Montreal Canadiens at Winnipeg Jets

It’s not Tuxedo Night, but a trip from the Montreal Canadiens usually draws quite a crowd, so the intensity should be high as the Winnipeg Jets close out this four-game homestand against the fabled Original Six franchise.

It’s also the first game back in Winnipeg for former Jets sniper Patrik Laine after he came out of the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, so you can expect he’ll get a warm welcome from a fan base that appreciated his goal-scoring ability while he was here.

“It’s nice to see him scoring some goals. Hopefully it cools off a little, just for one game,” said Jets captain Adam Lowry, who was also asked about Laine becoming an advocate for mental health. “What he’s done, kind of creating that foundation, and what he’s had to go through. It’s great to see him in a great place. It’s great to see him using his platform to raise awareness, to let people that look up to him know that it’s okay to speak out, it’s okay to look for help.

“Everyone in this room is really happy to see him doing well, and to see him getting another fresh start in Montreal, to see him healthy and playing well.

Laine was in good spirits when speaking to reporters at the Canadiens’ downtown hotel, offering a mix of humour, self deprecation and insight as he tackled a variety of topics on Saturday morning.

“It’s always fun to come back,” said Laine. “It’s a little cold for my taste. But I had a lot of great memories here and in this building.

“When you come back here, you always feel the support and the love from the fans. It’s always fun to play against old teams and old teammates and try to show off a little bit. No, it will be fun to see some familiar faces out there.”

Laine asked reporters if Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck was playing and when informed that he was, the Finnish winger brought out a quick one-liner.

“The last two times I’ve been here, I don’t think he’s played. He’s had the Paddy flu — I mean, it’s understandable,” Laine, noting he’s rediscovered the love of the game after enduring some tough times. “It’s definitely fun to play. I’ve been enjoying it after a bit of a rough patch. It’s a lot of fun to put on the jersey every night, play with the guys and battle for points. My game is not quite there yet, but after almost a year long break, I’m not expecting it to be quite yet. We’re working on it and trending (in) the right direction.”

Laine said he wasn’t on the ice and didn’t pick up a hockey stick for around seven or eight months, but that hasn’t prevented him from scoring three goals and collecting four points in his first five games with the Canadiens.

“I took a pretty long break from touching my stick. I wasn’t working on (my shot) too much, but I guess it’s still there,” said Laine. “There’s a lot of other things I need to work on right now, but at least one of things I’m known for is still working.”

The Jets are coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, but multiple players made it clear they weren’t happy with the majority of the game — as the Jets weren’t able to generate much offensively through the first two periods.

So you can be sure the Jets won’t be taking their opponent lightly.

“They have an extremely mobile back end. Their defence really go. They’re a part of the rush, they’re a part of the offensive cycle,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “They’ve got skill and obviously now they’ve got two real top-end offensive lines and they’ve got a little more heavy lines in their bottom two.

“I know they’re rebuilding, but they’ve gotten some big pieces, adding Laine is another big one for them. They play a real fast game and kind of really want to get into one of those track meets that we’re really going to try not to get into against them. But they’re an offensive group that puts a lot of pressure on you.”

The Canadiens were on the receiving end of a 9-2 blowout loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, which included allowing six goals in the third, turning a tight game into a lopsided affair.

“We had our worst 15 minutes of hockey of the season. Leading up to that, we’ve been pretty good of late,” said Canadiens head coach Marty St. Louis. “All of a sudden there, for 15 minutes there, we didn’t recognize our team.”

Hellebuyck is set to make his 25th start of the season, while the Canadiens are expected to counter with Sam Montembeault.

The Jets will make one lineup change, inserting Colin Miller on defence for Ville Heinola.

St. Louis said that defenceman David Savard (upper body) would be a game-time decision.

Let’s take a closer look at this one:

—Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe

FROM THE PRESS BOX

MIKE SAYS: Winnipeg vs. Montreal is always one of my favourite games of the year, mainly because of the lively atmosphere inside Canada Life Centre complete with dueling fan bases and chants. It’s terrific. And this one feels extra special, with Patrik Laine appearing here in the bleu-blanc-rouge for the very first time.

I suspect Jets fans will give him a hearty ovation, as the second-overall pick from 2016 remains one of the most beloved players to ever lace his skates around these parts. His well-documented personal struggles and recent return to play make him easy to root for, and that was apparent on Friday as I spoke with several of his former teammates about welcoming him back. Laine has been back here as a visitor twice before, most recently in December 2022 when he scored a pair of goals in a 4-1 win for his Columbus Blue Jackets. What might he have up his sleeve this time around?

I suspect many Jets fans are quickly finding a new favourite in Nikita Chibrikov, who has become the first player in franchise history to score in his first three NHL games. Hockey is hard, as Laine famously once said during a slump, but Chibrikov sure is making it look easy right now. Can he extend his streak to four? One thing is clear: Chibrikov is going to make it difficult for head coach Scott Arniel to take him out of the lineup once Nikolaj Ehlers returns from injury, which could happen as early as next Tuesday in San Jose.

Which brings me to a player like Morgan Barron, who has gone 12 straight games without a point. He had those two empty-net goals against the Florida Panthers on Nov. 19, but nothing since. A 17-game pointless streak preceded that, with his only other point so far this year coming in the form of an assist in the season-opening win over Edmonton.

Winnipeg Jets' Morgan Barron (36) had two empty-net goals against the Florida Panthers on Nov. 19, but nothing since. (Karl B DeBlaker / The Associated Press files)

Winnipeg Jets’ Morgan Barron (36) had two empty-net goals against the Florida Panthers on Nov. 19, but nothing since. (Karl B DeBlaker / The Associated Press files)

In a nutshell, Chibrikov has produced the same amount of offence (2G, 1A) but in two games this year, compared to 31. I like a lot of what Barron brings to the roster, and his primary job doesn’t involve scoring, but it should be noted Chibrikov plays a style of game that would probably also translate well in a fourth-line role. Which is to say Barron might want to pick up his play a little bit. Maybe facing his younger brother Justin, a defenceman with the Canadiens, will get him going.

Enjoy this one, folks. I certainly will.

KEN SAYS: The Jets have collected three of a possible six points at this point of the homestand and this represents an opportunity for Winnipeg to feel good about their collective game as they head out for a two-game swing through California next week.

Although the Jets deserve credit for earning a point against a Golden Knights team that carried the bulk of the play the other night, that wasn’t anywhere close to the template game they delivered two games earlier against the Boston Bruins. So, delivering that type of effort with more consistency is the goal for the Jets as they approach these final five games before the holiday break.

The Jets’ top line of Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Gabe Vilardi was a dominant force against the Bruins, combining for three goals at even strength and another on the power play as they piled up four goals and eight points. Against the Golden Knights, it was a different story, as the trio was held off the scoresheet and generated only two shots on goal between the three of them — all recorded by Scheifele.

Now, the Jets can’t be led offensively by the Scheifele line every night, but you can be sure they’ll be looking to have more of an impact in this game.

Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey was outstanding against the Golden Knights, firing him a rocket of a shot to give his team a 2-1 lead in the third period in a game he produced three shots on goal and seven shot attempts and four hits in just over 25 minutes of work. He continues to show the world that he’s one of the best defencemen in the NHL.

The Jets have been happy with the play of veteran D-man Colin Miller but after being a more frequent healthy scratch, it’s important for him to jump back in the lineup and do a solid job defensively and add a bit of offence if the opportunity presents itself to do so.

The Canadiens have been led by captain Nick Suzuki, who has 11 goals and 30 points in 29 games and dynamic winger Cole Caufield (17 goals, 26 points) and they’re both fun players to watch.

It’s my first time watching Canadiens rookie D-man Lane Hutson live and I’m looking forward to seeing his skating ability and skill set on display.

Laine was mentioned already, but after having the opportunity to be involved with his scrum earlier today, it’s great to see him in such a positive head space after the trials and tribulations he worked through during the last year.

He looks and sounds like a guy who was really looking forward to this return to Winnipeg and he’d love to find the back of the net against the Jets in an arena where he’s delivered plenty of highlight-reel moments over the course of his career.

PROJECTED LINES

WINNIPEG JETS

FORWARDS:

Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
Perfetti-Namestnikov-Chibrikov
Niederreiter-Lowry-Appleton
Barron-Kupari-Iafallo

DEFENCE:

Morrissey-DeMelo
Fleury-Pionk
Stanley-Miller

GOAL:

Hellebuyck
Comrie

HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D Heinola, D Coghlan

INJURED: D Samberg (broken foot), F Ehlers (lower-body), F Gustafsson (concussion)

MONTREAL CANADIENS

FORWARDS:

Caufield-Suzuki-Newhook
Slafkovsky-Dach-Laine
Anderson-Dvorak-Gallagher
Heineman-Evans-Armia

DEFENCE:

Hutson-Matheson
Xhekaj-Guhle
Struble-Barron

GOAL:

Montembeault
Primeau

HEALTHY SCRATCHES: F Pezzetta

INJURED: D Savard (upper-body), D Reinbacher (knee)

NOTABLE QUOTABLE

Jets captain Adam Lowry on what he’s expecting from the Canadiens:

“They’ve got a lot of depth up front, a lot of speed, and then some guys on the back end that like to jump in. I think an area of kind of focus for us is our rush defense lately. And it hasn’t been as tight as we like it to be. And they’re a great team that can create off the rush, and that’s managing the puck, but that’s also tracking back and the reads and the sort outs. I think that’s an area where they generate a lot of their offence.”