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The NHL front-running Winnipeg Jets will look a little different tonight, with top centre and leading point-producer Mark Scheifele missing his first game of the year as the Flyers come to town for their annual visit. Scheifele suffered a lower-body injury in Thursday’s 2-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks and will be held out as a precaution.
He could have company.
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“There’s a couple other guys that we’re not sure, so we’ll have a couple game-time decisions to make,” coach Rick Bowness said following a lightly attended Saturday morning skate.
Forwards Nikolaj Ehlers and Axel Jonsson-Fjallby are believed to be two of those question marks. Ehlers left Friday’s practice after just a few minutes with an upper-body ailment, while Jonsson-Fjallby has been dealing with an illness. However, both were on the ice this morning, so that’s a good sign they might play.
Rasmus Kupari comes into the lineup for the first time in two months, returning from a shoulder injury suffered on Nov. 14. If one of Ehlers or Jonsson-Fjallby (or another mystery forward?) can’t go, the Jets would have to dress seven defencemen, with Logan Stanley likely drawing in.
As for the Flyers, their lineup is a bit of a guess, too, since they just played last night in St. Paul, Minn., rallying to beat the Wild 4-3 in overtime, and didn’t hold a morning skate. Keep that in mind when viewing the projected forward trios and defensive pairs below, as they are a little more “subject to change” than usual.
We’re comfortable saying the goaltending matchup will be Connor Hellebuyck vs. Samuel Ersson.
Here’s some other information to get you set.
FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: They may not be the Broad Street Bullies anymore, but you can expect the Flyers to bring a hard-nosed style of hockey.
“It’s a John Tortorella coached team. They’re coming hard,” Bowness told me this morning. “Whether they played the (Friday) night or not, I watched their game in Minnesota, they were down 3-1 and they came battling back. That’s how they play.”
Bowness said there’s a lot of similarities between the Flyers and Jets in terms of how they pressure opponents on the forecheck and force mistakes.
This is Winnipeg’s ninth game in the last 15 days, its most grueling stretch of the schedule all season. The team has gone on an incredible 8-0-0 run to set a new franchise record for consecutive victories and will try to extend it (along with a now 14-game point streak with a 12-0-2 record). After tonight, the Jets will play just five times in the next 23 days, with both the player break and All-Star break mixed in.
Another big crowd is expected at Canada Life Centre coming off Thursday’s sellout, which was the second of the year. It’s always fun to see out-of-conference opponents such as Philadelphia. Winnipeg has been a force against Eastern Conference teams, with an 11-0-3 record against its distant rivals. The Jets would love to keep that going, considering tonight begins a stretch of nine consecutive contests against non-Western Conference opponents.
KEN SAYS: We’ve spent ample time discussing the Jets’ commitment to structure and defending, which has led to a stretch of 31 games allowing three goals or fewer. As impressive as that mark is, the Jets have only given up three goals once in the past 19 games — and that came on Dec. 18 against the Montreal Canadiens, who got a power-play marker in overtime to secure a 3-2 victory. The Jets have now gone 11 consecutive games of allowing two goals or fewer.
With Scheifele out with a suspected groin injury, Jets captain Adam Lowry is expected to remain on the top line with Ehlers (assuming he’s good to go) and Gabriel Vilardi. Lowry responded to the promotion by delivering two primary assists on Thursday.
Jets leading scorer Mark Scheifele left Thursday’s game against the Blackhawks early in the second period with a lower-body injury. (John Woods / The Canadian Press)
Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey continues to turn heads and was the best player on the ice Thursday, chipping in an assist with four shots on goal, seven shot attempts, three hits and a takeaway in just under 27 minutes of ice time. He was also a force in the defensive end, breaking up several odd-man rushes.
As for the Flyers, I’m excited to watch centre Sean Couturier again. The player chosen one spot after Scheifele in the 2011 NHL Draft is back from a serious back injury. Not only is he in contention for the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s top defensive forward, he’s been highly productive offensively as well, chipping in 10 goals and 29 points in 40 games. Travis Konency has been a player of interest for the Jets dating back to his draft year (2015) and is having an excellent season as well, leading the Flyers with 21 goals and 41 points in 40 games. I will also be watching D-man Sean Walker, a former Los Angeles Kings teammate of Vilardi, Alex Iafallo and Kupari who is on an expiring contract and could bolster the right side of the depth chart for a team heading into the NHL trade deadline.
Tortorella, who interviewed for the Jets vacancy in 2022 before Rick Bowness was hired, is doing a great job with this group. They play hard and make life difficult on their opponent most nights.
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