FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: The crease is yours, Mr. Milic.
We knew his debut was likely happening at some point this weekend, with the Jets playing back-to-back games. I initially assumed Comrie would get the front-end, with Milic appearing tomorrow in Nashville.
However, it appears the Jets are going to reverse that order, which makes some sense. First, Comrie looks like he could use a breather, having started four straight games, so an extra day off is probably a good idea. Second, the Predators represent a divisional foe, so having your more experienced goaltender for the proverbial “four-pointer” is probably a smart move.
How do we know this is the case? Blame Dylan Samberg. The Jets defenceman has this routine (superstition?) where he always warms up the starting goaltender during every morning skate. The Jets didn’t hold one today, so yesterday’s practice essentially served as one. And the tip-off came when Samberg started firing pucks at Milic, not Comrie.
I’m eager to see what Milic can do. He’s a former Western Hockey League goaltender of the year who made it to the Memorial Cup with his Seattle Thunderbirds and was off to a great start with the Manitoba Moose. Developing an eventual successor to Hellebuyck within the organization would be ideal, so we’ll get our first look at whether Milic could one day be that guy.
How’s this for some symmetry: Milic is a fifth-round draft pick of the Jets who is currently 22. He will be the first goalie in the franchise to make his NHL debut since Hellebuyck did it exactly a decade and one day ago — Nov. 27, 2015. He, too, was 22 at the time and a fifth-round pick of the Jets. No doubt the organization is hoping for a similar outcome, as the Jets beat the Minnesota Wild 3-1 that day in St. Paul.
Regardless of who is in net, the Jets don’t stand much of a chance these days unless they start getting contributions from their ice-cold bottom nine forwards. I had a great one-on-one chat with Perfetti yesterday, and he was as fired up as I’ve ever seen him as he spoke about their recent struggles. We’ll see whether that passion and intensity rubs off on his teammates and translates to the ice.
Black Friday games have not been kind to the Jets over the years, so they face an uphill battle against their own hockey history. I still remember Nate Schmidt talking about how the team has to be wary of “leaking gravy” all over the ice following their U.S. Thanksgiving feast in Minnesota a few years ago — which is essentially what they went out and did the following day in a lopsided loss.
KEN SAYS: Can these Jets start reshaping the narrative as it pertains to solving the secondary-scoring questions that have surfaced during this 3-7-0 spell?
Well, it’s a lengthy list of players who have gone cold at an inopportune time. Goals have been tough to come by and it’s not just one or two guys going through a serious drought.
Vlad Namestnikov, who already has six goals this season, has no points in his past 10 games, Jonathan Toews has one goal in his past 10 games, Perfetti has one goal in eight games, Adam Lowry has one goal in 10 games, Tanner Pearson has one goal in his past 16 games, Morgan Barron has one assist in his past 12 games, Nino Niederreiter has one goal in the past 11 games (though he does have four assists during that span), while Koepke (16 games) and Gustav Nyquist (17 games) are searching for their first goals of the season.
The bottom line is the Jets need to have more than one line producinB, along with the point-per-game production on the back end for Josh Morrissey, who has 23 points in 22 games.
Winnipeg Jets defenceman Elias Salomonsson (Mike Deal / Free Press files)
It was an eventful NHL debut for Salomonsson, who was on for a couple of even-strength goals against but also made some plays that showed exactly why he was first in line to get this recall. The club’s top blue-line prospect had several smooth zone exits and then showcased his mobility in the contest while checking effectively.
Even when Pionk is ready to return, it says here the Jets should provide a bit more runway for Salomonsson to show whether or not he’s ready for an extended promotion.
Jarvis is off to another strong start to the season, sitting second in team scoring with 19 points in 23 games. He is coming off consecutive 30-plus goal seasons that ended with 67 points and he’s on pace to eclipse those numbers while showing Team Canada brass that he wants another shot to represent his country in February, this time as an Olympian.
PROJECTED LINES
WINNIPEG JETS
FORWARDS
- Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
- Niederreiter-Lowry-Iafallo
- Pearson-Namestnikov-Perfetti
- Barron-Toews-Nyquist
DEFENCE
- Morrissey-DeMelo
- Samberg-Salomonsson
- Stanley-Miller
GOAL
INJURED: G Hellebuyck (knee surgery), D Fleury (concussion protocol), D Pionk (lower-body)
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D Schenn, F Koepke
CAROLINA HURRICANES
FORWARDS
- Svechnikov-Aho-Jarvis
- Ehlers-Stankoven-Blake
- Carrier-Staal-Martinook
- Hall-Jankowski-Robinson
DEFENCE
- Miller-Walker
- Gostisbehere-Chatfield
- Nikishin-Nystrom
GOAL
INJURED: D Slavin (lower body), D Legault (hand), C Kotkaniemi (ankle), G Kochetkov (lower-body)
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D Reilly, C Robidas
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
Jets forward Cole Perfetti on the need for secondary scoring:
“To be a successful team, someone has to step up every night. We can’t expect it to be Scheifele’s line very night. I don’t think it’s lack of effort or lack of trying. I think all three of the other lines are working our asses off. Puck’s just not going in right now.”
WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON
Mike is on scene in Raleigh. He will have the latest edition of Dump & Chase, our weekly lap around the NHL, which leads with a look at how every Manitoba player currently lacing up the skates in the big leagues is faring this year.
Spoiler alert: Carolina’s Seth Jarvis is the cream of the provincial crop. And he will have the Jets vs. Hurricanes game story including reaction from the locker room.
You can find both pieces online and in Saturday’s print edition.
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