High-flying and refreshed, Jets gear up for NHL’s home stretch

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This article was published 19/02/2025 (223 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A few things have changed for the Winnipeg Jets since we last saw them on the ice nearly two weeks ago. For example, pretty much every player is sporting a noticeable tan after spending the 4 Nations Face-Off break in various tropical hot spots around the globe.

“Shovelled snow the whole time. That’s why my face is a little red,” head coach Scott Arniel joked Wednesday, clearly not wanting to let the facts get in the way of a good story.

“No, I got away. I got some sunshine and got to put my feet up, get relaxed and kind of get set for this next run.”

Let the record show Arniel was in Hawaii, as were a handful of his players. Mexico, Palm Springs and Florida were popular destinations, too.

Now the boys are back in town, and one thing they’d like to ensure remains the same is the level of play they were experiencing before this 15-day pause of the marathon that is the 82-game regular-season schedule.

“Well I’m hoping that we can get there quick,” Arniel said of his group, which went into the hockey hiatus on an eight-game winning streak with a record of 39-14-3 that has them on top of the NHL standings.

An optional skate Tuesday afternoon was followed up with an intense, battle-heavy practice Wednesday morning that was clearly intended to shake off some rust. The Jets will also have on-ice workouts Thursday and Friday before flying to St. Louis to face the Blues on Saturday night.

“These last 26 (games) are a sprint,” Arniel said of the road ahead.

“Obviously there’s still a lot of races on for playoff spots, positioning in your division and conference. We’ve talked about it, we need to come out and get running again here and get back up to where we were and stay focused on what we have to do until the end of the year.”

The Jets got a dose of good news Wednesday as Adam Lowry was a full participant in a regular sweater. The team captain suffered an upper-body injury Jan. 20 in Utah — which happens to be the last time Winnipeg suffered a loss — and has been sidelined ever since.

“It was a pretty innocent play, just falling behind the net and just the way I went into the end wall. I felt something right away,” Lowry said of what went wrong.

“Usually in those instances you go to the bench, you catch your breath and you hope you can play through it. Just felt it the rest of the period and tried to get some treatment on it in the intermission, and then just as I was getting my gear back on I just felt like it was probably in the team’s best interest that I didn’t go back out there and play at 50 per cent.”

Tests revealed a further absence would be required.

“These last 26 (games) are a sprint.”–Head coach Scott Arniel

“It sucks missing time. You want to be out there battling with your teammates, contributing,” said Lowry, who was tracking for a career offensive year with 26 points (11G, 15A) in 48 games.

“But a ton of guys stepped up. To rattle off eight wins, it’s been awesome to watch the guys and how they played. The structure and the confidence.”

Indeed, an 8-0 record without him had Lowry joking he might have to fight his way back into the sizzling-hot lineup. In reality, he’s expecting to be ready for St. Louis.

“I think the start we’ve had, with the break coming up, it was kind of in the best interest to get back to 100 per cent as opposed to rushing back and just kind of putting a band-aid on it and just dealing with it and having it nag the rest of the season,” said Lowry.

“I think if the break hadn’t come, I probably would have been out a little longer. So fortunate to have kind of these two weeks off.”

Lowry’s return would leave Morgan Barron as the only remaining injured player. He missed the final four games before the break with an upper-body ailment and skated on his own Wednesday morning. There’s no timetable yet for his return.

Saturday’s lineup is also a bit iffy when it comes to the status of goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, forward Kyle Connor and defencemen Josh Morrissey. Those three are all competing at the 4 Nations event, which will end Thursday with the championship game in Boston between Canada and the United States.

It’s almost certain backup goalie Eric Comrie will start against the Blues, but whether Hellebuyck and the others even suit up for the game still has to be determined. Arniel said the plan is for them to meet the Jets in St. Louis “but there could be some adjustments.”

Could the team ultimately tell one or all of those players to take a couple days off to rest up and get ready for Monday’s home game against San Jose instead?

“But a ton of guys stepped up. To rattle off eight wins, it’s been awesome to watch the guys and how they played. The structure and the confidence.”–Adam Lowry

“That will be a conversation for Friday for us. Or with me with you guys. We’ll see where this goes after (Thursday) night. That’s about the best I can say,” said Arniel.

The Jets certainly have the benefit of some breathing room as they lead the Central Division and the Western Conference by nine points. A victory over the Blues would establish a new franchise record for the Jets in terms of a winning streak during a single season.

“It’s nice to have these three practice days before getting into a game. I know the coaches have a good plan for us for the upcoming days. It’s exciting to be back playing hockey,” said forward Mark Scheifele.

“Obviously we know after these breaks the games always mean more, they become more intense. We’re just looking ahead to St. Louis, and we want to start off where we left off. That’s the biggest thing. We want to continue playing the way we were playing.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg