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Gabe Vilardi isn’t just a passenger on this high-speed train.
The top-line winger for the Winnipeg Jets scored two more goals in Monday’s 3-0 victory over the Nashville Predators and he continues to show why he was the centrepiece in the blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Kings in the summer of 2023.
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Vilardi is up to 17 goals and 34 points in 38 games this season heading into Tuesday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche, with nine of his goals and 17 of his points coming with the man-advantage.
“Yeah, we’ve talked a lot about KC and Scheif, and I keep reminding everybody there’s a third guy on that line, and whether that’s five on five, or on the power play, he’s a big body guy that has some great hands on him,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “He doesn’t stray too far away from that net. He doesn’t need much time, and it doesn’t take much. They just get it close to his blade, and he’s usually going to get a shot off.”
There’s a reason Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele are getting a lot of attention this season.
With two more assists on Monday, Connor moved to 51 points in 38 games and is riding an eight-game point streak. He remains tied for the team lead in goals with Scheifele at 22.
But Vilardi has routinely shown why Arniel stuck with the line after it had a bit of a slow start out of the gate, in terms of allowing goals at five-on-five.
Gabe Vilardi, seen here during a Dec. 20 practice, continues to prove his worth. (Mikaela Mackenzie/Free Press files)
Arniel talked recently about the Scheifele line also going head-to-head against the top offensive players on the other team and this matchup features a stiff test in that regard, going up against reigning Hart Trophy winner Nathan MacKinnon.
This is the second of four meetings between the Central Division rivals, as the Jets earned a 1-0 victory last month in a game they were mostly outplayed and leaned heavily on goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who finished with 35 saves.
Hellebuyck is up to five shutouts this season, but he’ll be a spectator in this one as Eric Comrie makes his ninth start of the campaign.
After winning his first three starts, Comrie is looking to snap a personal five-game winning streak that hasn’t necessarily been reflective of his play.
“He’s given us a chance to win every night, but the run support has been lacking,” said Jets captain Adam Lowry. “I said to him after the Anaheim game, ‘you can’t score goals for us, too.’ It’s one of those things when he goes into the net, we’ve got to find a way to generate some offence for him and get him some run support.
“Both of our goalies have done all and more than you could ask for.”
The Avalanche will counter with Mackenzie Blackwood, who has stabilized things between the pipes since he was acquired in a deal with the San Jose Sharks.
Blackwood, who signed a five-year extension that kicks in next season, is 4-1 with a 1.82 goals-against average and .940 save percentage in five starts with the Avalanche.
After starting the season 5-7, the Avalanche are back above the playoff line and have crept within four points of the Minnesota Wild for second place in the Central Division standings.
They’ve won four consecutive games and have been idle since defeating the Utah Hockey Club 4-1 on Friday.
The Jets have also won four straight, so one of these teams is going to see that streak come to an end before the calendar flips to 2025.
The Avalanche continue to be led by MacKinnon (14 goals, 60 points), Mikko Rantanen (20 goals, 53 points) and Cale Makar (11 goals, 45 points).
Because the Jets played on Monday and aren’t holding a morning skate, there could be a question about the lineup, specifically on defence.
Arniel said on Sunday he planned to get all seven of his healthy blue-liners into the lineup during the back-to-back situation, so that means Ville Heinola should draw back in on the third pairing.
He’s likely to replace Dylan Coghlan, who had another solid showing in his second NHL game of the season.
Up front, the Jets will be without Mason Appleton for a second game as he deals with a lower-body injury that has Arniel officially listing him as week-to-week.
The Avalanche are getting closer to full health and will be welcoming Jonathan Drouin back to the lineup for this one.
Drouin, a former teammate of Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers with the Halifax Mooseheads in the QMJHL, has been limited to five games this season due to injury.
Here’s some more information to get you ready for what should be an entertaining matchup.
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