FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: So, Scott Arniel, you are about to have eight healthy defencemen available for the first time all season (nine if you were to include Dylan Coghlan, who was sent down to the Manitoba Moose on Wednesday). How exactly are you going to handle that?
“Don’t know what my plan is, yet. But they do need to get in the lineup,” he told me following the morning skate.
Clear as mud. Both Haydn Fleury and Colin Miller are expected to be cleared and ready to return as early as Saturday’s game, which is going to make for a very crowded back end.
The left-shooting Fleury, when we last saw him, was suitably filling in for the injured Dylan Samberg on the second pairing with Neal Pionk.
Now that Samberg is back in the lineup, you’d think Fleury might just move down a spot to the third pair.
The right-shooting Miller, before he suffered a fractured larynx courtesy of a deflected puck to the throat, was also a staple on that third pair.
All of which should have the third pairing we’ll see against Seattle of Logan Stanley and Ville Heinola looking over their shoulders.
It’s possible one, or both, of those players could soon be parked in the press box barring any other injuries. If nothing else, this should be creating plenty of healthy competition.
One thing I’m not expecting is for the Jets to expose anyone else to waivers for fear of losing them. Stanley, Heinola, Fleury and Miller would all have to pass through to be sent to the Moose, and I don’t expect a team that has lost Jonathan Kovacevic and Declan Chisholm over the past two years to risk getting burned again.
“I think I said at the start of the year I’d really like to go with seven (defencemen) and 13 (forwards), but we just haven’t been able to do it,” said Arniel. “Where we’re at right now, it’s hard. Obviously, the waiver is a big deal.”
Fortunately for the Jets, Coghlan previously cleared waivers and didn’t need to be exposed again after this latest stint with the big club because he was returned within the 30-day window and didn’t play at least 10 NHL games. He’s a nice insurance policy to have on the farm.
Speaking of defence, the Jets have really locked it down lately, giving up just five goals during his current 3-0-1 run. They are surrendering just 2.42 goals per game after winning the William Jennings Trophy last year as the league’s stingiest squad with a 2.41 goals-against-average. Only Los Angeles, at 2.41 so far this year, is ahead of Winnipeg.
Kyle Connor celebrates his third goal of the game against the Vancouver Canucks with his teammates Tuesday night in Winnipeg. (Fred Greenslade / The Canadian Press)
KEN SAYS: Kyle Connor’s natural hat trick on Tuesday was clearly something to behold. His ability to find the back of the net in different ways is pretty darn impressive — and that his sixth career three-goal game featured all goals at five-on-five is another great example of how he continues to round out his game.
Almost lost in the one-sided victory was Gabe Vilardi equaling his career high for points — in Game 45 — so he’s well on his way to smashing the previous mark of 41, which he achieved in 63 games in his final season with the Los Angeles Kings.
My prediction of 35-plus goals for Vilardi this season is still within reach for him, though he still has some work to do.
Through 45 games, the Jets’ top line has combined for 71 goals, which is an eye-popping number.
DeMelo spoke glowingly of the journey to 600 games after the morning skate, recalling playing on his off-side with the San Jose Sharks in Game 1 against the New York Islanders to growing into a top-pairing guy who skates with Josh Morrisey these days.
Acquiring the blue-liner from the Ottawa Senators for a third-round draft pick in February of 2020 is one of the more underrated moves made by Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff during his 14 seasons.
As for the Kraken, it’s been an up-and-down season for the group. Despite some flashy off-season signings, goal-scoring continues to be an issue for the Kraken, as Jared McCann, Jaden Schwarz and Oliver Bjorkstrand are tied for the team lead with 13.
The Kraken has a pair of players I’ve wondered about as potential trade targets for the Jets: defenceman Jamie Oleksiak, a towering blue-liner who plays a physical game and can kill penalties, and Bjorkstrand, a winger with size and finishing ability.
PROJECTED LINES
WINNIPEG JETS
FORWARDS
- Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
- Ehlers-Lowry-Iafallo
- Niederreiter-Kupari-Perfetti
- Toninato-Gustafsson-Barron
DEFENCE
- Morrissey-DeMelo
- Samberg-Pionk
- Stanley-Heinola
GOAL
Healthy scratches: None
Injured: D Miller (fractured larynx), D Fleury (lower-body), F Appleton (lower-body), F Namestnikov (lower-body)
SEATTLE KRAKEN
FORWARDS
- Schwartz-Beniers-Kakko
- Burakovsky-Stephenson-Bjorkstrand
- McCann-Wright-Tolvanen
- Hayden-Stephens-Tanev (game-time decision)
DEFENCE
- Dunn-Larsson
- Evans-Montour
- Oleksiak-Mahura
GOAL
Healthy scratches: D Olofsson, F Kartye (will play if Tanev isn’t able to)
Injured: RW Eberle (pelvis), C Gourde (lower body)
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
Jets defenceman Dylan DeMelo on playing his 600th career game:
“I guess when you look back at it, it goes by in the blink of an eye. It goes by pretty fast. Six-hundred is pretty cool, pretty happy about that.
“Hopefully I can play maybe 600 more, we’ll see, knock on wood. Obviously to do it here with these group of guys, to play the bulk of my games here in Winnipeg makes it even more special.”
WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON
Ken had a one-on-one chat with Seattle assistant Jessica Campbell – the NHL’s first-ever female coach – following the morning skate and will have a story coming about her groundbreaking role, which includes being a mentor and inspiration to women in hockey.
Mike will have the Jets vs Kraken game story from Canada Life Centre. You can find both pieces on our website tonight and in Wednesday’s print edition.
|
