairings.
The Golden Knights’ depth down the middle continues to be a strength and both Eichel (eight goals, 12 points in 15 games) and William Karlsson (eight goals, 16 points in 20 games) have enjoyed success against the Jets during their respective careers.
I’m also going to be keeping an eye on Golden Knights winger Anthony Mantha, as he was believed to be one of the forwards the Jets were considering before pulling the trigger on the deal for Toffoli. Mantha has one goal and five points in 10 games since joining the Golden Knights. The Golden Knights’s other trade deadline acquisition, Noah Hanifin, has five assists in 10 games and finds himself on a pairing with Nic Hague since captain Alex Pietrangelo is out of the lineup.
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