FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: Life is certainly good these days for the Jets, but allow me to introduce at least one little potential source of concern: Something appears to be amiss with Mark Scheifele. His top line with Connor and Gabe Vilardi was on the ice for 18 faceoffs on Friday night — and the team’s undisputed top centre only took two of them (going 1-1). Vilardi handled the other 16, going 11-5.
This suggests to me there must be some ailment that is prohibiting Scheifele from getting in the dot, a suspicion that is fueled by the fact he missed Wednesday’s practice for what Arniel called maintenance.
I asked the Jets bench boss about it following the victory over the Penguins, but he was playing coy. The best he could offer is “Gabe is really good at faceoffs,” followed by a bit of a smirk.
Winnipeg Jets centre Mark Scheifele is taking less faceoffs. (Lindsey Wasson / The Associated Press files)
Clearly, if there is an issue it’s not serious enough to keep him out of the lineup. And Scheifele was dynamic in Tuesday’s win over the Florida Panthers, recording the ninth hat trick of his career, and had an assist in Friday’s game. Some folks speculated he’s trying to show Team Canada brass he can play the wing, if needed. I don’t buy that. First of all, I can’t imagine a scenario where the Jets allow an out-of-place “audition” to occur. Secondly, Scheifele is still doing all of the other duties required of a centre, other than taking faceoffs, so this isn’t a case of a positional switch.
It’s something to keep an eye on for sure.
I could feel the energy in the Jets room following the latest victory, and no doubt Connor’s first-ever (and likely last-ever) Gordie Howe Hat Trick was a driving force. This is an extremely tight-knit group that is willing to do whatever it takes, as proven by Connor’s rather saucy quote to me: “We’re not taking s—t” from anybody.”
No, they certainly are not.
KEN SAYS: I definitely didn’t have Connor dropping the gloves with Crosby on my bingo card, but it was the latest example of even the most skilled players doing whatever it takes to win. Team USA general manager Bill Guerin was in the building to watch Connor and Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck (among others) on Friday and you can be sure that he loved seeing the feisty side of one of the purest goal scorers in the NHL.
Jets winger Nino Niederreiter is already knocking on the door for double digits in goals (eight) and his ability to snap a six-game point streak was an important development. The line with Adam Lowry and Mason Appleton has now outscored opponents 12-3 at five-on-five. That’s one of the most lopsided stat lines in the entire league to date.
This was a relatively easy start to identify for Comrie, but it’s still an incredibly important one, as he’ll be going head-to-head with Juuse Saros against a Predators team that is desperate to try and get things turned around. Comrie has given his team a chance to win in each of those four previous starts and he’s expected to see plenty of rubber in this one, despite the fact the Predators are currently the lowest scoring team in the NHL.
When will Comrie’s next start come? That one is a little more difficult to determine, though Hellebuyck is likely to get the final four of the road trip — which means Comrie could go in the home game against the St. Louis Blues or on Dec. 5 against the Buffalo Sabres.
It’s been an incredibly difficult start to the season for the Predators, who are tied with the Chicago Blackhawks for last place in the NHL and have gone 3-5-2 during the past 10 games.
The transition for former Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos and former Vegas Golden Knights original misfit winger Jonathan Marchessault hasn’t been an easy one.
Stamkos is up to six goals and 10 points in 20 games (though he has only two goals and two points in his past five games), while Marchessault has three goals and 10 points in 20 games (with just one assist during his past five games). Stamkos has enjoyed plenty of success against the Jets dating back to his time in the Southeast Division, recording 32 goals (including six game-winners) and 59 points in 44 career games.
Predators captain Roman Josi has accumulated seven points during his past seven games and he’s someone you better be aware of when he’s on the ice, given his penchant for joining — and sometimes leading — the rush. Josi is currently second on the Predators in points (14), behind only winger Filip Forsberg (eight goals, 15 points).
PROJECTED LINES
WINNIPEG JETS
FORWARDS:
- Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
- Perfetti-Namestnikov-Ehlers
- Niederreiter-Lowry-Appleton
- Barron-Kupari-Iafallo
DEFENCE:
- Morrissey-DeMelo
- Samberg-Pionk
- Fleury-Miller
GOAL:
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D Coghlan, F Gustafsson
INJURED: D Heinola (ankle), D Stanley (mid-body)
NASHVILLE PREDATORS
FORWARDS:
- Forsberg-O’Reilly-Nyquist
- Stamkos-Sissons-Tomasino
- Parsinnen-Novak-Marchesseault
- L’Heureux-McCaron-Smith
DEFENCE:
- Skjei-Josi
- Lauzon-Carrier
- Del Gaizo-Schenn
GOAL:
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: F Jankowski, F Evangelista
INJURED: D Stastney (personal)
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
Kyle Connor, telling the Free Press what led to Friday night’s fight with Sidney Crosby following his initial hit on the Penguins captain:
“He didn’t like the hit, apparently, and was going to the net and kind of a cross check there. And obviously he was going to regroup and kind of come out to me a couple of cross checks. And it just kind of happened. And we’re not taking s–t from anybody. So it’s kind of what I transpired and just kind of escalated.”
WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON
Mike has made his way to Music City and will have his post-game analysis of Jets vs. Predators online.
Mike and Ken will also have their latest edition of the monthly Jets mailbag posted online Sunday. This is the last call for questions — if you have one, simply hit reply to this email and send it their way.
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