FROM THE PRESS BOX
Mike says: The Jets haven’t exactly faced many hockey heavyweights early in this NHL season, with the last six games all coming against teams that didn’t make the playoffs last year.
And while Utah was also on the outside looking in last spring, they represent a step-up in weight class for Winnipeg based on their sizzling start and sky-high potential.
While recent games against Nashville, Calgary (twice this week) and Seattle weren’t exactly barnburners, this one against the Mammoth has the potential to be an action-packed adventure.
Utah is averaging 3.78 goals-per-game — third best in the NHL — and their top two forwards lines are absolutely stacked.
Nick Schmaltz (7G, 8A), Clayton Keller (4G, 8A), Logan Cooley (7G, 3A) and Dylan Guenther (4G, 6A) have already hit double-digits in points, and JJ Peterka (3G, 5A) is right behind them. They also have a solid blueline led by Mikhail Sergachev, who already has seven points (1G, 6A) this season.
Utah is going to be a big problem for all Central teams, including the Jets. And likely for the next several years.
“It’s a gauntlet here. It’s very deep and very, very heavy at the top,” Koepke told me on Saturday.
“A lot of really good teams here, and everyone in there seems to play with a lot of speed and a lot of kind of grit and heaviness. (Utah) is off to a great start. Their Top 6 is just as skilled as anyone. Those young guys, they got a lot of them, they’re off to really hot start on the season offensively. So they’re definitely joining the tough part of the Central.”
Buckle up, folks. This should be a beauty.
Ken says: Josh Morrissey has been carrying a heavy load in the absence of Dylan Samberg and that was on display during the previous two games against the Flames and Kraken, where the Jets defenceman was north of 28 minutes on Thursday, and followed that up by playing more than 26 minutes on Friday.
While Morrissey has been doing a solid job defensively, he had his offensive mojo going in the second period against the Flames, delivering three assists to ignite a four-goal flurry. With that outburst, Morrissey is up to five assists in eight games this season.
Speaking of Jets’ D-men, Neal Pionk looks to be rounding into form during the past several games as well.
Not only did he have five shots on goal and 12 shot attempts against the Kraken, he added an important shot block off the knee in the waning moments with his team protecting a one-goal lead.
Pionk is a critical piece on the back end and is counted on to play heavy minutes against top competition.
The reaction to the first goal on home ice for Jonathan Toews was what one might expect and it seems clear that he’s getting more and more comfortable as the games wear on.
His influence in the face-off circle has been undeniable; he won 13 draws and lost just two (87 per cent) on Friday to move to 64.2 per cent for the season to go along with his five points in eight games.
Yes, it’s still early and the sample size remains relatively small, but the early indications are that he can handle the second-line centre role.
The Mammoth are a fun, up-and-coming team that’s always had an abundance of skill, but their commitment to checking is on the rise, which is why I picked them to claim a wild card berth in the Western Conference.
PROJECTED LINES
WINNIPEG JETS
FORWARDS:
- Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
- Niederreiter-Namestnikov-Nyquist
- Iafallo-Toews-Chibrikov
- Koepke-Barron-Pearson
DEFENCE:
- Morrissey-DeMelo
- Stanley-Pionk
- Fleury-Schenn
GOAL:
INJURED: D Samberg (wrist), C Lowry (hip), F Perfetti (ankle)
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D Miller, F Ford, F Lambert
UTAH MAMMOTH
FORWARDS:
- Keller-Hayton-Schmaltz
- Peterka-Cooley-Guenther
- Crouse-McBain-Carcone
- Tanev-Stenlund-O’Brien
DEFENCE:
- Sergachev-Simashev
- Schmidt-Marino
- Cole-Maata
GOAL:
INJURED: F Kerfoot (abdomen), D Durzi (upper-body), D Valimaki (ACL)
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: F Yamamoto, F Rooney, D DeSimone
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
Jets forward Cole Koepke on the team’s penalty kill, which has only surrendered two goals this year (while scoring two shorthanded tallies) and leads the NHL with a 94.1 per cent success rate:
“I’ve loved it. I think we’ve been probably killing a little bit more than we’d like to, but it’s always good that we’re doing well. We had a big streak going (24 straight kills). They (Calgary) got one, which is going to happen. But I thought collectively, we’ve been able to put a lot of pressure on the other team’s power plays and kind of disrupt them on the entry. And think we’ve got to continue to do that, and it’s going to be huge throughout the season.”
WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON
Ken will have the game analysis of Jets versus Mammoth, while Mike will have a secondary story from the downtown rink. You can find both pieces online at winnipegfreepress.com and in Monday’s print edition.
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