|
There’s a hockey game to be played tonight, even if the primary focus for many will probably be Gary Bettman’s visit to our little neck of the woods.
The NHL commissioner is meeting with local business leaders, media and fans today as Jets attendance has taken a significant hit this season.
Advertisement
It should be a pretty good Central Division clash down at Canada Life Centre. Winnipeg has won three straight games and begins the night second overall in the league in terms of point percentage. St. Louis is coming off an ugly 6-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday and are currently four points out of the final Western Conference wildcard playoff spot, albeit with two games in hand on the Nashville Predators.
“They’re playing a lot better. They are. Those kids are playing really well right now,” Jets coach Rick Bowness said this morning of the visitors. “They’re scoring goals. The power play looks good. They get great goaltending so they’re a good team.
“We saw Arizona come in the other night and how desperate they were because they had lost 11 in a row. We’re going to have the same thing on our hands tonight. They’re four points out. I know they’ve got a couple of games in hand but they don’t mean much unless you win them. When you’re that close, you know they’re going to be coming at us.”
This is the third and final game of the year between the Jets and Blues. Winnipeg is a perfect 2-0-0, and 10-1-1 over the last dozen head-to-head meetings.
“I’m not really too concerned with our last record against them,” said defenceman Josh Morrissey. “They’re a good team, they’re a few points out of a playoff spot and they’re going to bring their best tonight. It’s nice that we’ve been able to get some points against them in the past but tonight’s a new game and the past doesn’t matter.”
The goaltending duel is Laurent Brossoit vs. local product Joel Hofer. For the 23-year-old Hofer, it will be the first time he’s played in his hometown since he was about 14, just before he’d go on to star for the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL.
“Any time you get to come home, it’s nice. You get to see family and friends. I’m just grateful that I get to play tonight,” said Hofer, who was drafted by the Blues in 2018 and is now in his first full season in the NHL. Plenty of family and friends will be in attendance, with Hofer’s father currently organizing tickets.
“He’s buying them right now, but he’ll probably send me a receipt or something later,” Hofer joked. “Getting to come here and play is super exciting. I’m just going to try and soak in the moment and try to do everything that I can to get a win.”
Jets centre Sean Monahan returns from a one-game absence due to illness. Rasmus Kupari comes out of the lineup.
“You never want to miss a game. Nice to be feeling good again and being back and looking forward to keeping that momentum going with those guys,” Monahan said following the morning skate.
FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: Normally I’d use this space to talk about the game, but obviously what’s happening off the ice is a major storyline around here. And this little tale, shared this morning by Josh Morrissey, really sums up the state of things right now.
The Jets defenceman, along with centre Mark Scheifele and co-owner Mark Chipman, did some community outreach Monday by visiting the home of a former season-ticket holder, who happens to have a massive outdoor rink, in an attempt to try and win them back.
“Chipper asked if we’d come and reach and visit a pretty cool outdoor rink set up by a former season ticket holder. Obviously our job is to worry about wins and losses on the ice and that’s what our focus is, but at the same time it was just an opportunity to interact with some kids and their family who love the Jets,” Morrissey said.
“It couldn’t be any more, in my view, Canadian than that. An outdoor rink across three front yards with trees in the middle of the ice and stuff. It was pretty awesome. It was just fun to go and interact with some people. I think that’s something I’ve always valued about the Jets organization and Mr. Chipman is their commitment to the city of Winnipeg, their love for the city of Winnipeg. I think that’s just another example of him trying to get players in a situation to interact with some of the great fans and be a part of this community. It was a lot of fun.”
I had the opportunity to observe some additional grassroots work being done by the Jets on Monday night, which I’ll be sharing with you in an upcoming Free Press feature.
Naturally, I’ll be curious to see what the attendance is tonight. It’s been trending up since Christmas, including an impressive 14,324 on Sunday against Arizona. The fact the Jets have been dynamite on home ice — 20-7-2 through 29 games so far this season — doesn’t hurt the cause.
The growing chemistry between Alex Iafallo (left), Nikolaj Ehlers (centre) and Sean Monahan should be on display against the St. Louis Blues tonight. (Erin Hooley / The Associated Press files)
KEN SAYS: The Jets power play has been clicking at a 50 per cent clip during the past five games (8-for-16) and has become a weapon, but the focus in this one will be on tightening up a few things with the defensive structure. There have been a few lapses on that front during the past stretch, but Bowness reiterated that he isn’t overly concerned about that turning into a trend.
With Monahan back in the lineup, we’ll continue to monitor that revamped second line with Nikolaj Ehlers and Alex Iafallo. It showed some nice examples of growing chemistry in Friday’s overtime win over the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Jets’ top line with Mark Scheifele between Kyle Connor and Gabriel Vilardi has sparked a bunch of discussion, as they’ve been generating a bunch on the power play — and getting a pair of overtime winners from Connor — but they’ve also been quick to admit they’ve been getting hemmed in the defensive zone a bit too much lately.
And while we told you about the brilliant play of Morrissey prior to Sunday’s game, he followed it up with another three assists — including a perfect pass to Connor for the OT winner on a three-on-one rush — so his nine points over the past four games warrants another mention.
In typical Morrissey fashion, he was quick to give credit to his teammates and made clear his focus wasn’t about padding his stats.
“I’m more worried about my overall game and trying to improve as a player, like our whole team is trying to improve,” said Morrissey.
The Blues are right in the middle of the race for the second and final wild card in the West, four points behind the Nashville Predators. It’s been an up-and-down season for the Blues, who replaced long-time coach and Stanley Cup champion Craig Berube with interim head coach Drew Bannister, who had been the bench boss with Springfield of the American Hockey League.
“I’m excited about it and our group is excited about it,” said Bannister, asked about the playoff chase. “You work all year to be in this position. Now we’re playing playoff hockey. It’s a fun time to come to the rink. The excitement level should be high because we’re playing meaningful games.”
The Blues have been led offensively by Robert Thomas. One aspect the Blues are excelling at this season is in one-goal games, as they boast a league-leading record of 12-2-2 (.750 winning percentage) in that circumstance.
Winger Pavel Buchnevich will be in high demand if GM Doug Armstrong considers moving him prior to the deadline. Buchnevich has 22 goals and 46 points in 55 games this season — including a hat trick against the New York Islanders last week.
Former Brandon Wheat Kings forward Brayden Schenn is in his first season as Blues captain and he’s produced nine goals and 22 points in 34 career games against the Jets.
|
