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ANAHEIM, Calif. — The scene has shifted from northern California to the home of Disneyland, and the Winnipeg Jets will be looking to cap off a magical week tonight. They played four games over the last six days, going a perfect 4-0-0 including a hard-fought 2-1 victory on Thursday night over the San Jose Sharks.
Are they running on fumes? Perhaps, but no doubt all this success is providing an extra boost. The Jets set a franchise record against the Sharks by recording at least one point for a 10th consecutive game (8-0-2) and are staring at a golden opportunity: Defeat the Ducks and they’ll be No. 1 overall in the NHL in terms of points. (The New York Rangers would still own the top point percentage in the league, with the Jets right behind.)
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Winnipeg will turn to backup goaltender Laurent Brossoit, while Anaheim is expected to counter with veteran John Gibson. That’s a bit of a surprise, considering rookie Lukáš Dostál is coming off a sensational 55-save performance in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday. Perhaps the kid needs some extra rest after that heavy workload.
The Ducks have had a flu bug running through their team, so a few lineup decisions are in flux, including forwards Ross Johnston and defenceman Radko Gudas. Plus, the status of injured forward Ryan Strome is officially a game-time decision.
Here’s some additional information to get you set for puck drop.
Note: Our latest monthly mailbag is set to run online on Sunday. If you have a question for Mike or Ken about the Jets, please send it their way by hitting reply to this email.
FROM THE PRESS BOX
KEN SAYS: The blender was back out on Thursday, and we’ll see what that brief time apart means for the Jets’ top line of Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers and Gabriel Vilardi. The trio combined on a long overdue power-play marker, and it’s now time to see if they can recapture the magic at even strength they showed in the five games leading into the holiday break.
The Jets’ fourth line continues to shine, and it was Morgan Barron who delivered the equalizer against the Sharks for his eighth goal of the season. Although Rasmus Kupari and David Gustafsson are getting closer to returning to action, the competition has only been enhanced by the strong play of Dominic Toninato and Axel Jonsson-Fjallby. Barron is in no danger of leaving the lineup, but he’s continued to take a step forward in his development.
It’s an important start for Brossoit, who is set for his 10th outing in what is the 38th game of the Jets season. Not only has he found his rhythm, he’s on track to eclipse 20 starts.
The Ducks are dealing with some injuries, including one to 2023 second-overall pick Leo Carlsson, but they’ve got Frank Vatrano leading the team in goals with 18 and points with 27 in 37 games. Mason McTavish is back from injury and enjoying a solid sophomore season, chipping in 10 goals and 25 points in 30 games.
MIKE SAYS: There’s been a lot of talk about retribution and revenge and payback over the past week, thanks to the ongoing stupidity between the Jets and Minnesota Wild. But one wonders if there could be some bad blood tonight as Winnipeg sees Ryan Strome for the first time since he put Kyle Connor on the shelf with a knee-on-knee hit last month. However, Strome is currently dealing with his own injury and, while he participated in an optional morning skate today, he’s officially listed as a game-time decision. In other words, this storyline may quickly go away.
You can put Mason Appleton under the category of snakebitten. Winnipeg’s hard-working third-liner keeps getting his chances, but he can’t buy a goal these days. He had a glorious one in San Jose and couldn’t believe he missed a gaping net.
Winnipeg Jets centre Mason Appleton is due for a goal. (Bailey Hillesheim / The Associated Press)
Appleton looked to have scored last weekend into an empty net against the Wild, but it was waved off because the third period had ended about half a second before the puck crossed the line. Appleton had six goals in his first 17 games but has now gone 20 straight without lighting the lamp. He’s overdue.
Winnipeg is now tied with the 2011-12 St. Louis Blues for the second-longest consecutive game streak of allowing three goals or less since the NHL’s expansion era in 1967. The Jets are at 27 games and counting in that department. The 2014-15 Minnesota Wild are No. 1 on the list with 35 games.
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