|
VANCOUVER — It’s anther marquee Saturday night matchup between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the Western Conference based on point percentage. No doubt the Winnipeg Jets hope this one follows a similar script as their West Coast visit exactly three weeks ago, when they beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-2.
“They’re a great team, having a fantastic year. Last game we played them was fun,” said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey. “It was one of the more intense games — Saturday night, Hockey Night in Canada, two Canadian teams that are having good seasons — and there was a little bit of everything. We came out on top so they’re probably chomping at the bit to try to get it back on us and get the season series tied up.”
Advertisement
Winnipeg is coming off a terrific 3-0 victory Friday night in Seattle, while Vancouver wrapped up a perfect 3-0-0 road trip on Thursday night in Vegas by beating the Golden Knights 3-1. In other words, these two teams are feeling pretty good about themselves right now.
It’s Connor Hellebuyck vs. Thatcher Demko between the pipes.
“We expect them at their best and for us, coming in on a back-to-back against a fresh team, we’re going to have to manage the puck well,” said Morrissey. “They’ve got some dangerous players, probably an understatement with the year they’re having. We’ll have to manage it well and just sort of play that back-to-back, smart, greasy, road-style game that it will take against them when they are fresh. It should be fun.”
The Winnipeg Jets traded for winger Tyler Toffoli from the New Jersey Devils. (Ben McKeown/ AP Photo)
With no morning skate, it’s not clear if there could be any lineup changes coming for the Jets. Forward David Gustafsson and defencemen Logan Stanley were the two healthy scratches in Seattle as Rasmus Kupari and Nate Schmidt returned to the lineup. Forward Tyler Toffoli and defenceman Colin Miller, obtained in separate deadline deals on Friday from the New Jersey Devils, won’t be available as they are meeting the team in Winnipeg on Sunday. They’ll likely make their debut Monday night when the Jets open a three-game homestand and host the Washington Capitals. Meanwhile, forward Gabe Vilardi will miss a fifth straight game with injury, although the good news is he’s expected to resume skating on Monday.
Here’s some other information to get you set for tonight.
NOTE: The latest edition of our monthly Jets mailbag will be published online SUNDAY. If you have a question about the club you’d like Mike and Ken to tackle, simply hit reply to this email and fire it off.
FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: Josh Morrissey appears to be a man on a mission. And how can you not be impressed by the way he seems to be willing his team to victory at times. Case in point was Friday night, when he made a terrific, perfectly timed pinch at the blue line to keep a puck in the offensive zone, which turned into a Mark Scheifele goal that snapped a 0-0 tie in the third period and ultimately stood as the game-winner.
Morrissey is a magician on skates, and the way he is aggressively jumping into the play and making good things happen reminds me of another blue-liner we used to watch around here, one who actually mentored Morrissey for a while. Yes, I’m talking about Dustin Byfuglien. Completely different players, for sure. But their ability to make a positive impact on the game is eerily similar.
“He’s incredible. We’re so fortunate that we’ve kind of seen the evolution before our eyes,” Lowry said following the game in Seattle.
“He should be a perennial Norris candidate for many years to come. I think what makes him so effective and so important is his ability to make smart reads. He takes gambles, but the odds are in his favour. I think that’s huge. He could have easily had three or four points tonight. Schief set him up, there’s one I’m sure he would have loved to tap in. But he keeps plugging away. He shuts plays down in the D-zone, he joins the rush, he keeps plays alive at the blue line. I think he’s able to create something out of nothing almost every time you go low to high. He’s so patient with the puck, he’s got so much confidence, he draws the guy out there and then he’s able to beat him, and before you know it, your force the defenders decision. He’s had another terrific year for us so far.”
As a voting member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, I can tell you I’d absolutely have Morrissey on my Norris ballot once again this year. He’s an absolute treat to watch.
KEN SAYS: That was quite a response by the Jets. After expressing their disappointment with those defensive woes in Tuesday’s loss to the Kraken, the Jets tightened things up and gave up almost nothing.
That was the epitome of a template game for the Jets and they will look to match that commitment and intensity in this second of three meetings with the Canucks.
Mark Scheifele made it through a scary moment after taking the skate of Andre Burakovsky to the head after showing incredible hustle on the back check and going through concussion protocol before returning late in the third period to finish the game.
Scheifele also supplied the game-winning goal after a brilliant play by Morrissey at the left point caused a turnover and helped create the scoring chance.
It was an excellent game for Jets D-man Dylan Samberg. Not only did he make a smart defensive player to break up a 3-on-1 rush, sliding into Yanni Gourde before he could make a play, but Samberg finished with two shots on goal, two hits, two takeaways and two blocked shots.
Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele (55) is congratulated after scoring against the Seattle Kraken during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Friday, March 8, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Getting to Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle helped me fill up my NHL arena bingo card and the atmosphere and building were fantastic on Friday.
There should be plenty of buzz in the building Saturday night as the top two Canadian teams in the standings go head-to-head.
Speaking of head-to-head matchups, Morrissey and Canucks captain Quinn Hughes will be under the microscope for me this evening as the Norris Trophy race heats up in the final quarter of the season.
Same goes for the goalie matchup, with Hellebuyck holding the edge in the Vezina and Demko remaining in the equation.
The Canucks were one of the finalists in the Jake Guentzel sweepstakes but no other big moves were made after the addition of Elias Lindholm, who finds himself at centre on the third line in this one.
How will the Canucks respond to the lack of additional movement?
They should still be feeling good as a franchise after inking top centre Elias Pettersson to a lucrative extension.
J.T. Miller is someone you will notice in this matchup. He caught Scheifele with a high hit in the last meeting that somehow led to the Jets centre being assessed a minor for embellishment.
Canucks right-winger and former UND stalwart Brock Boeser is having an outstanding bounce back season and is up to 35 goals and 64 points in 65 games.
|
