New year, new expectations

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/12/2018 (2442 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Jets reached new heights in 2018, including the strongest finish followed by the greatest start to a regular season in team history.

So, with 2019 officially here, some members of the Jets were asked to take a moment to reflect on the recent calendar year and share what made it such a special time for Winnipeg.

“I thought we really took the next step to being an elite team,” Jets centre Adam Lowry said. “That’s something we’ve been building over the last few years, and to see it start to pay off and starting to realize those expectations placed on us, it feels good. We’re going to look to try and continue that in 2019.”

The Jets wrapped up the 2017-18 season in April with the second-best record in the NHL — and a new franchise record — with a mark of 52-20-10, for a total of 114 points. They made it as far as the Western Conference final, knocking off the Minnesota Wild and the league-leading Nashville Predators before falling to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games. The Jets had yet to win a playoff game since returning to the NHL for the 2011-12 season, making it to the post-season just once in the first six seasons before their formidable run last year.

“The first period in Nashville (in Game 7 of the Central Division final) would be my favourite hockey memory of that year. That you were able to, when that pressure was there, come out and perform the way you hoped and then some — that would be the highlight of it,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice said. “At a time… we kind of turned the corner there, where we looked around and felt we had a real strong team, that we could compete on every given night. It’s kind of like when our power play goes over the boards now… every time our power play goes over, it’s ‘we should score here,’ and we feel like that going into games.”

Maurice, perhaps feeling overly fortunate for his current circumstances, recalled a time in his first years as a head coach, with the Hartford Whalers in the mid-1990s. Back then, there was, at times, a serious concern when arriving at a few opposing arenas.

“I can remember going into Philadelphia when they had the Legion of Doom, and some nights thinking we could get beat by 15 here.

Like it’s possible, and that just might be the first period.

Those kill the afternoon naps,” Maurice said, before moving back to his own team. “It’s nice for (these players) too, especially in a Canadian market. For the guys who have been here a long time, there is a feeling of responsibility when you’re not winning or you’re behind it or you’re chasing it – it’s not a fun place to operate. So there’s a different feeling and excitement. We’ve got a pretty good team here; it’s never easy but we can win games.”

Winnipeg is currently in first place in the Western Conference – and third in the entire NHL – with 52 points, behind only the Tampa Bay Lightning (64 points) and Toronto Maple Leafs (54). They’re just off last year’s pace but feel they’re a better and more experienced team after having played in so many meaningful games over the past 12 months.

“We have a tight-knit team…we took a big step forward as a team and that’s something we want to build on going into 2019,” defenceman Josh Morrissey said. “We have big goals for our group but we also know there’s a lot of work left to be done and the toughest hockey is in front of us here. Definitely build off a lot of those things and have good memories in 2018 but hopefully we have even better ones in 2019.”

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Sami Niku is back with the Jets.

The 22-year-old defenceman from Finland was promoted Monday to the big club from the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League but is a healthy scratch in Edmonton as the Jets meet the Oilers in a New Year’s Eve battle.

While Niku has been a solid contributor to Winnipeg’s AHL affiiate, his recall was more out of necessity. The Jets have just six healthy blue-liners now that Dustin Byfuglien (lower body) is out of action for at least a month.

Byfuglien got bumped in the Jets corner Saturday by Minnesota Wild forward Luke Kunin, and his left leg buckled. He was in obvious pain and couldn’t put any weight on the leg.

On Sunday, head coach Paul Maurice revealed the 33-year-old Roseau, Minn., product will be lost to the club for the foreseeable future. Byfuglien has been a major force during the first half of the 2018-19 season, supplying four goals and 25 assists in 32 games.

Niku was held pointless in five games with Winnipeg during a stint in the NHL earlier this year. He has two goals and eight assists in 17 contests with the Moose.

A year ago, he won the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s outstanding defenseman for the 2017-18 season — his inaugural North American pro hockey campaign.

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The Jets hold their seventh annual Skills Competition on Wednesday night. All players will be split into two squads, and the sides will compete head-to-head in five events.

Doors at Bell MTS Place open at 6 p.m. and the skills showcase begins at 7 p.m.

All seats are reserved. Tickets range from $14 to $24, plus applicable fees, and aree available through www.winnipegjets.com/skills.

e-mail: jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

@WFPJasonBell