FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: It was interesting to get nearly 30 minutes of time with Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff prior to Saturday’s game in Nashville.
He doesn’t typically talk to media at this point in the season — a training camp group chat is usually followed by a midseason “state of the union” — but I requested the interview based on the number of questions that have been percolating given current events. The Jets, to their credit, made it happen.
There were no signs of panic from the architect of the struggling club, but it was clear things aren’t exactly going according to plan.
He took responsibility for the lack of impact being made so far by his four free agent signings last summer, admitted the team is playing slow and needs to pick up the pace, put all his faith in the coaching staff and essentially said the solution here is going to have to “come from within.” Although he’s always got an eye on the trade market, Cheveldayoff rightfully noted that absolutely nobody is making any moves these days.
With parity at an all-time high, there’s not really a clear definition of sellers out there. Plus, the rising salary cap has thrown a lifeline to many teams that otherwise might have had to find solutions to financial problems. Cheveldayoff still believes in the core of this club, noting the underlying numbers suggested they’ve played much better over the last 12 games than their 4-8-0 record would suggest. He also admitted they were playing a lot worse in the first 12 games than their 9-3-0 record warranted. That’s a good, honest assessment, I’d say.
Cheveldayoff isn’t deliberately trying to build a bad hockey team. He clearly believed the Jets he assembled to start the year was good enough to not just compete for a playoff spot, but for a Stanley Cup. Clearly things have not gone according to plan, but we shouldn’t be surprised he’s not waving the white flag here after 24 games.
Has the urgency been upped? Absolutely. Has the season been lost? Not at all.
KEN SAYS: One couldn’t help but see the sense of relief on Cole Perfetti’s face when he found the back of the net after producing a plethora of chances in the previous five games. What will he do for an encore? That’s something to monitor as the Jets look to post consecutive victories and get back to .500 on this pivotal five-game road trip. Perfetti, who has two goals and four points in 10 games since returning from a high ankle sprain, wasn’t the only guy in need of getting on the board, as Vladislav Namestnikov snapped an 11-game point slump and Jonathan Toews chipped in his first point in eight games with his helper on Perfetti’s goal.
If Perfetti and his linemates can get going offensively, it’s going to take some of the pressure off the Jets’ top line to not have to carry the load every game.
Cole Perfetti celebrates his goal with teammates during the second period of Saturday’s game against the Nashville Predators. (George Walker IV / The Associated Press files)
The secondary scoring didn’t stop there: Nino Niederreiter found the back of the net twice to move him to six for the season. Niederreiter had just one goal in his previous 12 games, so getting some offence from the “checking line” with captain Adam Lowry and Alex Iafallo was also something the Jets had been looking for.
This will be a special start for Comrie, as he spent two seasons with the Sabres after signing there as an unrestricted free agent in July 2022. During his past five starts, Comrie has posted a save percentage of .909 in each of his two victories during that span.
The Sabres have been wildly inconsistent and currently occupy the basement in the Atlantic Division, but they’ve been involved in a number of high-event hockey games of late, so to borrow a line from Forrest Gump, when it comes to the Sabres, life is like a box of chocolates and you just don’t know what you’re going to get these days.
Alex Tuch (eight goals, 22 points) and Tage Thompson (12 goals, 21 points) have carried much of the load offensively for the Sabres, who are also looking for a bit more secondary scoring — much like the Jets.
Tyson Kozak of Souris made his NHL debut against the Jets last season and has worked hard to earn a job as a regular. He’s got two goals and six points in 19 games while playing a tenacious style while averaging 12:24 of ice time per game. However, with Norris’ return tonight it looks like he might be the odd man out, at least for now, as a healthy scratch.
PROJECTED LINES
WINNIPEG JETS
FORWARDS:
- Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
- Namestnikov-Toews-Perfetti
- Niederreiter-Lowry-Iafallo
- Pearson-Barron-Nyquist
DEFENCE:
- Morrissey-DeMelo
- Samberg-Schenn
- Stanley-Miller
GOAL:
INJURED: G Hellebuyck (knee surgery), D Fleury (concussion protocol), D Pionk (lower-body)
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D Salomonsson, F Koepke
BUFFALO SABRES
FORWARDS:
- Benson-Norris-Thompson
- Zucker-McLeod-Quinn
- Doan-Ostlund-Tuch
- Greenway-Krebs-Malenstyn
DEFENCE:
- Dahlin-Samuelsson
- Byram-Timmins
- Power-Bryson
GOAL:
INJURED: F Kulich (blood clot), F Danforth (lower-body), D Kesselring (lower-body)
HEALTHY SCRATHES: G Lyon, F Kozak, D Metsa
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
Jets coach Scott Arniel on the impact Adam Lowry is having since his return after 12 games:
“He’s such a tremendous leader, both on and off the ice. The big thing for me with Adam is most nights he leads by example. I think with the injury, he’s been trying to get himself up to speed. I think he’s been getting better every game. We saw him get real physical the last couple. I just think now, it’s a little easier to be a bit more vocal and drive the other guys when you’ve got your game up and running, and I think he’s getting a lot closer to that.”
WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON
Mike is in Buffalo and had a one-on-one chat earlier today with Lowry. The captain spoke about the team’s tough start and his own battle to get his game where he wants to be following offseason hip surgery. He will also write the Jets vs. Sabres game story including reaction from the locker room. You can find both pieces online at winnipegfreepress.com and in Tuesday’s print edition.
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