‘Take a deep breath and just go play hockey’ Staying in the moment key for Jets amidst bright, thunderous atmosphere By: Ken Wiebe Posted: 6:00 PM CDT Monday, Apr. 21, 2025

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This article was published 21/04/2025 (512 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Mason Appleton has taken part in plenty of home playoff games. But when he spoke with reporters after the morning skate on Monday, the Jets right-winger shared some thoughts about what the atmosphere means in terms of making a minor adjustment as a player.

One of his observations was related to what all of those outfits provide as a backdrop.

“Certainly, it’s brighter, it’s louder, it’s not normal,” said Appleton. “So, to say everyone’s a little nervous, a little on edge to start, it is what it is. You kind of learn to process it a bit, kind of take a deep breath and just go play hockey. And I thought as the game went on, obviously the crowd stayed there and stayed electric. But we definitely settled in. Yeah, there’s a learning curve kind of each game, (with) each series and each year.”

Jets head coach Scott Arniel thought nerves might have played a role in terms of execution during an uneven start, but shrugged his shoulders when asked about the brightness angle brought up by Appleton.

“I didn’t notice that,” said Arniel. “I hear it in my voice, that I have to yell a lot louder because it is so loud to make sure everybody knows what’s going on on the bench and stuff. But yeah, I suppose. I didn’t think of it that way.”

Blues head coach Jim Montgomery showed his sense of humour when he was asked if the visiting team noticed it was brighter in the building in Game 1.

“Well, our players were talking about it because the white was shining off my bald head,” said Montgomery. “When they were changing, it was blinding them. They couldn’t hear me. They were squinting the whole time.”

In all seriousness, the atmosphere in Winnipeg was as expected and you can be sure the Blues will look forward to returning home for what will be their first home playoff games in three seasons — when they were bounced in six games in 2022 by the Colorado Avalanche.

SCHENN V. SCHENN: Brayden Schenn can appreciate the storyline and why it’s topical, but the captain of the St. Louis Blues has reached the point where he’s done talking about the battle with his brother.

Before the Winnipeg Jets and Blues met in Game 2, the younger Schenn shared his enthusiasm, but then made it clear that the topic be changed to the remainder of this opening-round series.

“It was awesome. Playing here in Canada, it’s always fun,” said Brayden, who had a game-high nine hits in the series opener. “Canadian fans are so passionate with the Whiteout and it was loud in there. Just the whole start of the game, the energy and emotion, and the build-up, it’s awesome. Playoff hockey, this is what we play for, a chance to win the Stanley Cup.”

He was quick to admit that this first-ever playoff battle with his older brother is even more challenging for family members watching and trying to figure out how to handle the unique situation.

“A lot harder than what it was on me and Luke, put it that way,” said Brayden. “One team scores and they don’t know whether to cheer or not to cheer. Like I said, it’s not about me and Luke, it’s about Blues vs. Jets and that’s the way we’re going to keep it.”

Going into the series, Luke made it clear that the lines of communication would be paused until one player moves onto the second round and the other is eliminated and moves into off-season mode.

“Yeah, we’re not (talking),” said Brayden. “Like I said, I don’t really want to talk about me and Luke anymore. I want to talk about the series. We’re competitors and we’re going to leave it at that.”

Jets defenceman Logan Stanley, who has been a regular defence partner for Luke, was asked if he’d thought about what it would be like to have to battle with a sibling in a Stanley Cup playoff series?

“If it was my brother, he’d be chasing me around the ice and I’d want nothing to do with him,” said Stanley. “But my brother’s not that good at hockey, so. No it’s got to be a little bit weird for them but they’re both professionals and I think they’ll handle it well.”

Stanley also said that Luke has been a great mentor since his arrival in the deadline deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“It’s nice to watch him and see how he plays and how hard he works at his game in practices and in the gym,” said Stanley. “Definitely someone I’ve looked up to. If I can take some stuff away, and when you think about the future, if that’s me in 10 years, I’d be very, very happy. A great guy to look up to and he’s been a great teammate.”

LOOKING UNDER THE HOOD: With a two-day break on the horizon — and two more of them scheduled before Game 4 arrives — both head coaches were asked about the temptation to cut down the bench.

“You’re doing that no matter what,” said Arniel. “The importance of winning this game, you’re going to do whatever it takes. Don’t worry about the next one. Whatever it takes, that’s what you’re going to do. We’re not looking for days off to rest. It’s about making sure we win this game.”

Both the Jets and Blues pride themselves on being a four-line hockey team, but finding beneficial matchups and an extra shift here or there for a star player or a big line, is part of the chess match and game within the game that you see at this time of the year.

“As a coach, it’s why you love playoff hockey,” said Montgomery. “I know that there’s going to be adjustments and wrinkles by both of us. That’s what you love as a coach.”

That premise comes with one quick caveat though.

“You have to weigh that balance of how much is too much?” said Montgomery. “Because you just want your players to play fast and free mentally so you can’t throw the kitchen sink at him.”

After Arniel and the Jets have home-ice advantage and last change for the first two games, Montgomery will have the opportunity to dictate whether or not he’d like to try and shift some of the matchups in the two outings in St. Louis.

IN THE DOT: Aside from a wide disparity in hits in Game 1 (53-33), the other area where the Blues held a clear edge was in the faceoff circle, where St. Louis won 57 per cent of the draws compared to 43 for the Jets.

Robert Thomas (73 per cent) and Radek Faksa (67 per cent), led the way for the Blues, while Adam Lowry (53 per cent) and Morgan Barron (50) led the Jets in that category.

The importance of wingers getting involved to secure loose pucks is a critical component to swaying those numbers in a team’s favour.

“Obviously you kind of see what set they’re in first and that dictates where you line up. And then, based on your hands versus their hands, then it’s just getting a good jump off the draw,” said Appleton. “Obviously, you want to get inside positioning right away. You’ve got to fight and compete for ice and win your 50-50 battles. Any pucks that go directly to the left or the right, it’s essentially a new faceoff between the wingers. The more of those we win the more possession we have to start shifts.”

Oddly enough, the game-winning goal from Kyle Connor was a result of an offensive-zone faceoff win by Mark Scheifele (who only won 40 per cent of his faceoffs in Game 1), so a cursory look at the numbers doesn’t always tell the full story.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @WiebesWorld