FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: Perhaps we should start referring to Dylan Samberg in print as Dylan $amberg, because I imagine the price tag on his next contract keeps going up with every impressive performance.
Just look at his last game against Dallas. Samberg was involved in every way — he joined the rush to open the scoring in the first period and get momentum on his team’s side, he played 23 minutes and eight seconds (second only to Josh Morrissey’s 23:28), he had three shots on goal, blocked three shots, dished out two hits and had two takeaways.
And all of this while helping to keep the Stars high-octane offence in check — and doing so with a brand-new partner in Luke Schenn, who stepped up to fill the void for the injured Pionk. The duo, which Samberg jokingly referred to as the “Bruise Brothers,” certainly made an impact.
I have to think one of general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff’s biggest priorities this coming summer will be to get Samberg’s signature on a lucrative long-term contract extension. Is there any debate that, aside from Morrissey, he’s Winnipeg’s top defenceman? I’d also argue that excluding the obvious runaway winner in Hellebuyck, Samberg would be among the favourites for team MVP award.
Vancouver Canucks’ Conor Garland (8) is checked by Winnipeg Jets’ Dylan Samberg (54) during the Jan. 8 game. (Fred Greenslade/The Canadian Press files)
Consider this: Samberg has missed 22 games this year — 21 with a broken foot he suffered blocking a Steven Stamkos slapshot, and one for personal family reasons. Winnipeg is just 11-9-2 in those contests. However, the Jets are a ridiculous 35-8-2 in the 45 games he’s played in. Samberg has already set a new career high in goals (5) and is just three points away from matching his career-high he set last year in 33 more games. Oh, and he’s a plus-29 which leads the Jets and is tied for eighth-best in the NHL.
Ka-ching!
I always love coming to Climate Pledge Arena, which is one of the league’s most unique buildings. You walk in off street level and are technically in the upper deck because of how deep they built the ice surface. They have two scoreboards, rather than the traditional one, and a huge window which beams daylight (and moonlight) into the facility. And the fans are always into it, even if the home team hasn’t given them a ton to cheer about since setting up shop four years ago. Vegas set the bar so high when it came to expansion teams that Seattle’s struggles really stand out.
KEN SAYS: It was an excellent performance on Friday from the Jets’ top line of Mark Scheifele (three assists), Kyle Connor (two goals, one assist) and Gabe Vilardi (one assist), with all three goals coming at even strength. The combination of strong puck movement and finishing ability was on display in this one. Connor and Scheifele are tied for the team lead in goals with 35, which leaves them tied for third in the NHL going into Sunday’s action — just two behind William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
While it’s true the trio hadn’t been pouring in the points at five-on-five lately, this was another example of the line delivering when the lights were shining brightest. When you add Vilardi’s 27 goals, the top unit is up to 97 goals for the campaign, with 15 games remaining in the regular season. They’ve also combined for 22 game-winners, an incredible number for a team that enters the contest with 46 victories. Since returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off, Connor has points in nine of 11 games and he’s up to 84 points (nine shy of his career-high) in 67 games.
Jets forward Morgan Barron snapped a nine-game goal-less drought with his nifty redirection on Friday. He’s up to six goals for the season and would need a hot finish to hit double digits for a second consecutive season. Since shifting to centre on the fourth line during the past four games, Barron has meshed well with Alex Iafallo and Tanev.
Jets forward Nino Niederreiter has gone 12 games without a goal (and has only one assist during that span), so you can expect he will be looking to get back on track offensively on this road trip. It’s been said numerous times, but Niederreiter is at his best when he’s involved physically and is spending a good chunk of time in his “office” around the goal crease.
For the Kraken, winger Eli Tolvanen is riding a three-game point streak and leads the team in goals with 21. Tolvanen, who was claimed off waivers from the Nashville Predators, has generated most of his offence at even strength, with just one goal coming with the man-advantage. The 30th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft has also delivered three game-winners for the Kraken this season while averaging just under 14 minutes of ice time per game.
PROJECTED LINES
WINNIPEG JETS
FORWARDS:
- Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
- Ehlers-Namestnikov-Perfetti
- Niederreiter-Lowry-Appleton
- Tanev-Barron-Iafallo
DEFENCE:
- Morrissey-DeMelo
- Samberg-Schenn
- Fleury-Miller
GOAL:
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D Stanley, D Heinola, C Gustafsson, C Kupari
INJURED: D Pionk (lower-body)
SEATTLE KRAKEN
FORWARDS:
- Schwartz-Beniers-Kakko
- Tolvanen-Stephenson-Eberle
- Nyman-McCann-Burakovsky
- Kartye-Wright-Eyssimont
DEFENCE:
- Dunn-Larsson
- Oleksiak-Montour
- Mahura-Evans
GOAL:
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: C Hayden, D Fleury
INJURED: None
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
Jets forward Brandon Tanev on returning to Climate Pledge Arena as a visitor for the first time, having been traded by Seattle to Winnipeg just nine days ago:
“I’ve never been in this room before. It’s one of those things where it’s nice to see some old teammates and friends, but as soon as the puck drops it’s business as usual. But it’s nice to be in a familiar place so soon. It’s one of those things where you’re grateful for the opportunity and experience here in Seattle. The expansion draft, we were able to build something and I have some great memories from almost four years now. Made some great friends, the organization and everyone within treated me extremely well. Nothing but great things about everyone here and it’s exciting to be back.”
WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON
Mike is in Seattle and will have an early story on Tanev following a wide-ranging chat this morning. He’ll also have game analysis of Jets versus Kraken. You can find both pieces in Monday’s print edition of the paper and online at winnipegfreepress.com.
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