Nino makes good things happen

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This article was published 07/03/2024 (577 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SEATTLE — Nino Niederreiter is quick to admit it wasn’t always this way.

There was a time in his career — not that long ago even — when he scored a bunch of goals with his shot off the rush to augment those gritty goals in front of the net.

Make no mistake, the Winnipeg Jets winger has also made a habit of working his way in and around the blue paint and around the crease — but he’s taken that to the extreme this season on his way to scoring 18 times through 61 games — heading into Friday’s rematch with the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena.

“Last year, when I looked at my goals, I had more goals from further out than this year, so I was trying to work on my game to get more towards the net,” Niederreiter said after Thursday’s skate. “This year, it seems like I’ve got more pucks around the paint and haven’t got the shot off (as often) from far. I’m trying to find that balance.

“Throughout the junior level and throughout my (NHL) career, I always wanted to be around the crease, be in the paint and create stuff there and hopefully get a couple of goals there.”

Niederreiter has done more than simply “get a couple of goals there” — the running joke is that the front of the net is his office and he resides there with regularity, often drawing a crowd whether he scores or not.

“The D-men get away more with cross checks more than if you do it as a forward, so that’s something you have to be very careful of,” said Niederreiter, who was chosen fifth overall in the 2010 NHL Draft by the New York Islanders. “How do you create your own space in there without getting a penalty? The one time I got a penalty for a cross check and it ended up being a goal against, so that’s where it’s a fine line to create your own room.”

After working his way through a dry spell on the offensive side of things, Niederreiter is back on a hot streak, with four goals in his past three games to move into a three-way tie for third place for goals on the Jets with Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers.

The only players who have found the back of the net on the team with more regularity this season are Kyle Connor (26) and Sean Monahan (21), including eight since the trade.

“Throughout the junior level and throughout my (NHL) career, I always wanted to be around the crease, be in the paint and create stuff there and hopefully get a couple of goals there.”–Nino Niederreiter

“It’s a lesson for young players, not (just) in the league, (but) kids growing up — go to the net and good things happen,” said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey. “It’s not easy to go there. So, when you go to the net, it’s our job as D-men to try to get it in there for him, if the guy is going to go there. To get (the shot) through and get it to him, to reward him for getting in that spot. So he’s great at it and that takes a little knack for how to be in the right spot, how to position yourself properly and obviously, some guts to get in there.”

Niederreiter’s willingness to go to those hard areas on the ice is widely recognized.

“I love watching him play and watching him work in practice,” said Jets forward Morgan Barron. “It seems like those are the type of players and the type of goals that continue to come throughout your career. He’s been in the league quite a while. Just to be able to continually produce that offence is impressive. For someone like myself, I’ve tried to learn a lot just from watching him. He’s always around the paint.

“Seems like he scores a bunch of different ways, whether it’s rebounds or tips or the little chop tip that he had (on Sunday against the Buffalo Sabres). He’s really skilled and it’s probably a skill that in the larger scope of the hockey world is underappreciated.”

It’s not underappreciated by Jets head coach Rick Bowness, nor is his ability to produce at a high level for as long as he has.

“You’ve got to have the desire to get in there and then you have to have the physical strength to win some of those battles,” said Bowness. “He’s got good timing, a good stick around the net. That’s what we keep preaching and what we’ve been preaching all year, get to the blue paint and put more picks in there. It’s something that teams talk about all of the time — (having a) net presence.

“It’s not easy to go there. So, when you go to the net, it’s our job as D-men to try to get it in there for him, if the guy is going to go there. To get (the shot) through and get it to him, to reward him for getting in that spot.”–Josh Morrissey

“He’s playing a very important role for our team. For us, it’s not just the goals. That line has been dominant at both ends of the ice all year. He knows his way around the net and he knows the role that we need him to play, which is to shut down the opposition’s big line and still contribute. He’s been doing that his whole career.”

Niederreiter is on the verge of an eighth season of being a 20-plus goal scorer in what is his 12th full season (and 13th overall, when you count the nine games he suited up for the Islanders in 2010-11 before he was returned to the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League).

“For me, that was always my goal. To get to 20 and then kind of go from there,” said Niederreiter, who has spent the majority of this season on a line with captain Adam Lowry and Mason Appleton. “I feel I’ve been fairly consistent throughout my career to get to 20 goals and it’s something I always want to reach. It’s not easy to reach, so hopefully I can make it happen again this year.

The Jets will be looking to rebound against a Kraken team that is battling to stay in the wild-card race and earned a 4-3 victory in Winnipeg on Tuesday, thanks in part to a late power play goal from Andre Burakovsky that was part of a two-goal rally in the third period.

“They’re fighting for their lives, they’re already playing playoff hockey and they’ve got to pretty much spring to the finish line,” said Jets defenceman Brenden Dillon. “Seattle, even though they traded away (Alex) Wennberg (to the New York Rangers), they’re still feeling they can make the playoffs and they’re still feeling confident. We saw that with them coming in on a back-to-back and grinding out a big two points.”

Bowness said right-winger Gabriel Vilardi won’t suit up with the Jets in either game this weekend, though a further update on the severity of his lower-body injury isn’t expected until after the NHL trade deadline passes on Friday.

Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck was one of the players who was under the weather on Thursday, so it remains to be seen if he will start against the Kraken or on Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks.

“He’s been in the league quite a while. Just to be able to continually produce that offence is impressive. For someone like myself, I’ve tried to learn a lot just from watching him. He’s always around the paint.”–Morgan Barron

Laurent Brossoit is expected to make his 16th start of the campaign this weekend, though Hellebuyck’s health could determine which night that might be.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X: @WiebesWorld