FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: Greetings from Milan, where I touched down a few hours ago ahead of covering my first-ever Olympics for the Free Press. This is a bucket-list assignment — one I’m both honoured and extremely grateful to have received — and I can’t wait to get started.
My first daily dispatch will be online later today and in Thursday’s print edition, with plenty more to come between now and when the torch goes out Feb. 22.
Naturally, hockey will be the main course for me (in addition to copious amounts of pasta, of course). I’ll be keeping tabs on both the Canadian men’s and women’s teams — specifically Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey and the four Manitobans (Mark Stone, Travis Sanheim, Jocelyn Larocque and Kati Tabin).
I’ll also be following Connor Hellebuyck (USA), Kyle Connor (USA) and Nino Niederreiter (Switzerland) closely while soaking in the return of NHL best-on-best action for the first time since 2014.
Beyond the rink, there will be stories on curling — today’s focuses on the pebbled ice — along with speed skating, bobsled and several other Olympic “appetizers” along the way. I’ve got some fun stuff planned, while also being prepared to pivot to whatever happens to make news during the Games.
Now, back to the Jets. I can’t guarantee I’ll stay awake for the entire game tonight — puck drop comes just after 1 a.m. here in Italy, and I’ll be pushing 34-plus hours on very little sleep by then — but I’ll do my best to tune in from afar.
I’m certainly intrigued to see what the club can do for an encore after what I thought was a second straight rock-solid performance to close out the road trip.
Montreal’s speed has long given the Jets fits, making this another stiff test for a Winnipeg team that isn’t going quietly into the night.
I do wonder how players such as Hellebuyck, Morrissey and Connor approach this one, particularly after Tampa’s Anthony Cirelli was forced to surrender his Olympic spot due to an injury suffered over the weekend. At the very least, it has to be in the back of their minds that the goal is simply to get through this final regular-season test fully intact.
It’s wild to think this is the only Jets game at Canada Life Centre over a 37-day stretch (Jan. 26 to March 3). It’s always a raucous atmosphere when the Habs make their annual visit, but this one could be especially rowdy given that even the home team may feel like visitors.
KEN SAYS: Before we get to the task at hand for the Jets, it’s impossible to gloss over the fact that they’ve now lost eight consecutive games that have reached extra time (six overtimes and two shootouts).
That’s a wild number for a team that used to own three-on-three, where the trio of Mark Scheifele, Connor and Morrissey often supplied the dagger, often before the extra period had reached the end of the first minute.
It’s hard to pinpoint the reason for the dramatic turnaround, but it has had a massive impact on where the Jets sit in the standings. But I digress.
Speaking of Scheifele, he was passed over one more time as Team Canada announced they would replace centre Anthony Cirelli with Florida Panthers pivot Sam Bennett.
Scheifele is having a stronger season than Bennett, but his playoff pedigree and strong play at the 4 Nations Face-Off made him a logical choice. Should Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point (knee) not be ready to go, there’s still a shot Scheifele could get the call to play for his country, though Zach Hyman made a late push as well.
Winnipeg Jets centre Mark Scheifele skates against the Dallas Stars during overtime in Monday’s game in Dallas. (Julio Cortez / The Associated Press files)
Scheifele is coming off a two-assist performance on Monday and he nearly ended the overtime on a breakaway. His 27 goals and 67 points are fourth among Canadians when it comes to offensive production this season.
The reconfigured second line for the Jets, with Adam Lowry between Cole Perfetti and Gabe Vilardi, seems to be finding some chemistry during the past several games they’ve been together.
Perfetti set up Vilardi with a shot pass off the pad, then added a goal from the slot on the power play after a pretty feed by Vilardi on Monday.
Perfetti is heating up, with four goals and 11 points during the past 17 games and you can be sure he’d like to keep that level of production up during the remainder of the campaign.
“Yeah, just feeling more comfortable, feeling better physically, and just got more confidence in myself,” said Perfetti.
“Feeling like I’m playing the right way. At both ends of the ice, and getting a little more physical. Just feel I’m happy with where I’m at.”
Canadiens defenceman Lane Hutson is showing no signs of a sophomore slump, with nine goals and 48 assists for 57 points in 56 games.
Hutson is a play driver and those impressive totals leave him tied for second in team scoring with Cole Caufield, eight points behind captain Nick Suzuki, who has 18 goals and 65 points while providing Selke-level defensive play.
PROJECTED LINES
WINNIPEG JETS
FORWARDS:
- Connor-Scheifele-Iafallo
- Perfetti-Lowry-Vilardi
- Niederreiter-Toews-Namestnikov
- Koepke-Barron-Nyquist
DEFENCE:
- Morrissey-DeMelo
- Samberg-Salomonsson
- Stanley-SchennGOAL:
- Hellebuyck
- Comrie
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D Phillips, F Pearson
INJURED: D Pionk (lower body), D Fleury (nose, back), D Miller (lower body)
MONTREAL CANADIENS
FORWARDS:
- Caufield-Suzuki-Dach
- Salfkovsky-Kapanen-Demidov
- Veleno-Evans-Bolduc
- Anderson-Danault-GallagherDEFENCE:
- Hutson-Dobson
- Matheson-Guhle
- Struble-CarrierGOAL:
- Montembeault
- Dobes
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D Xhekaj
INJURED: LW Laine (abdomen), C Newhook (ankle), LW Texier (lower body)
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
Jets captain Adam Lowry, on his third-period chance he was unable to convert on Monday against the Stars, that caromed off a Stars defender:
“That’s one I just need to cash in. It’s an open net. I’ve got to bear down. That was a straight shank. I think it hit a couple of things and just missed, so that’s frustrating. That would have been a big goal at a key point for us.”
WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON
Ken made it back from Texas and will provide the game analysis and a pre-game notebook. You can find both stories in Thursday’s paper and online at winnipegfreepress.com.
|
