FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: I love the fact that, while Namestnikov is returning, he’s not immediately being put back on the second line between Cole Perfetti and Nikolaj Ehlers. That trio has struggled to consistently produce offence at times, which really threw a wrench in the idea that the Jets had two scoring lines (the top six) and two shutdown lines (the bottom six).
When Namestnikov went down, Arniel moved Adam Lowry up and he instantly found some chemistry with Ehlers. Alex Iafallo, who had replaced the injured Appleton on the third line with Lowry and Nino Niederreiter, moved up as well and switched spots with the slumping Perfetti. The result has been several terrific games from the Ehlers-Lowry-Iafallo trio that Arniel is rightfully going to leave together.
Now, there’s a chance for Namestnikov to slide into a different role between Niederreiter and Perfetti. I think they have plenty of potential to do some good things, and that’s an especially good spot for Perfetti to be a bit more sheltered on a third line beside two veteran, responsible and reliable skaters.
There’s a chance for Vladislav Namestnikov to take on a different role when he returns tonight. (Paul Vernon / Associated Press files)
Once Appleton returns, I’d consider starting him on the fourth line (along with some combination of Rasmus Kupari, Morgan Barron and David Gustafsson, who are the trio for tonight’s tilt).
This may not be the way Arniel drew it up, but sometimes the best discoveries come either by accident or out of necessity (such as injuries which force changes).
All of this could end up being valuable down the road for the Jets. It’s good to have different options at your disposal, especially when the games become even more meaningful and you may have to try different things to find a spark.
As for the blue-line, I suspect some will be up in arms that Logan Stanley remains in the lineup and one or both of Heinola and Fleury remain out. Arniel told me he liked how his D played against the Flames, and it’s worth noting that Winnipeg’s only goal was set up by Stanley and his current partner, Colin Miller, which led to Lowry’s deflection. In other words, it shouldn’t be a huge surprise he’s not ready to make any changes on that front right now.
KEN SAYS: After getting a night off on Saturday, Hellebuyck figures to be between the pipes for all of this three-game stretch against Central Division opponents. His body of work has been tremendous, as the 1.97 goals-against average and .929 save percentage would suggest, but in case you needed a reminder of his recent brilliance, Hellebuyck has allowed only four goals during his past four starts, including a 22-save shutout against the Colorado Avalanche.
Lowry scored the lone goal on Saturday by getting to the net and tipping home a point shot Miller, moving him to 11 goals on the season — that’s just four shy of his career-high of 15. Lowry has a goal and two points in four games since Ehlers was moved to his wing, and he’s been doing his part to chip in complementary offence to go with his exemplary defensive awareness.
Ehlers was a force against the Flames, finishing with five shots on goal and 11 shot attempts, and while he didn’t get credit for an assist on Lowry’s goal, his hustle play in the offensive zone was a critical element to keeping the play alive and allowing Stanley to get the puck over to Miller for the point shot. There’s been plenty of chatter about what’s the best course of action for the Jets’ second-line centre job moving forward, but based on how things are going, it makes sense to keep Lowry and Ehlers together a little longer to at least collect a bit more data over a larger sample size.
There’s been no sign of a sophomore slump for centre Logan Cooley. The third overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft is second in team scoring behind captain Clayton Keller with 14 goals and 41 points in 45 games and Cooley is closing in on his career-high for points (44) with nearly half a season to play. He’s up nearly two minutes of ice time per game and is handling the additional responsibility well.
Injuries have been a major storyline for the Utah HC back end, even though John Marino recently returned. Michael Kesserling has been a pleasant surprise on the back end, logging major minutes while chipping in some secondary scoring, with five goals and 18 points in 45 outings, as he’s averaged just under 19 minutes of ice time per game.
PROJECTED LINES
WINNIPEG JETS
FORWARDS:
- Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
- Ehlers-Lowry-Iafallo
- Niederreiter-Namestnikov-Perfetti
- Gustafsson-Kupari-Barron
DEFENCE:
- Morrissey-DeMelo
- Samberg-Pionk
- Stanley-Miller
GOAL:
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D Heinola, D Fleury, F Toniato
INJURED: RW Appleton (lower-body)
UTAH HOCKEY CLUB
FORWARDS:
- Keller-Cooley-Schmaltz
- Maccelli-Hayton-Doan
- McBain-Bjugstad-Crouse
- O’Brien-Stenlund-Kerfoot
DEFENCE:
- Cole-Kesserling
- Maata-Marino
- Vallimaki-DeSimone
GOAL:
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D Kolyachonok, F Carcone
INJURED: D Sergachev (upper-body), D Durzi (shoulder), D Bortuzzo (lower-body), F Guenther (lower-body)
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
Jets coach Scott Arniel on pro hockey returning to Salt Lake City, where he won an IHL championship back in 1995-96 with the Utah Grizzlies:
“When I played here, the benches and the dressing rooms were on the other side. It’s kind of cool being back. Coming in the city yesterday, seeing the sights. I haven’t been here since then. This is a different kind of venue for us. First time coming in for everybody. You have to get a feel for how the boards work, the glass works, just kind of all that. Hopefully we can be up and running once the game starts.”
WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON
Mike is in Salt Lake City and will be filing three pieces today. The first looks at the NHL’s newest market, with reaction from several Jets players and coach Scott Arniel. The second is on Utah forward Josh Doan, the son of Jets 1.0 forward Shane Doan, who took some time to reflect on the past and the present following the morning skate. You can find both those stories in Tuesday’s print edition and on our website.
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