FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: I believe this is the first time all year we’ve been able to type the word “None” beside the Jets injury list, which is a nice development given that we’re about to watch Game No. 65 take place and the playoffs are just over a month away. No doubt the organization hopes it can now stay that way.
Winnipeg dodged a bullet on Sunday when Vlad Namestnikov took a hard shot to his head from Carolina forward Jordan Staal and was pulled from the game by concussion spotters. Fortunately, there was no lasting damage and Winnipeg’s second-line centre — a position they tried and failed to upgrade at the deadline — won’t miss a beat.
“It’s a hockey game. Things happen. That’s the way they tried to respond,” Namestnikov said of becoming Public Enemy No. 1 after he laid out Hurricanes star Sebastian Aho earlier in the game. “I’ve got no problem with that. Play hard and sometimes checks like that happen. Just play through it.”
There’s no shortage of internal competition now with the Jets, which should be a good thing when it comes to keeping everyone sharp.
“We’re going to need everybody and the guys that aren’t playing tonight, that doesn’t mean they won’t be playing next week or even Friday,” said Arniel. “We’re going to have a chance here to see what things look like. Obviously we’re doing a little experimenting here with Bear (Morgan Barron) going in the middle on that fourth line and seeing how that goes, I want that to run for a little bit. Just getting a feel for some different looks that we haven’t been able to do earlier on.”
Indeed, Morgan Barron will play centre for a third straight game and I’ve liked what I’ve seen so far. Obviously Kupari and Gustafsson are waiting in the wings to go back to their natural spots, but Barron brings some extra size that could be beneficial, especially when it comes to playoff-style hockey. With Alex Iafallo and the energetic Brandon Tanev on his wings, that’s an intriguing trio.
Carolina Hurricanes’ Mark Jankowski (77) faces off against Winnipeg Jets’ Morgan Barron (36) during Sunday’s game. (Karl DeBlaker / The Associated Press files)
“It’s a big line, it’s a heavy line. Like what we’ve seen so far,” said Arniel. “They get in heavy on the forecheck. They get a lot of zone time. Bear’s a guy that gets to the net-front. He is good on faceoffs, especially on that left side, so that’s a good bonus for us. He’s had a little bit of experience, not a ton, but this is kind of the time to see if it works.”
KEN SAYS: This is clearly a marquee goalie matchup with Hellebuyck — the front-runner to win his third Vezina Trophy this season — going up against Shesterkin, who won the award in 2021-22.
These are two of the biggest workhorses in the NHL, with Hellebuyck making his 50th start of the campaign and Shesterkin getting the call for the 47th time. Just over a year after Hellebuyck signed his seven-year extension that carries an AAV of $8.5 million, Shesterkin inked an eight-year deal with an AAV of $11.5 million that kicks in next season.
This isn’t about dollars and cents, though, it’s about two of the elite netminders in the NHL going head-to-head. The biggest difference right now is that the Jets are a far more structured team defensively, while the Rangers don’t defend particularly well and have been bleeding scoring chances for a good chunk of the season. According to Money Puck, Hellebuyck leads the NHL in goals saved above expected (33.3), while Shesterkin sits 10th (14.6).
The debut of Schenn is one of the areas to watch in this one. You can see the potential for the third pairing of Schenn and Fleury.
Of course, there could be a transition period as Schenn enters the lineup, but he brings a lot of qualities the Jets don’t have a lot of on the back end when it comes to the stiffness he plays with. Fleury’s mobility should mesh well with Schenn.
It will also be interesting to see how Arniel handles the auditioning process for the third pairing job in terms of how long a leash Fleury gets here. It says here that it will be longer than just a single game. On paper, this looks like the optimal construction for the defence corps, though it’s incumbent on Fleury to quickly get back to the level he was playing at before suffering a lower-body injury against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Dec. 23.
The Rangers have gotten a boost from the arrival of Miller, who has seven goals and 15 points in 14 games since the trade with the Vancouver Canucks. Miller has 10 goals and 21 points in 30 career games against the Jets and is the type of player that can have a massive impact on the outcome even if he isn’t scoring, given the intensity and physical style he plays with.
PROJECTED LINES
WINNIPEG JETS
FORWARDS:
- Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
- Ehlers-Namestnikov-Perfetti
- Niederreiter-Lowry-Appleton
- Tanev-Barron-Iafallo
DEFENCE:
- Morrissey-DeMelo
- Samberg-Pionk
- Fleury-Schenn
GOAL:
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D Stanley, D Miller, D Heinola, C Gustafsson, C Kupari
INJURED: None
NEW YORK RANGERS
FORWARDS:
- Panarin-Trocheck-Lafreniere
- Cuylle-Miller-Zibanejad
- Kreider-Carrick-Kaliyev
- Othmann-Brodzinski-Rempe
DEFENCE:
- Miller-Borgen
- Vaakanainen-Schneider
- Soucy-Jones
GOAL:
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D de Haan, RW Berard, C Parssinen
INJURED: D Fox (upper body), C Edstrom (lower body)
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
Jets defenceman Haydn Fleury on his new partner, Luke Schenn, and why he thinks they could be a good fit:
“He’s a big, physical guy, and he can end a lot of things in the corner. So I think with my skating through the neutral zone and just being able to support him all over the ice, I think that just blends together well. I think the way he can end plays down low and then make a breakout pass allows me to use my feet and get up in the rush and have good gaps and stuff like that.”
WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON
Ken has an early story coming on Alex Iafallo, who became the latest member of the Jets to hit double digits when he scored on Sunday. The pending unrestricted free agent has proven his value and versatility time and time again. Mike will have game analysis of Jets versus Rangers. You can find both pieces online at winnipegfreepress.com and in Wednesday’s print edition.
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