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A four-game homestand kicks off tonight with a marquee match between two of the best teams in the Central Division and Western Conference.
Winnipeg is coming off a solid three-game road trip, sweeping a pair in Florida before dropping one Sunday night in Nashville as a late comeback attempt came up short. The Stars, meanwhile, have been off since last Friday, when they gave up four straight goals in the third period to see a 4-3 lead turn into a 7-4 loss to the Calgary Flames. They’ve had plenty of time to chew on that, so expect an ornery bunch.
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It’s a superb goalie battle, with Connor Hellebuyck and fellow American Jake Oettinger facing off for the first time this season. Earlier this month, Scott Wedgewood got the call against the Jets as the visiting Stars prevailed 3-2.
“Listen, they’re a great hockey club. And we all know where we are,” Jets coach Rick Bowness said this morning.
“If we want to be in that elite category then you beat the elite teams. It comes down to that. We had a good road trip in terms of we got four out of six (points). We’re not happy with how we played and how we lost that point, at least one point, in Nashville. But more importantly, you want to stay in that top elite, then you’ve got to earn your right. You’ve got to earn the right to stay there. And to stay there you’ve got to beat the top teams, and Dallas is certainly a top team.”
Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi will not return to the lineup tonight as many expected. Instead, the hope is he could be ready to return from a knee injury suffered exactly six weeks ago when the Jets host the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.
Here’s everything you need to know to get you set for puck drop.
NOTE: It’s that time again, as the latest edition of our monthly Jets mailbag will drop Sunday. Send your questions to Mike and Kenny via email (you can simply reply to this message) or social media at your convenience.
FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: The last time Hellebuyck was in net, he and his teammates were at their very best as they played their most complete game of the year, shutting out the Panthers 3-0 last Friday. After a bit of a stumble in Music City (with backup Laurent Brossoit in net), can they quickly return to recent form and break out that successful blueprint tonight against a pretty similar opponent?
Patience is always a virtue when playing the Stars, so that will be a key.
Personally, I’m curious to see the crowd count tonight, and for the remaining three games over the next week. There’s no question the Jets are playing an exciting brand of hockey, and you wonder if that will be reflected at the box office given the early-season struggles in that area.
With a heated Central Division rival in town, followed by Connor McDavid and the Oilers on Thursday, dynamic Chicago rookie Connor Bedard for the first time Saturday afternoon and the always-exciting Carolina Hurricanes next Monday, the NHL schedule-makers are certainly doing their part to help the cause.
KEN SAYS: The first meeting between Winnipeg and Dallas was filed under the category of lessons learned, a game where a couple of self-inflicted wounds were costly as the Jets dropped the first of four showdowns during the regular season. The Jets were annoyed with how the Stars imposed their style of play and they’ll try to turn the tables as they attempt to avoid consecutive regulation losses.
Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey continues to impress, as he played a season-high 28:19 in Sunday’s loss, contributing a goal on five shots on net and seven shot-attempts and three blocked shots. Morrissey is averaging north of 24 minutes of ice time per game and up to four goals and 19 points through 20 games.
Dallas Stars’ Roope Hintz has eight goals and 17 points in 18 games. (Julio Cortez / The Associated Press files)
For the Stars, centre Roope Hintz is a guy with incredible speed who has been highly productive but probably isn’t talked about enough. He is already up to eight goals and 17 points in 18 games, good for third on the team in both categories. The Jets are one of the teams that has managed to keep Hintz under wraps, as he has only four assists in 14 career games. Tyler Seguin’s success against the Jets is well documented, but Matt Duchene is another guy whose had a lot of success against them, notching 17 goals and 35 points in 40 career games. Duchene was fit in well with the Stars, chipping in six goals and 16 points in 18 games during a solid start.
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