FREE TICKETS!
This coming Thursday, May 7, at Pregame Sports Bar in St. Boniface, we are hosting Mailbag: Live! — an in-person version of our monthly online feature, which will also include a Winnipeg Jets season post-mortem and some discussion of the NHL Draft Lottery, among other things — and we want to see you there!
This event is exclusive to members of our Patron Program, but we’ve got two pairs of tickets to give away to subscribers of this newsletter. To enter, simply fill out this form with your name and email address before midnight Monday, May 4. Winners will be contacted Tuesday morning. Good luck and hope to see you there!
FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: Can a power play be both terrible and timely? It’s incredible how disoriented Manitoba has looked at times in these playoffs with the man advantage, yet you can’t overlook the fact they’ve now scored two massive, late-game goals to send them on to victory.
The Moose, like the parent Jets, are often guilty of over-passing and looking for the perfect play.
When they have been successful, it’s come from a more direct approach: put a puck on net and hope for either a deflection — like the one David Gustafsson got to win Game 2 in the last series against Milwaukee — or a rebound, l ike the one Shaw got on Saturday. One central figure in both of those tallies is top forward prospect Brayden Yager, who continues to have a very strong playoffs. His stock is certainly rising.
Brayden Yager (Brook Jones / Free Press files)
Other players who have really caught my eye so far: defencemen Tyrel Bauer and Isaak Phillips on the blue-line and forward Lucas Wahlin, the college free agent who always seems to be in the middle of good things.
It’s wild that the Moose have only scored six goals in four playoffs games — but have won the last three. That’s because they have only given up six combined goals, and just two in those last three outings.
I’m expecting a much more desperate Grand Rapids team today. Sure, they have the luxury of home-ice advantage. But falling into an 0-2 hole, especially after the incredible season they’ve had, was certainly not the plan.
Nobody asked me, but I’d probably go to Milic in this game.
DiVincentiis had a heavy workload on Saturday, and I’d prefer to go with the guy who I know is 100 per cent. On top of that, Milic is a darn good goalie, one who likely would have a bit of extra motivation after how his first (and so far only) playoff game went in that 4-1 loss to Milwaukee.
KEN SAYS: Who says a game with one goal scored can’t be highly entertaining? Saturday’s tilt was just that. There were plenty of quality scoring chances, timely saves and some heavy hits dished out by both teams.
DiVincentiis was once again the star of the show and he’s put together an outstanding book of reference here in his three starts so far, turning aside 89 of 91 shots on goal that he’s faced to post a 0.67 goals-against average and .978 save percentage.
Of course, the sample size is small, but he’s provided a massive jolt of confidence with his rock-solid play.
Mike and I don’t disagree a whole lot, but we differ in terms of the goaltending decision for Game 2.
While Milic is obviously capable of stepping in and doing the job, I say ride the hot hand, especially with two days before Game 3 will be played on the road in Michigan. DiVincentiis is dialled in and he’s ready to go again.
“Tons. It’s playoff hockey,” DiVincentiis said after the game, when asked if he would be ready to go again if called upon. “Whoever gets called, we’re going to be ready, no matter what.”
Shaw was the offensive hero and was noticeable all game long, generating five shots on goal while also mixing it up physically.
Manitoba Moose left-winger Samuel Fagemo (No. 16) plays the puck while Grand Rapids Griffins right-winger Michael Brandsegg-Nygård (No. 28) and Griffins teammate right-winger Carter Mazur (No. 43) cover him during Saturday’s game. Also pictured is Griffins centre Amadeus Lombardi (No. 93). (Brook Jones / Free Press)
Moose centre Danny Zhilkin had another strong outing, skating well and finding a way to record four shots on goal of his own. Zhilkin is someone I see pushing for NHL duty in the fall, most likely in a fourth-line role, but his skating and offensive instincts (coupled with his sound defensive play) could eventually allow him to force his way up the depth chart.
Lastly, it was an impressive professional debut for Jets D prospect Garrett Brown, who came exactly as advertised as he stopped in on the third pairing with Dylan Anhorn.
Brown used his mobility effectively, whether it was on puck retrievals or when getting involved with the rush while not unnecessarily raising his risk profile.
He also demonstrated his ability to make a crisp first pass and defended effectively against a high-octane group of forwards that helped the Griffins finish second in the AHL in goals per game.
PROJECTED LINES
(Don’t get bogged down in the order; this is not a depth chart)
MANITOBA MOOSE
FORWARDS
Mason Shaw–David Gustafsson–Walker DuehrJaret Anderson-Dolan–Danny Zhilkin–Sam FagemoBrad Lambert–Brayden Yager–Lucas WahlinColby Barlow–Parker Ford–Phi Di Giuseppe
DEFENCEIsaak Phillips–Kale Clague
Ashton Sautner–Tyrel Bauer
Dylan Anhorn– Garrett Brown
GOAL
Dom DiVincentiis
Thomas Milic
INJURED: D Elias Salomonsson (shoulder surgery)
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: F Tyson Empey, F Kevin He, F Jacob Julien, F Fabian Wagner, F Jayden Dureau, F Chase Yoder, F Davis Burnside, D Dawson Barteaux, D Lukas Gustafsson, D Alfons Freij, D Ben Zloty, D Ethan Frisch, G Isaac Poulter, G Alex Worthington
GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS
FORWARDS
John Leonard-Sheldon Dries-Dominik Shine
Carter Mazur
Tyler Angle-Amadeus
Lombardi-Michael Brandsegg-Nygard
Eduards Tralmaks-Wojciech
Stachowiak-Jakub Rychlovsky
Eddie Genborg-Gabriel Seger-Austin Watson
DEFENCE
Erik Gustafsson-Antti Tuomisto
William Lagesson-Axel Sandin-Pellikka
William Wallinder-Anton Johansson
GOAL
Sebastian Cossa
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
Manitoba Moose coach Mark Morrison on his opportunistic squad being comfortable in tight-checking, low-scoring games:
“They hang in there. It’s kind of the way we play. We’ve played like that all year, one-goal games. Hang in, hang in, until we get a chance (to score). So, we’re used to it. It’s not something that is new to them and they’re good at it.”
WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON
Mike and Ken will have double coverage of Game 2. You can find their stories online at winnipegfreepress.com and in Monday’s print edition.
|
