|
NEWARK, N.J. — The Winnipeg Jets couldn’t have scripted a better start to a season-long, five-game road trip.
A lopsided 6-1 victory on Sunday over the Columbus Blue Jackets was followed up with a terrific 4-2 triumph on Tuesday over the New York Rangers. Safe to say there’s a great vibe around the team, which has won three consecutive games overall and sits No. 1 in both the Central Division and Western Conference in terms of point percentage.
Advertisement
Just don’t confuse confidence for cockiness.
“It’s too busy of a schedule to get caught up in that. It’s the next opponent,” Jets associate coach Scott Arniel said of the current mindset.
For Winnipeg, the next foe is a desperate New Jersey Devils squad that is trying to stay afloat in the Eastern Conference wild-card playoff race. They enter play tonight six points back of the Detroit Red Wings for the final spot, with just 13 games left. They need to go on a lengthy run and will be looking to build off a 5-2 win on Tuesday over the Pittsburgh Penguins inside Prudential Center.
Winnipeg Jets associate coach Scott Arniel (Fred Greenslade / The Canadian Press files)
“Jersey is not out of it. They made a coaching change. They’ve got guys that are still playing hard for positions, (they) beat a Pittsburgh team pretty soundly,” said Arniel.
“You can never underestimate any of your opponents and we have to take care of our business. We’ve got to build off of what we did the other night. We’ve got a good thing going, so let’s not take a step back.”
The Jets didn’t hold a morning skate today, so there’s a bit of guesswork involved in the lineup since defenceman Neal Pionk missed Wednesday’s practice with flu-like symptoms. It’s expected that Colin Miller, a healthy scratch the past three games, will draw back into the lineup given that he was a member of the Devils until the trade deadline deal that brought him (and Tyler Toffoli in a separate swap) to Winnipeg.
It’s possible one, or both, of forwards Cole Perfetti and Rasmus Kupari come in as well, with the Jets wanting to utilize the whole roster during the busiest stretch of schedule this season. If not tonight, expect to see them at some point this weekend when the road trip wraps with back-to-back matinees against the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals.
We do know Laurent Brossoit will make his 19th start in the Winnipeg net, while new Devils goalie Jake Allen is expected to start for New Jersey.
Here’s some other information to get you set:
FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: Following Tuesday’s game, I rode the elevator down from the Madison Square Garden press box with Jets co-owner/chairman Mark Chipman. He was obviously thrilled with what he’d just seen from his club – and there was an extra sense of pride given how it all went down.
The two cornerstone pieces of the organization — first-ever draft pick Mark Scheifele and arguably the best goaltender on the planet, Connor Hellebuyck — had just reminded the hockey world of what they’re all about. Scheifele recorded a hat-trick, including an incredible individual effort on his second goal, while Hellebuyck had stopped 40 of 42 shots.
Remember when many of us thought these two stars were on their way out of town either via trade or free agency? Instead, they signed simultaneous seven-year contract extensions just before the season began for a combined value of US$119 million.
That investment by Chipman and company sure looks good now, doesn’t it?
Winnipeg Jets centre Mark Scheifele (55) celebrates with his teammates after scoring against the New York Rangers on Tuesday. (Mary Altaffer / The Associated Press files)
“They’re the two best players on our team, right? We follow their lead,” Toffoli told me when I asked him about the pair following Wednesday’s practice. “They’re the two guys we look to lead the team and lead the locker room and they’ve been doing a great job.”
Scheifele reminded me of the 2018 playoff version we saw, while Hellebuyck has a determination and focus that is palpable. It’s going to be fun to watch these two, and their teammates, of course, do their thing as the stage gets even bigger in a few weeks from now.
Speaking of Toffoli, I had a great chat with him about the move from New Jersey and how seamlessly he’s fit in with the Jets. Who knows what the future brings for the pending UFA, but it’s clear he’s loving life right now — while also carrying a bit of a chip on his shoulder.
“It’s definitely one of those things where you want to prove something. You always want to be part of a solution anywhere you go and that’s definitely something I’m going to be looking forward to,” he said of being wanted by Winnipeg.
KEN SAYS: There were a couple of impressive milestones hit on Tuesday night, with Kyle Connor hitting the 30-goal mark for the sixth time in his career and Scheifele reaching the 20-goal mark for a ninth consecutive season.
It was a signature performance for both Scheifele and Hellebuyck against the Rangers. Scheifele was a force in all three zones, while Hellebuyck won the goaltending duel against Igor Shesterkin. Scheifele appears to love facing the Devils, as he has 11 goals and 24 points in 17 career games against the Devils while generating 36 shots on goal in those outings.
Toffoli downplayed the importance of the game against the team that dealt him to the Jets when speaking to Mike on Wednesday, though hitting 800 for his NHL career is something he will take great pride in. Toffoli has four goals and six points in his past three games and has lived up to the billing as one of the prized additions on deadline day.
Love the move to get Brossoit a second start on this five-game Eastern Conference road trip. Whether or not he gets six more appearances down the stretch to qualify to have his name on the Jennings Trophy if the Jets can win it remains to be seen.
What cannot be debated is the role Brossoit has played this season, both in supporting Hellebuyck and providing quality start after quality start. With goaltending such a hot-button topic for many teams around the NHL — including the Devils — the brilliant play should continue to attract attention for those clubs searching for an offseason upgrade.
Allen has endured his share of challenges against the Jets historically (8-8-3 with a 3.15 goals-against average and .899 save percentage) but he helped his former club, the Montreal Canadiens, earn the series sweep this year by going 2-0 with a .935 save percentage and a 2.38 goals-against average — turning aside 61 of the 67 shots on goal that he’s faced.
Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes are leading the way offensively for the Devils, though Ondrej Palat has five goals and 16 points in 19 career games against the Jets.
Given the Jets’ perceived interest in winger Timo Meier going into the NHL trade deadline in 2023, it’s always interesting to see him suit up. Meier is fourth on the Devils in both goals (21) and points (38).
“They got a real speedy bunch of forwards, they’ve got some top-end skill,” said Arniel.
“We knew that with the top six of the Rangers. But these guys, it’s kind of throughout. They’re coming all of the time, kind of pushing you back. We saw that in our building, how quick they were. They’ve got some people that can make top-end plays at top speed. Again, we’ve often talked about these teams that are highly skilled. You’ve got to make them go back and get pucks, don’t make the game easy on them, don’t let them get easy turnovers, don’t let them get easy transition.”
|
