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ANAHEIM – Greetings from the “Happiest Place on Earth” — Disneyland is just a few miles away from Honda Center — as the Winnipeg Jets make stop No. 2 of this four-game road trip.
First place is staring them in the face, which would no doubt make fans feel rather joyful. A win tonight over the Anaheim Ducks puts the Jets on top of the Central Division (technically tied in points with the Colorado Avalanche, but with a game in hand).
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Given some of the pre-season picks from pundits, that would be a rather Goofy development, don’t you think?
Ahem.
However, Winnipeg must guard against a Mickey Mouse performance against one of the NHL’s basement-dwellers. At 10-16-0, only the Chicago Blackhawks (who the Jets beat last weekend) and the San Jose Sharks (who they play next, on Tuesday) have a worse record in the league.
“This is a tough league to win in no matter what. Every team in this league can beat another team any given night,” Jets coach Rick Bowness told the Free Press Saturday following his team’s hour-long practice. “You always have to have the upmost respect for your opposition. As soon as you take your foot off the pedal you’re letting them go. It’s up to us to impose our will on, first of all, Anaheim.”
Winnipeg is expected to have one lineup change, with forward Vlad Namestnikov returning after a three-game injury absence. He would likely take the place of Axel Jonsson-Fjallby on the fourth line (David Gustafsson would also be a possibility, as Namestnikov could centre that line).
Connor Hellebuyck, fresh off a 32-save performance in Thursday’s terrific 4-2 triumph over Colorado, will make a second straight start in net.
Tony Avelar / Associated Press filesWinnipeg Jets center Vladislav Namestnikov will be back in the fold tonight after a three-game injury absence.
With the 5 p.m. local time start, neither club held a morning skate. Keep that in mind when viewing the projected lineups below, which are more subject to change than usual as a result.
Here’s some additional information to get you set for puck drop:
FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: We’ve seen the Jets rise to the occasion lately, with the win over Colorado being the latest example. Now, let’s see if they don’t play down against a less talented opponent.
I know Bowness said all the right things about that Saturday when I asked him, but seeing is believing. And it’s not all that uncommon for teams to do that at times. Hence, the so-called “trap” game.
Anaheim isn’t even at 100 per cent, with young stars Trevor Zegras, Mason MacTavish and Jamie Drysdale all currently on the injured list. (Zegras and Drysdale both skated yesterday but are still believed to be a game or two away from returning).
The Jets, with some extra time to rest and recover, should come out flying as they now face three games in the next four nights.
Is Winnipeg’s penalty kill trending in the right direction? It sure seems like it after a stellar 4-for-4 performance in Colorado, including a clutch 47-second kill of a 5-on-3 advantage early in the third period when the lead was just a single goal.
Let’s see if that can continue here, which would be a major boost for a team that is giving up very little at even strength and would become even more dangerous should they get their special teams figured out.
Finally, let me just say that after spending the last few days in beautiful, balmy southern California, I can see why Shohei Ohtani was in no hurry to leave here. The US $700 million didn’t hurt either, of course.
KEN SAYS: After delivering a bit of a statement in a divisional game against Colorado, the Jets face a different kind of challenge here with the Ducks, who started the season strong but have hit a bump in the road.
Bowness praised the play of three of his four lines after Thursday’s win, but he will be looking for more from the trio of Cole Perfetti, Gabriel Vilardi and Alex Iafallo in this game. Each member of the fourth line was north of 11 minutes of ice time and Axel Jonsson-Fjallby’s dogged puck pursuit led to an important goal from Adam Lowry with 2.2 seconds to go in the first period.
The Ducks are dealing with some significant injuries but the early returns on 2023 second overall pick Leo Carlson have been solid. The Swedish centre is already making an impact and it will be excellent to see how he plays here against the Jets tonight.
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