FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: Anything you can do, I can do… just as well? It’s been fun to watch Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele push each other when it comes to scoring goals, with the two good friends and longtime teammates now tied with a team-leading 22. Only four players in the entire league — Leon Draisaitl (26), Kirill Kaprizov (23), Brayden Point (23) and William Nylander (23) — have lit the lamp with more frequency so far this season. That’s quite the one-two (or is it one-one?) punch.
It’s been fun to see Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor push each other to score goals. (Fred Greenslade / Canadian Press files)
“Obviously we need our best players to be the best. I think they are showing what they are capable of,” Niederreiter said. Indeed, both are on pace to approach 50 at this rate, and don’t discount the work of linemate Gabe Vilardi. Vilardi is already up to 15 goals this season and might just make this a three-horse race by the time they hit the finish line in April.
“He’s been a great fit in there, and they’re playing terrific as of late. That’s something which we need to win hockey games,” said Niederreiter.
All three hit the scoresheet on Saturday night, and there is no line in hockey with more combined goals than the 59 that trio has so far.
“I’ve seen the cohesiveness. It is amazing how one guy goes to a certain spot on the ice and recognizes exactly where the other guy is going to be,” said Arniel. “Gabe’s part of that as well. He really is. He’s the guy that gets to the corners and the net-front.”
It would seem Scheifele really took the Team Canada 4 Nations snub to heart, as no other player has scored more than his 10 goals in December. He was recognized by the NHL on Monday as the First Star of the week after scoring four times and adding two assists in wins over Toronto and Ottawa.
“That team still isn’t 100 per cent. You don’t know where it’s going to be in February, certainly with injuries and situations that happen. I don’t wish bad luck on anybody else, but I hope Scheif gets a chance,” said Arniel. “Because he’s earned it, he really has this year.”
Indeed, he has.
KEN SAYS: Along with the top line continuing to drive the bus offensively, Saturday was an excellent performance from Nikolaj Ehlers, who scored a goal and set up two others — including a beautiful cross-ice feed to Vilardi for a backdoor tap-in on the power play.
Ehlers was using his speed effectively and driving play and when that happens, he’s incredibly dangerous to play against. Ehlers had six shots on goal and 11 shot attempts, which meant the puck was on his stick a lot, both at even strength and on the power play.
There are still some questions about the Jets’ lineup, but there’s a pretty good chance Coghlan is going to get into his second NHL game of the season. Coghlan showed well against the Vegas Golden Knights, but that was more than a month ago. Getting into two games with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League probably helped him get some additional puck touches and confidence but it’s hard to be up to speed without playing consistent games at NHL speed. Coghlan has size and mobility and a booming shot. He’s someone who needs to stand out in order to get into more game action and work his way up the depth chart, but he also needs to show off his skills while playing a smart and stable defensive game.
As for the Predators, their slow start is still a head scratcher for me. Even with the high-profile additions in free agency, losing defenceman Ryan McDonagh in the trade to the Tampa Bay Lightning left a big hole on the blue line. In order for the Predators to get on a roll and get themselves back into the playoff picture, they’ll need to get back to that relentless style they played last season, while also seeing some of the guys brought in to produce get on the score sheet with a bit more regularity.
After struggling to get much going at even strength earlier in the season, Jonathan Marchessault seems to be finding his groove and is riding an eight-game point streak that has included eight goals and 13 points during that span — with just three of those points coming with the man advantage. He’s second in team scoring (26 points in 36 games) behind linemate Filip Forsberg (30 points in 36 games).
Steven Stamkos, Ryan O’Reilly and Forsberg are forwards that always seem to bring their best against the Jets, while defenceman and captain Roman Josi is still worth the price of admission. Josi’s five assists against the Jets back in February 2018 remains one of the best individual performances from a visiting player I’ve witnessed while covering the NHL over the past 14 seasons.
PROJECTED LINES
WINNIPEG JETS
FORWARDS:
- Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
- Perfetti-Namestnikov-Ehlers
- Niederreiter-Lowry-Appleton
- Barron-Kupari-Iafallo
DEFENCE:
- Morrissey-DeMelo
- Stanley-Pionk
- Heinola-Coghlan
GOAL:
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: F Gustafsson, D Miller
INJURED: D Samberg (broken foot), D Fleury (lower body)
NASHVILLE PREDATORS
FORWARDS:
- Forsberg-Stamkos-Marchessault
- L’Heureux-O’Reilly-Nyquist
- Jankowski-Novak-Evangelista
- Hinostroza-McCarron-Sissons
DEFENCE:
- Lauzon-Josi
- Skjei-Blankenburg
- Wilsby-Schenn
GOAL:
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D Barron
INJURED: F Smith (lower body)
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
Jets forward Nino Niederreiter on the fact his former team, the Nashville Predators, is near the basement of the NHL standings despite beefing up in free agency last summer:
“I would say the whole league is kind of a little surprised. If you look at their lineup, it’s a powerhouse down there. Hopefully they’re not clicking tonight. But time is running out down there.”
WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON
Mike and Ken will have double coverage of Jets versus Predators tonight from downtown, with game analysis and a sidebar. You can find both online at winnipegfreepress.com and in Tuesday’s print edition.
|
