FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: The usual question before a Jets game is, “How will Winnipeg respond?” But that’s being asked in a bit of a different context as all eyes (and ears) are on what happens when the “Star Spangled Banner” is performed.
Canadian hockey and basketball fans in Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver have all booed the American anthem in recent days as a result of the threatened trade war.
With a 30-day pause in proposed sanctions announced Monday afternoon, we’ll see (and hear) before puck drop if the temperature has cooled a bit.
I can tell you it’s a non-issue for the players themselves, who are aware of what’s happening in the world around them but are taking a “people are free to react how they want” approach.
Stickhandling around a sensitive topic and taking a neutral-type position is probably for the best, especially since well-compensated athletes probably wouldn’t have a lot of meaningful insight or analysis to provide about economic sanctions and how they might impact the typical citizen.
Speaking personally, you can put me in the camp of people who don’t really care how they feel.
As for the game itself, I love watching the Hurricanes play hockey.
They bring an exciting, up-tempo style and plenty of star power as well.
I had a great chat Tuesday morning with Winnipegger Seth Jarvis, who is preparing to represent Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
The 23-year-old is up to 40 points this season (20G, 20A) and I often find myself wondering what the Jets would look like with him on the roster.
Hindsight is always 20-20, but Jarvis was still available when the Jets made the 10th overall selection in 2020 (taking Cole Perfetti). The Nashville Predators (G Yaraslov Askarov, 11th) and Florida Panthers (C Anton Lundell, 12th) also passed on Jarvis before the Hurricanes called his name at No. 13.
Speaking of the visitors, you can add Rod Brind’Amour to the growing list of coaches singing the praises of the Jets.
“Obviously when you’re in the top of the food chain playing teams like this, you really have no room for screwing up,” the Carolina bench boss said following the morning skate.
“They make you pay. Obviously their power play and all that. It’s pretty obvious how they’re winning. They’re doing everything right, they have no weaknesses really at the end of the day.”
Carolina is currently tied for fifth in the NHL in terms of points percentage, while Winnipeg ranks second behind only Washington. However, this is a battle of best-on-best when it comes to power play (Jets, 33.3 per cent) versus penalty kill (Hurricanes, 86.3 per cent).
Seth Jarvis will represent Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off. (Karl DeBlaker / The Associated Press files)
KEN SAYS: This matchup doesn’t quite have the same hype attached to it as Saturday’s marquee showdown, but this should also be a highly entertaining affair. These are two teams with high expectations and deep rosters.
Neal Pionk chipped in two more assists on Saturday while generating four shots on goal and eight shot attempts while recording one hit and one blocked shot in just under 24 minutes of ice time.
Dylan Samberg chipped in a goal and an assist with three shots on goal and five shot attempts for good measure.
Nobody has benefitted more from the return of Samberg from a broken foot than Pionk, as the pairing has excellent chemistry and they’re eating up big minutes against top competition and finding a way to chip in offensively.
Pionk has a goal and five points during the past six games and he’s up to 35 points in 54 games this season. The pending UFA has recorded at least 30 points in six consecutive seasons.
It was an eventful evening for Morrissey, who was on the ice for all four goals against along with D partner Dylan DeMelo, but he also delivered an insurance marker early in the third period and buried the overtime winner to help his team earn the extra point.
Scheifele didn’t have his best outing defensively either, yet he stepped up and made two critical plays in the contest — setting up each of Morrissey’s goals.
Finding a way to be a difference-maker, even when you’re not necessarily clicking on all cylinders, is such an important quality.
Scheifele is having an exceptional season and as it turns out, his B-game can still be pretty dynamic — and Saturday was an example of that. With his two assists, Scheifele extended his point streak to four games and eclipsed 60 points for the 10th consecutive season in his NHL career.
The Hurricanes are an interesting team to watch.
Long established as a legitimate contender under the guidance of Brind’Amour, but an inability to score enough when it matters most has been what has prevented them from getting to the top of the mountain.
Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky took a big swing to address that deficiency by acquiring Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche.
Having watched him closely in the Central Division over the years and especially during the 2022 Western Conference final and Stanley Cup final, I’ve got an incredible appreciation for Rantanen’s game. He’s one of the best wingers in the NHL and immediately provides support for the likes of Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov.
This looks like a perfect match and you can be sure Tulsky is trying to get Rantanen’s name on a contract extension. Rantanen has one goal and two points in four games since the deal.
Former Jets forward Jack Roslovic has bounced around a bit, but he’s having a solid season, with 18 goals in 52 games.
That leaves him four shy of his career high with 30 games remaining.
The skills were always there and it was usually a matter of needing to show more consistency. But Roslovic’s skating and finishing ability have allowed him to be a solid complementary scorer this season.
It took the 25th overall pick of the 2015 NHL Draft longer than he probably expected, but Roslovic deserves credit for what he’s doing these days.
PROJECTED LINES
WINNIPEG JETS
FORWARDS
- Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
- Ehlers-Namestnikov-Perfetti
- Niederreiter-Kupari-Appleton
- Iafallo-Gustafsson-Ford
DEFENCE
- Morrissey-DeMelo
- Samberg-Pionk
- Stanley-Miller
GOAL
Healthy scratches: D Heinola, D Fleury, F Lambert
Injured: C Lowry (upper-body), LW Barron (upper-body)
CAROLINA HURRICANES
FORWARDS
- Blake-Aho-Rantanen
- Hall-Kotkaniemi-Svechnikov
- Martinook-Staal-Jarvis
- Robinson-Roslovic-Jaaska (illness, game-time decision)
DEFENCE
- Slavin-Burns
- Orlov-Chatfield
- Gostisbehere-Walker
GOAL
Healthy scratches: D Morrow
Injured: RW Fast (neck), LW Carrier (lower-body), C Jost (lower-body)
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey on becoming the sixth different player to score an overtime winner for his team this year:
“The depth of our team is something we’ve talked about all year as being key for us. And definitely it’s a big reason for the season we’ve had so far. Three-on-three overtime is obviously a skill, puck possession style. Fast transition and you need lots of ability to execute in those scenarios. We certainly have a lot of guys who flourish in those type of situations. It’s nice to be able to have that depth. Obviously everyone feels great when they score an overtime winner, teams are always happy for the player, so the fact we’ve had six different guys is awesome to have that contribution from around the room.”
WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON
Mike has an early story coming on the success of Winnipegger Seth Jarvis, who is pumped to represent his country starting next week at the 4 Nations Face-Off. He will also have a piece coming on the crowd reaction with regard to the “Star Spangled Banner,” which has been heavily booed in other Canadian arenas in recent days. Ken is handling game duties of Jets vs. Hurricanes. You can find all three pieces online at winnipegfreepress.com and in Wednesday’s print edition.
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