FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: “Where is Rutger?”
I’m not sure if we’ll hear that chant again on Saturday, as we did during Pittsburgh’s one and only visit last year, but the answer this time is: On the injured list (Last year it was: In the minors).
Rutger McGroarty, the former first-round pick by the Jets who refused to sign and forced a trade, went down during training camp with an undisclosed ailment and has yet to play this season. He’s recently resumed skating and is now down on the farm with the Wilkes-Barre Penguins, where is expected to start his year once cleared.
Sorry, Jets fans — you’ll have to wait at least one more year to welcome him back to town in person. McGroarty ended up having a pretty decent rookie season in the AHL last year with 39 points (14G, 25A) in 60 games, while also chipping in a goal and two assists in eight NHL games.
As for the guy the Jets got in return for McGroarty, Brayden Yager is off to solid start on his pro career with four points (2G, 2A) in his first eight games with the Manitoba Moose. I suspect we’ll be comparing these two players for many more years to come.
There will likely be some cheers for a couple of Penguins who will be in the lineup on Saturday. Forward Connor Dewar (The Pas) and defenceman Owen Pickering (St. Adolphe) are local products who should have plenty of family and friends in attendance.
This should be a good test for Comrie, who has won his two starts so far this year and stopped 63 of 68 shots he’s faced.
“The game feels good. I know I say it a lot, but being around Connor Hellebuyck has been great for myself,” said Comrie.
“We are really close friends and have a really great goalie coach here. We share a lot of stuff with each other. I learn so much just from being around him. You can learn so much from being around a guy and seeing what he does, how he prepares every single day. For myself, I try to get the most out of that as I can. For myself you just have to put your best foot forward and be ready for whatever comes my way.”
KEN SAYS: It’s been quite an offensive turnaround for Gabe Vilardi, who has shaken off a season-opening seven-game scoring drought and gone on a blistering heater.
By chipping in two goals and an assist on Thursday, Vilardi is up to four goals and seven points during his past four games and is averaging a point per game (11 in 11).
Speaking of cooking, Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey has been on fire of late as well when it comes to generating offence from the back end. Morrissey has shouldered a massive load in the absence of Dylan Samberg, averaging 24 minutes and 46 seconds of ice time per game (which is nearly two minutes per game higher than his career average).
With a goal and an assist against the Blackhawks, Morrissey is riding a four-game point streak and has 10 points, leaving him near the top of the highest scoring blue-liners in the NHL. It was merely a matter of time before the points were going to come for Morrissey, who has been excellent defensively on the top pairing with Dylan DeMelo (who has a goal and seven points so far after dipping to 19 points in 82 games last season).
Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby (Gene J. Puskar / The Associated Press files)
The 38-year-old Crosby remains one of the best players in the NHL and every chance to see him play in person is a treat. He’s off to another outstanding start, and he’s feasted on the Jets/Atlanta Thrashers over the course of his career — racking up 18 goals and 60 points in 46 games. Crosby seems poised to once again captain Team Canada at the Olympics in February and he’s likely to see a lot of the Scheifele line in this Saturday matinée.
Malkin, in the final year of his contract, has also done a remarkable job out of the gate.
PROJECTED LINES
WINNIPEG JETS
FORWARDS
- Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
- Namestnikov-Toews-Iafallo
- Niederreiter-Barron-Pearson
- Koepke-Ford-Lambert
DEFENCE
- Morrissey-DeMelo
- Stanley-Pionk
- Fleury-Schenn
GOAL
INJURED: D Samberg (wrist), C Lowry (hip), F Perfetti (ankle), F Nyquist (undisclosed)
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D Miller, F Chibrikov
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
FORWARDS
- Hallander-Crosby-Rust
- Mantha-Malkin-Brazeau
- Novak-Kindel-Koivunen
- Dewar-Lizotte-Acciari
DEFENCE
- Shea-Letang
- Wotherspoon-Karlsson
- Pickering-Dumba
GOAL
INJURED: RW Rakell (hand), C Hayes (upper body), F McGroarty (upper body), F Howe (knee), D Jones (lower body), D St. Ivany (lower body), G Blomqvist (lower body)
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D Clifton, D Brunicke, F Tomasino
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
Jets centre Mark Scheifele on not being content with eight wins in the first 11 games:
“We probably still haven’t played our best game yet. I think that’s the encouraging part. Obviously our record is good, but we still have a lot to work on. But we have a group that is eager to keep getting better and growing as a team and growing as a group. Just gotta keep pushing forward.”
WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON
Mike will have game coverage of Jets versus Penguins from the downtown rink. He will also have his monthly prospects report checking in on how the kids in the pipeline are doing so far this season.
You can find both pieces online at winnipegfreepress.com and in Monday’s print edition.
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