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OTTAWA — Greetings from the nation’s capital, where “Hockey Day In Canada” begins with the first meeting of the season between the Winnipeg Jets and the Ottawa Senators.
Although they don’t cross paths very often playing in different conferences, Jets coach Rick Bowness keeps a close eye on the Senators since his son, Ryan, is an assistant general manager with the organization.
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“I’ve watched Ottawa more this year, the last couple of years, since he’s been there,” he said. “So we’ll have a nice family, friendly dinner (Friday night), and (Saturday) we’ll see him after the game.”
This is the start of a three-game road trip for Winnipeg, with stops in Boston (Monday) and Toronto (Wednesday) to follow.
“It’s always fun to get on the road with the guys, team dinners and stuff like that. We’re excited and ready to get going,” forward Vlad Namestnikov said following Friday’s practice in Winnipeg.
The Jets will look to keep their momentum going strong, with a 9-1-0 record in the last 10 games and a mark of 13-1-2 over the last 16. It hasn’t been nearly as rosy for the Senators, although they have won two of their last three games including a 6-2 triumph over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.
Mark Scheifele will miss a third straight game with a lower-body injury, meaning captain Adam Lowry will continue to centre the top line between Kyle Connor and Gabe Vilardi.
Connor Hellebuyck vs. Joonas Korpisalo is the expected goalie duel.
Here’s some other information to get you set:
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KEN SAYS: Jets head coach Rick Bowness thought his group needed a rest after a taxing stretch of games, so he gave them two full days away from the rink. Now, we’re about to find out how they’re going to respond.
Although the Jets came through with a 4-2 victory over the New York Islanders, they were a bit too loose defensively and gave up too many high-danger chances. The Senators have a few good finishers on the roster, so the Jets won’t want to get into a run-and-gun type of game.
Defensive-zone structure has been the foundation for this group this season and they’ll be looking to get back to clamping down on that front in the final four games before the player and All-Star break.
After moving down to the second line, Nikolaj Ehlers saw a significant reduction in ice time on Tuesday and Bowness should be looking to give him a larger piece of the pie on this road trip. The same can be said for Cole Perfetti.
It will be interesting to see if snapping his 25-game goal-scoring drought and producing the game-winner against Ilya Sorokin can be a springboard for right-winger Mason Appleton, who got off to a great start offensively before cooling down a bit during the past month and change.
As for the Senators, you’re familiar with the household names — captain Brady Tkachuk, centre Tim Stutzle, Claude Giroux, Vladimir Tarasenko, Drake Batherson and Thomas Chabot, among others — but keep an eye on another trio of players in this one as well: former Brandon Wheat Kings centre Ridly Greig, former UND Fighting Hawks D-man Jake Sanderson and fellow blue-liner Jakob Chychrun. Greig is a feisty individual with talent and he’s up to six goals and 17 points in 30 games.
Jake Sanderson is a gifted skater, an efficient puck mover and he’s getting more involved offensively this season. (Rick Scuteri / The Associated Press files)
Sanderson is someone I watched live for the first time a few years ago in Grand Forks in an NCAA game against Jets prospect Chaz Lucius when he was with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers and he was impressive in the contest (as were Lucius, current Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies and current Colorado Avalanche forward Ben Meyers). Sanderson is a gifted skater, an efficient puck mover and he’s getting more involved offensively this season, a mere nine points off tying his career high (32) with roughly half a season left to go.
Chychrun has been back in the news this week, as there’s been some speculation he could be moved since he’s eligible to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2025. Since the Jets were believed to be among the teams that kicked the tires before the Coyotes moved him to Ottawa, it’s natural to wonder if the Jets could be interested in making an offer if he becomes available. The left-handed shooting blue-liner can play either side and currently sits sixth in scoring on the Sens, with seven goals and 26 points in 40 games.
MIKE SAYS: When you look at this road trip, there’s no question today’s matchup is the easiest of the three — at least on paper. Boston is always a tough out, and the Jets probably poked the bear with a beatdown of the Bruins just before Christmas that I suspect they haven’t forgotten. And the Maple Leafs, despite their ups and downs, are always dangerous.
However, I wouldn’t be taking the Senators lightly, despite their record. They can definitely put the puck in the net, but keeping it out has been a major problem. Not so for the Jets, who have gone 33 straight games without allowing three or more goals, which is just two games short of the modern-day NHL record held by the 2014-15 Minnesota Wild. Can they make some history before they come home?
“We’re obviously aware of the records and stuff like that,” said Namestnikov. “But when we’re playing, it’s more just about winning the game, playing the right way. We don’t really think about that during the game.”
I’m really curious to see how Kyle Connor looks in his second game back from injury. He was moving really well against the New York Islanders in Tuesday’s 4-2 victory, sealing it with an empty-netter. He had six shots on goal, and 10 shot attempts, which were both team highs. That’s impressive, especially for a player who missed more than five weeks and 16 games.
Finally, call me a sentimental sap, but I love the annual Hockey Day In Canada, which celebrates everything we love about the great sport and includes a triple-header between homegrown rivals. Toronto at Vancouver and Edmonton at Calgary should both be dandies later today.
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