Jets need to shut down NHL’s top scorer Ovechkin
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/02/2018 (1936 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The Winnipeg Jets face a tall task tonight as they try to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season. Standing in their way will be a high-flying Washington Capitals club and the NHL’s top goal scorer in Alexander Ovechkin.
Winnipeg (32-15-9) is coming off back-to-back regulation defeats on home ice to the St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers.
“It’s a new opportunity here tonight for us to try to re-do some of the things we know we can do,” Blake Wheeler said following the morning skate at Bell MTS Place. The captain has now gone 14 games since he last scored, including the past two since Mark Scheifele returned from injury and he shifted back to the wing from centre.
“If we give these guys time and space, give them opportunities, it’s going to be a tough night for us. I think we just want to skate, try to play a fast game, try to limit their space,” he said.
Coach Paul Maurice will go with the same lineup that lost 3-1 to the Rangers, including Connor Hellebuyck in goal.
Washington is in a familiar place on top of the Metropolitan division with a 32-17-6 record. They are coming off a 5-4 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday.
Ovechkin has 33 goals through 55 games, which matches his total from last season over 82 games. He appears on his way to what could be another 50-goal season.
“We wouldn’t have the answer to that, certainly as a coachable skill, because we’d all be doing that,” Maurice said this morning of how to try and shut down Ovechkin. “He’s just that good. You’ve got to stay out of the penalty box against Washington to take away a weapon.”
Expected Jets Lineup
Goal
Hellebuyck
Comrie
Forwards:
Perreault-Scheifele-Wheeler
Ehlers-Little-Laine
Connor-Copp-Armia
Petan-Hendricks-Roslovic
Defence:
Morrissey-Myers
Enstrom-Byfuglien
Chiarot-Kulikov
Scratches: Dano (healthy), Lemieux (healthy), Poolman (healthy) Lowry (injured), Tanev (injured), Matthias (injured), Trouba (injured), Mason (injured), Hutchinson (injured)
mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca
Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg
Mike McIntyre
Sports columnist
Mike McIntyre grew up wanting to be a professional wrestler. But when that dream fizzled, he put all his brawn into becoming a professional writer.
