Jets prepared for anything as they await Round 2 opponent

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This article was published 30/05/2021 (1561 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Jets still don’t know who they’ll face in the second round of the NHL playoffs, although it doesn’t sound like it matters much.

Ready, willing and able to take on all comers is a fitting mantra for the surging Jets, who await the winner of the opening-round series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens.

“The approach for us doesn’t really change. We’re focused on kind of how our team’s going to play, how our team’s going to defend,” Jets centre Adam Lowry said Saturday. “I don’t think it’s going to change, regardless of who the opponent is — whether it’s against Toronto or Montreal.”

The host Habs prevailed 3-2 in overtime Saturday night — on the strength of Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s winning tally at 15:15 — to force a seventh and deciding game Monday night in Toronto.

Winnipeg either welcomes Montreal for the Round 2 opener Wednesday night or begins the series in Toronto the same night.

The Jets took six of nine regular-season contests against the Canadiens, while splitting eight games in regulation time with the Leafs, losing once in overtime and once in a shootout.

Lowry said the club’s collective patience is running thin after erasing the Edmonton Oilers from the playoff picture six days ago.

“It’s one of those things where you try and stay sharp in practice, you try and use the days to make sure that any bump or bruises you’re staying on top of that. On the ice, you’re staying sharp. You want to make sure you don’t let any bad habits creep into your game. And then you’re kind of just waiting,” said Lowry, 28, a seven-year veteran.

“We’re going to go wherever we’re told… it’s one of those things where sometimes you get a little anxious to get started. We all want to just keep playing. You try and stay sharp as best you can, try to stay as rested as you can, so that when the series starts we’re ready to go.”

Top-line left-winger Kyle Conner fired the series clincher at 6:52 of triple-overtime as the Jets posted a 4-3 triumph in the wee hours Tuesday morning to sweep the Oilers in their best-of-seven opening-round playoff matchup.

Jets head coach Paul Maurice gave his group two days off following the test of endurance at Bell MTS Place before summoning them to the rink for practice Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

“The first couple of days were just spent resting and recovering from that marathon game, but then you kind of start going into meetings, you start talking about why we’re successful,” added Lowry, who chipped in a pair of assists in the series with Edmonton. “Showing why we’re committed to the style of play Paul wants and the style of play that made us successful in Round 1.”

The Jets have a day off scheduled today.

Winnipeg is a relatively healthy bunch, save for the nagging wounds that are customary during the chase for the Stanley Cup.

Maurice skated them hard Friday but placed a heavy priority on special-teams play during Saturday’s practice. He’s cognizant of the risk of some rust buildup within his club.

“There’s a timing to that and a peaking to that. So, (it’s) really important that we go about our business and cover our bases. At the same time we’re not winding them up before practice. First you’ve got to probably fill the reserves, get rested, get ready, get right,” said the longtime Winnipeg bench boss. “That anticipation is coming. I think you can already feel it. And I think there’s confidence that we’ll be able to get to that emotional level.

“The longer that your break is, the more anticipation — I don’t think anxiety — but we’re close to needing a game here soon. But we’ve tried to be as even-keeled on our non-game days and even on the morning-skate days as possible. Calm but ready,” Maurice added.

Jets starting netminder Connor Hellebuyck spent some one-on-one time with goalie coach Wade Flaherty prior to the skate but didn’t participate in practice, leaving Laurent Brossoit and Eric Comrie to stand guard.

Hellebuyck was brilliant against Connor McDavid and the rest of the Oilers, posting a 1.60 goals-against average and .950 save percentage — leading all puckstoppers in those categories during the playoffs.

The Michigan product turned aside 151 of 159 shots and registered a shutout in Game 3.

The Jets haven’t advanced beyond the opening round since 2018 when they dispatched the Minnesota Wild in five games and then survived a thrilling seven-gamer against the Nashville Predators.

The upstart Vegas Golden Knights halted Winnipeg’s storybook run in the Western Conference final.

In 2019, the Jets were sidelined in six games by the eventual Stanley Cup-champion St. Louis Blues, and then last August they lost a best-of-five qualifying series to the Calgary Flames in the Edmonton bubble.

Twelve-year veteran Mathieu Perreault, who has experienced the frustration of post-season joy rides cut short in Washington, Anaheim and Winnipeg, wants this odyssey to progress well into the summer.

“This is great. Obviously, this is what we play for. A guy like me that’s getting older, you never know when another chance is gonna come up, so I’m very happy that we get a chance to play in the second round,” said Perreault, 33, who scored once in the first round.

“Now, it’s gonna be down to eight teams and you can really cherish that, and bring everything you have to that second round so you can keep moving forward.”

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Veteran blue-liner Nathan Beaulieu continues to heal after shoulder surgery in early April but isn’t an option for the playoffs should the Jets get ravaged by injuries.

“He’s here, he’s post surgery and rehabbing, but this is a long rehab… he’s not going to be available for us at any point in time,” said Maurice. “He’s back rehabbing with us and travelling with the group. He should be a part of it right now, and he is.”

Beaulieu, in the first year of a two-year contract that carries an annual cap hit of US$1.25 million, hasn’t played since March 9.

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell