FROM THE PRESS BOX
Mike says: File this under the category of statistics that don’t make a whole lot of sense. Despite the fact Winnipeg has iced a strong roster now for several straight years and the Islanders haven’t exactly been a powerhouse, New York has somehow won eight of the last nine meetings between the clubs dating back to 2018, outscoring them 33-16 in that span.
The most recent one came last March, a 6-3 Islanders victory at UBS Arena that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated and might have been the worst game of the season for the Jets. I was there in New York that day, and it was bowling shoe ugly.
All eyes will be on Mark Scheifele once again, as he needs one goal to pass Ilya Kovalchuk and become the all-time franchise leader in goals.
But there may also be a focus on Winnipeg’s top centre for another reason — he’s on standby as a potential injury replacement for Team Canada.
Coach Scott Arniel confirmed as much during the morning skate, and it will be interesting to see if Scheifele gets a last-minute call considering Sidney Crosby and Anthony Cirelli are both currently nursing injuries.
A decision must be made by Monday afternoon at the latest, with the tournament starting next Wednesday.
Winnipeg’s top centre Mark Scheifele is on standby as a potential injury replacement for Team Canada. (John Woods / The Canadian Press files)
Hopefully, Scheifele bought insurance for his upcoming holiday in case he needs to cancel.
“Because there’s some banged-up situations his name has popped up again,” said Arniel, who didn’t hide his personal views.
“I think he should be on the team. You know what, since we got the call that he wasn’t going to be on the team, that he was one of the guys that (got) serious consideration, he’s played fantastic. He’s had a great year, actually. I take that back. It’s all year. But even since that day, he’s even taken it up another notch.
“You know, if it works out for him, that’d be great. That’d be great experience for him. All those guys going to play in that, it’s like playing playoff hockey in February. And you love those guys to get into that, be around those type of players. Those are all good experiences. We’ll see where it ends up. Obviously the league goes until Sunday, so we’re not sure where everything will play out.”
Enjoy the break, folks. We’ll talk to you again in this space in a couple of weeks.
Ken says: That the Jets have strung together three separate seven-game winning streaks (one that actually reached eight games to start the campaign) through 55 games is simply something to behold. It’s a testament to the consistency they’ve demonstrated throughout the season and Arniel reiterated the focus the group has shown on the current opponent, rather than get caught in what’s happened previously or what is on the horizon.
In order to deliver a second eight-game streak, the Jets will need to be patient against an Islanders team that doesn’t give up a whole lot and is often hard to play against.
Jets winger Nino Niederreiter is coming off his best game of the year. Not only did he score and add an assist, Niederreiter had two blocked shots, including one near the end of the first period when the Hurricanes were pressing.
Niederreiter finished with five shots on goal and seven shot attempts to go along with two hits. Now up to 14 goals for the season, there’s a legitimate chance for Niederreiter to push for an eighth season of 20 goals or more.
This is a dynamite goalie matchup, with Hellebuyck playing at an elite level going into the 4 Nations Face-Off and Ilya Sorokin shining as the Islanders have forced themselves back into the playoff chase. Sorokin has allowed only 11 goals during his past nine starts, while posting two shutouts during that span.
Offensively, former Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat is leading the way for the Islanders, with 19 goals and 40 points. Isles captain Anders Lee leads his team in goals with 22 and has been a handful for the Jets to handle over the years, Lee has 17 goals and 24 points in 20 career games against the franchise.
“He’s so strong. He’s got great skill to him and around the net, he’s lethal,” said DeMelo. “He’s a guy that you’ve got to watch. He’s got a great stick, one of the best in the league in regards to tips and screens. He’s such a big body that when he plants himself in there, it’s hard to get him out of the way.”
There’s been lots of chatter surrounding pending UFA Brock Nelson and it will be interesting if the Islanders decide to move him before the March 7 deadline.
He’s got a lot of the qualities the Jets would be looking for if they look to add a 2C, he’s from nearby Warroad, Minn., and played his college hockey at the University of North Dakota.
Of the 16 goals Nelson has scored this season, five of them are game-winners, two have come while shorthanded and one is on the power play. He can be used in all situations and has 78 playoff games on his resume.
PROJECTED LINES
WINNIPEG JETS
FORWARDS:
- Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
- Ehlers-Namestnikov-Perfetti
- Niederreiter-Kupari-Appleton
- Iafallo-Gustafsson-Lambert
DEFENCE:
- Morrissey-DeMelo
- Samberg-Pionk
- Stanley-Miller
GOAL:
Healthy scratches: D Heinola, D Fleury, F Ford
Injured: C Lowry (upper-body), LW Barron (upper-body)
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
FORWARDS:
- Lee-Horvat-Duclair
- Tsyplakov-Nelson-Palmieri
- Cizikas-Pageau-Holmstrom
- Engvall-MacLean-Gatcomb
DEFENCE:
- Romanov-DeAngelo
- Pelech-Perunovich
- Cholowski-Boqvist
GOAL:
Healthy scratches: LW Martin
Injured: G Varlamov (lower-body), G Hoberg (upper-body), D Pulock (upper-body), D Dobson (chest), D Mayfield (lower-body), D Reilly (chest), C Barzal (lower-body), RW Fasching (upper-body)
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
Jets forward Mason Appleton on going 7-0-0 in the absence of injured captain Adam Lowry:
“The cliché of everyone’s gotta give a little more, and everyone’s be a little better and everyone’s gotta step up. I thought we’ve done a good job of that.
“When you lose your captain and you’re on a streak like this, it tells you a lot about the depth of this team. Guys can fill holes, and there aren’t holes on this roster where you lose a body or two and we can fill those holes. Obviously Adam is the spine, the backbone of this team. He’s going to be great to have back. But at the same time I think we’ve done a really good job of managing without him.”
WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON
Ken and Mike are putting together the latest edition of Dump & Chase, their weekly NHL column. This one will lead with some potential trade targets for the Jets, with the deadline just four weeks away. Mike will have the game story from the downtown rink. You can find both pieces online at winnipegfreepress.com and in Saturday’s print edition.
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