From the press box
Mike says: The Jets are facing an early dose of adversity, and I’m curious to see how they respond to it against a top-tier opponent. Plenty of eyes will be on Mason Appleton, who gets the first crack at filling Vilardi’s spot on the top line beside Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor. Winnipeg has plenty of forward depth so it’s a huge opportunity for the 27-year-old from Green Bay, Wis. Can he make the most of it?
Connor Hellebuyck hasn’t been his usual stellar self through the first three games (13 goals allowed) and will watch this one from the bench. A strong performance from backup Laurent Brossoit against his former Sin City teammates would be a welcome development for Winnipeg, in addition to creating the kind of healthy crease competition the Jets would love.
During his time with the Vegas Golden Knights, Laurent Brossoit proved to himself that he can perform at a high level. (RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES)
Finally, expect the crowd count to be a story once again. The Jets had nearly 2,000 empty seats for Saturday’s home opener, and more than 4,000 unsold tickets on Tuesday. How low might it ultimately go?
Ken says: The early season tests don’t get much stiffer than this one.
There’s been plenty of attention on the Jets newly configured top line, but I’ll be keeping a close eye on the changes to the second trio. Nikolaj Ehlers has his legs going, but with Gabriel Vilardi out, they’ll need him to help pick up some of the offensive slack. Reuniting him with Vladislav Namestnikov could help make that happen, as the two showed some chemistry together last season. Cole Perfetti shifts back to the wing for the time being and that could provide a boost for his offensive game as well.
We’ve talked a lot about the Jets forward depth this season and it’s getting an early test, so it’s time to see how they’ll respond to it. The Golden Knights have some of the best depth in the NHL and it will be on display in this one. The top-three centremen currently lead a balanced attack in scoring, with Chandler Stephenson (two goals, five points), Jack Eichel (two goals, four points) and William Karlsson (one goal, four points) all off to strong starts. Even with defenceman Zach Whitecloud sidelined, the Golden Knights feature plenty of local flavour in the lineup, with captain Mark Stone, Brett Howden and Keegan Kolesar all part of the forward group.
Morning lines
The Jets held an optional morning skate at 10:30 a.m. CT – a handful of players decided to sit it out – and will introduce several lineup changes tonight.
WINNIPEG JETS
Forwards
Connor-Scheifele-Appleton
Perfetti-Namestnikov-Ehlers
Iafallo-Lowry-Niederreiter
Barron-Kupari-Gustafsson
Defence
Morrissey-DeMelo
Dillon-Pionk
Stanley-Samberg
Goal
Brossoit
Hellebuyck
Healthy scratches: D Schmidt, D Chisholm
Injured: D Heinola (ankle), F Vilardi (knee)
Vegas hit the ice at Canada Life Centre at 11:30 a.m. CT, and project to look like this:
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Forward
Barbashev-Eichel-Marchessault
Cotter-Stephenson-Stone
Howden-Karlsson-Amadio
Carrier-Roy-Kolesar
Defence
McNabb-Theodore
Hague-Martinez
Hutton-Pachal
Goal
Thompson
Hill
Healthy scratches: F Dorofeyev, D Korczak
Injured: D Whitecloud (upper body), D Pietrangelo (upper body)
Notable quotables
Jets forward Mason Appleton on facing the team that ended Winnipeg’s season last spring:
“Obviously it’s on all of our minds. They kicked our ass late in that series. We’ve had a sour taste all summer. We’re excited for the opportunity tonight and we’re going to jump on it and capitalize.”
Jets coach Rick Bowness on sitting Nate Schmidt in favour of Logan Stanley:
“First of all, the team has given up way too many goals… we have to tighten this thing up. There’s a couple areas of Nate’s game that we need him to work on, we are very clear with that to him. So, Logan gives us that big, physical presence back there. This is a very big team we’re playing tonight and we need some size back there. Logan will give us that.”
Golden Knights captain Mark Stone entering the season as the defending Stanley Cup champions:
“The summer was great, obviously. A lot of celebration. As you can see, our team is pretty determined to get back to give ourselves a chance to do it all over again. We’re off to a good start. We still feel like we have a really good team. There hasn’t been a ton of turnover, so we feel like we’re in a position to have a good regular season and give ourselves a chance to compete for it again.”
What we’re working on
Mike has an early story coming on Appleton, who spoke following the morning skate. Ken is handling the gamer and will have a detailed breakdown and analysis of what goes down. You can read both pieces online at www.winnipegfreepress.com and in Friday’s print edition.
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