|
DALLAS – The standings suggest they are tied for the Central Division lead, and technically that is true. Both Winnipeg and Dallas have 79 points.
But looks can be deceiving, with the Jets having 25 regular-season games left to play, and the Stars just 21.
Advertisement
That makes tonight’s tilt here in Texas an even bigger “four-pointer” than usual. A Jets victory could really help their push for a division title, while a Stars triumph very much keeps them in the mix.
Winnipeg is coming in hot, having won four straight games and seven of the last eight. Dallas has cooled off a bit lately; Tuesday’s 5-1 loss in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche will have them looking for a response.
“We’re just excited to play one of the best teams and to see how we match up,” said Jets captain Adam Lowry. “They played us really well earlier in the year and we’re looking to not avenge those, but to put on a better showing and to get back to how we want to play.
“We’ve won four in a row, but it hasn’t necessarily been as solid as we would have liked. We know there is another level that we can get to.”
No doubt the Stars were bolstered by last night’s acquisition of veteran Calgary Flames defenceman Chris Tanev, who was one of the prized targets ahead of next Friday’s NHL trade deadline.
Because of the normal immigration issues, Tanev won’t be making his Stars debut until Saturday at the earliest and possibly Monday instead.
“He was right at the top of … probably everybody’s list in the league and for Jim (Nill) to be proactive and go out and get him, I thought it was fantastic,” said Stars head coach Peter DeBoer. “From a coaching perspective and for our room and for our group and for playoff hockey, he’s got all of those attributes.
“He’s got better puck skills and skating than people give him credit for. He can skate and move the puck under pressure. He’s also a big, physical, hard guy to play against. That gives you lots of options.”
This is the third meeting of the year, with Dallas having taken the first two by scores of 3-2 and 2-0 at Canada Life Centre on Nov. 11 and Nov. 28. Now, a chance for Winnipeg to return the favour in the Stars backyard, with an Apr. 11 date here as well on the horizon.
“If you look at the way we’re built and they’re built, it’s pretty similar,” said Stars forward Matt Duchene. “We know what is in store tonight. They compete, they play hard and take time and space away. They’re good in their own end. Obviously, we won the first two, but it means nothing.
“We just want to right the ship a little bit. We’ve had a really tough schedule, in terms of travel and late nights and stuff like that. But you want to dig deep for this one, for sure.”
Connor Hellebuyck vs Jake Oettinger makes for a terrific goaltending matchup.
The Jets won’t make any other lineup changes from Tuesday’s victory.
Here’s some other information to get you set:
FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: Winnipeg’s scheduled lightened up a bit lately, both in terms of quality and quantity. But they’re about to get into the teeth of it now, with six games over the next 10 nights including five on the road and two sets of back-to-backs.
They’ll go from the central time zone (@ Dallas) to the eastern time zone (@ Carolina and @ Buffalo) back to the central (at home against Seattle) to the Pacific time zone (@ Seattle and @ Vancouver).
Oh, and the Jets, who currently have the 2nd-best point percentage in the league, will face No. 5 (Canucks), No. 6 (Stars) and No. 7 (Hurricanes), all in enemy territory, in that span.
Throw in the fact the trade deadline occurs a few hours before the fifth game in this stretch next Friday, and business is certainly about to pick up.
It’s a big reason why coach Rick Bowness gave Hellebuyck the night off when the Jets hosted St. Louis on Tuesday, beating them 4-2 after a rock-solid performance from backup Laurent Brossoit. He wants his No. 1 netminder to be as sharp as possible, starting tonight, and you know any game in Dallas (Bowness’ most recent former stomping grounds) means a little more to the veteran bench boss.
Winnipeg’s second line of Sean Monahan (goal, assist), Alex Iafallo (goal) and Nikolaj Ehlers (two assists) had a productive night against the Blues, which is a very positive development for the Jets. Unfortunately, Cole Perfetti, who was recently bumped off that line, saw his pointless streak extend to 14 games as he now skates on the fourth line with Vlad Namestnikov and Morgan Barron.
With David Gustafsson and Rasmus Kupari both waiting in the wings for a chance to get back into the lineup, I wonder how close Perfetti is to a spot in the press box as a healthy scratch, even if it’s just for a game or two. It might not be the worst thing, allowing the young man a chance for a bit of a mental reset. That said, I thought he looked a little better against the Blues, and he did record two shots on goal after not putting up any in his two prior outings. Baby steps, sure.
Could Cole Perfetti be on the rebound after a 14-game dry spell? (Jeff Roberson / The Associated press files)
KEN SAYS: This should be a heavyweight tilt. The Jets are rolling but haven’t been as sharp as they were earlier this season, while the Stars have gone through a bit of a rough patch but felt they’ve been playing better than their record has shown of late. So, that means something has to give in this third meeting out of four.
The Jets don’t like how they played against the Stars previously and will be looking to elevate their level of play. Puck management will be critical. Despite the lulls of late, the last time the Jets had a showdown game with the Vancouver Canucks, the Jets played great. Can they do that again this evening?
“Absolutely. We need all four lines going, all the D going. Everyone has got to bring their A-game,” said Bowness. “When you’re playing these elite teams, you don’t get away with bad shifts, bad puck management and not winning battles. We did all of those things in Vancouver and we’re going to have to do them again tonight.”
Look for the Adam Lowry line with Nino Niederreiter to have a big impact in this game. It will be interesting to see how the matchup game works, but Bowness would like to get them out against the Roope Hintz trio whenever possible. Will DeBoer allow that to happen? We shall see.
Excited to see Stars forward Logan Stankoven play live for the first time. He’s given the Stars a boost and caught the attention of Bowness.
“He’s Brayden Point. He’s small, but he is a dynamic player,” said Bowness, referring to the Tampa Bay Lightning forward. “He’s fearless, he hangs onto the puck and he’s got a tremendous amount of poise and confidence. He’s got great skills. Nothing bothers him.”
The Jets will be happy that Tyler Seguin is out of the lineup, given the production he’s put up against them over the years.
|
