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It’s not very often a hockey team has the power to turn a two-game homestand into a four-game homestand. But that’s exactly the situation facing the Winnipeg Jets, who need just one point to ensure their first-round playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche starts next week at Canada Life Centre instead of the Mile High City.
Whether they can do it tonight against the Seattle Kraken or Thursday’s regular-season finale against the Vancouver Canucks remains to be seen.
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“We all know what’s at stake. To get home ice against a really good Colorado team I think could go a long way,” forward Mason Appleton said following Tuesday’s morning skate. “So, I think we’ll do everything we can to get a point tonight and that’ll take the pressure off Game 82. That’d be real nice here.”
Just as important is ensuring the team continues to play with the type of structure that has helped it build a six-game winning streak, including a perfect 4-0-0 road trip through the Central Division which was punctuated with back-to-back statement victories over the Dallas Stars (3-0) and Avalanche (7-0).
It was, as coach Rick Bowness loves to say, “Winnipeg Jets hockey” on full display.
“I think we all knew that we had it in here and, obviously, teams are gonna go through a rough patch throughout the year and we wanted to make ours as short as possible,” said defenceman Dylan Samberg. “And we flipped the switch here. And now we’re on a roll and we’re looking to keep that going.”
Seattle is well into next-year territory, following up its first-ever playoff appearance last season with a significant step back this year.
“A very competitive game,” Bowness said of what he’s expecting from the Kraken.
“They’ve been playing very aggressively. They’re a fast-skating team and they’re putting pressure on the opposition every time they play. They have good speed, they have good depth, and they’re playing a very fast, up-tempo game. There’s some guys probably fighting for jobs over there, but they went to the playoffs last year and won a round, and they’re all disappointed in their season. I’m sure they all want to finish this season on a high, positive note. And they’ve been playing very hard and very well. And that’s the type of game, we talked about it this morning, that we’re expecting.”
Connor Hellebuyck will start in goal for the Jets, while Seattle is expected to counter with Philipp Grubauer. The Jets will make one change as forward Nino Niederreiter returns to the lineup, 15 days after suffering a skate cut to the back of his leg which nicked his Achilles. He’ll replace David Gustafsson, taking his usual spot with Appleton and Adam Lowry on Winnipeg’s third line.
Here’s some other information to get you set:
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MIKE SAYS: I couldn’t help but notice the scene playing out on the ice, long after everyone who will skate in tonight’s game had finished their morning skate. There were forwards David Gustafsson, Cole Perfetti and Rasmus Kupari, along with defencemen Nate Schmidt and Colin Miller, putting in plenty of extra work along with backup goaltender Laurent Brossoit and Winnipeg’s assistant coaches. The joy level was extremely high, with Schmidt (not surprisingly) smack dab in the middle of it.
With the Jets at full health and boasting an extremely deep roster that was boosted by trade-deadline additions in Sean Monahan and Tyler Toffoli, there’s simply no room for these guys in the lineup right now. And that likely isn’t going to change when the playoffs begin next week. I suspect the lineup we see tonight is going to be what they put out in Game 1, barring any injuries.
But if anyone is hanging their head feeling sorry for themselves, or angry about the hand they’ve been dealt, they’re certainly not showing it publicly. It appears to be an “all for one, one for all” mentality, which can be easier said than done when dealing with big egos and big salaries in the highly competitive world of pro sports.
“Listen, I give them all credit because they’ve all handled it like true pros,” Bowness said.
“As coaches we try to make sure we talk to them every day and keep them involved, but that’s easier said than done because they’re not playing. The worst part of being a coach is telling a guy who wants to play, who’s a competitive guy, he’s not playing. And to get ready just in case your name is called the next game. I give all these guys full marks for buying into the team. They know we have a good team here. They see the talent on the team and know we’ve had a really good season, so they understand the challenges of getting in and playing in the lineup. We’re fortunate to have the depth, and we’re fortunate that those guys are handling it like true pros.”
One often looks for little signs that a team is fully invested, and the hard work of the extra players really struck me today. Just as the sight of Nikolaj Ehlers throwing himself in front of a slapshot late in the third period of Saturday’s 7-0 win over Colorado caught by eye. The Jets will need plenty more of that in the days and weeks ahead.
KEN SAYS: Almost lost in Saturday’s blowout win over the Avalanche, the Jets set a franchise record by recording an eighth shutout — with Hellebuyck up to five and Laurent Brossoit up to three in just 21 starts and 22 appearances. Coincidentally, one of those shutouts from Brossoit came against the Kraken on March 8, trade deadline day. Hellebuyck will make his 60th start of the season, hitting the mark for the fifth time in his career.
Monahan continues to be an absolute force for the Jets and it goes well beyond the 13 goals and 24 points he’s accumulated in the 32 games since the trade. Monahan had two goals and three points in just over 13 minutes of ice time in the blowout win before he departed for precautionary reasons.
Another big development on Saturday was the play of Toffoli, who showed off his finishing skills by burying the pass on the two-on-one with Kyle Connor but also looked for his shot more, amassing a team-high five shots on goal and eight shot attempts. Rounding out that second scoring line, Ehlers has been fantastic as of late and he’s been excelling since being reunited with Monahan and Toffoli.
Neal Pionk has endured some ups and downs during the second half, but he was rock-solid against the Avalanche and steady against the Stars. The Jets need that trend to continue as they prepare for the opening round of the playoffs.
Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey, front right, fights for control of the puck with Colorado Avalanche defenseman Jack Johnson, left, in the game’s third period April 13. (David Zalubowski / The Associated Press files)
Speaking of the blue line, Josh Morrissey came out with another sublime effort on Saturday, chipping in a goal and three points to move him to 67 points for the season. Morrissey won’t match the career-high 76 points he had last season, but he’s in position to hit 70 for the second time in his career with a strong finish. Morrissey continues to show why he’s under consideration to finish in the top-5 of Norris Trophy balloting in consecutive seasons.
The primary goal for Niederreiter as he returns to the lineup is to get up to speed and back into the groove with linemates Lowry and Appleton. Niederreiter spoke of the scare he underwent with the skate cut on Monday and he’s fortunate it wasn’t worse. That he’s able to come back before the playoffs is a big boost for a team that just outscored their opponents 10-0. Niederreiter has something at stake on a personal scale, as he’s two goals shy of notching 20 goals for the eighth time in his NHL career with two games to go.
As for the Kraken, they’ve been eliminated from playoff contention, but they’ve played the Jets tough this season. Offensively, Oliver Bjorkstrand is someone to keep an eye on, as he’s notched five points in his past five games against the Jets in Winnipeg. He’s also recorded a goal and seven points during his past seven games overall, including three multi-point outings and is second on the Kraken in goals (20), behind Jared McCann (29).
Forward Andre Burakovsky is another player who is fun to watch on the Kraken. When healthy, he’s an explosive skater with the ability to find the back of the net with regularity. Burakovsky has enjoyed some recent success against the Jets as well, producing three goals and nine points in his previous eight games against them. Right-winger Jordan Eberle enters the contest one goal shy of becoming the 32nd active player to score 300 goals.
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