FROM THE PRESS BOX
Mike says: I’m a bit surprised Arniel isn’t sticking with the lines he finished Tuesday’s game with. Centres Adam Lowry and Morgan Barron were switched after one tough period — Lowry with Alex Iafallo and Brandon Tanev, and Barron with Nino Niederreiter and Mason Appleton — and I liked how that looked.
“You know what, we talked to those guys, they knew they need to be a little bit better,” Arniel told me this morning of going back to Lowry, Niederreiter and Appleton.
“The last couple of years here they’ve done a pretty good job against some of the top people on Edmonton. Put them back, they know now what they need to do. Just sometimes in a game you’re looking for a spark and we kind of got one making that switch. They know what their responsibilities are and I’m sure they’ll be better tonight.”
FYI, I had a great one-on-one chat with Niederreiter, who has gone 14 games without a goal and has just one assist in that span.
A few notes and observations out of the morning skates: Injured defenceman Neal Pionk, who will miss a fourth straight game tonight, was riding the stationary bike outside the Jets room today and showed no issues. Of note was the fact he was wearing runners. Pionk and a few teammates attended a comedy show last Saturday in Seattle as part of this road trip and a photo showed him in a walking boot.
Also, the Jets have told new defenceman Luke Schenn they want him to go home to Nashville on Friday to spend a day with his wife and children. It’s been a whirlwind for the veteran, who was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins Mar. 5, then flipped to Winnipeg two days later. Schenn was very appreciative of the gesture by the Jets.
Finally, old friend Evander Kane made an appearance this morning at the Oilers skate. It’s the first time he’s joined the full group as he works his way back from knee and abdominal surgeries. He will remain on long-term injured reserve for the rest of the regular season but there is hope he could be ready to return by the start of the playoffs.
Vancouver Canucks’ Nils Hoglander scores on Connor Hellebuyck during the first period in Vancouver Tuesday night. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press)
Ken says: There haven’t been many “off nights” for Hellebuyck during what has been a brilliant campaign, but things didn’t go as smoothly as usual for the Vezina Trophy front-runner and Hart Trophy candidate on Tuesday.
Plenty of the goals allowed came from point-blank range, one-timers or perfect tips, but Hellebuyck wasn’t as sharp as usual — whether it was his puck-handling blunder that required a highlight-reel save to prevent another goal against or his slow reaction to covering a puck that allowed Brock Boeser to score his second of the contest.
Hellebuyck allowed five goals for just the third time this season (and first time since Nov. 16 against the Florida Panthers).
Hellebuyck still leads the NHL in shutouts (six), goals-against average (.905), save percentage (.924) and goals saved above expected (34.4, according to Money Puck) and allowed one goal in six of his previous eight starts, so it’s a safe bet he will be looking for a bounce-back outing along with his teammates.
When it comes to facing the high-octane Oilers, Hellebuyck carries a 14-3-3 record, a 3.07 goals-against average, .907 save percentage and three shutouts in 33 career appearances.
Hellebuyck blanked the Oilers in the season opener for both teams and also posted a 4-0 record against them during the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs, with three of those games requiring overtime.
Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers was buzzing on Tuesday, scoring once while generating four shots on goal and eight shot attempts. He used his speed effectively and was one of the most dangerous players on the ice.
Ehlers is up to 22 goals for the season, which leaves him seven shy of his career-high of 29, which was set in 2017-18. With 58 points, Ehlers is also inching closer to his career-best of 64, which was set in 2016-17.
Never mind the pressure that comes with being a pending unrestricted free agent, Ehlers is poised to cash in this summer, though a strong showing down the stretch run and through the Stanley Cup playoffs would further boost his resume when looking for a new deal.
Not having to face Draisaitl is a bonus for the Jets, especially when you consider his tremendous campaign, one that includes him leading the Rocket Richard race with 49 goals.
He’s second to Nathan MacKinnon for the league lead in points with 101. Draisaitl’s impressive totals include 10 game-winning goals, five overtime winners and 15 power-play markers. In case you were wondering, Draisaitl has feasted on the Jets during his career, producing 24 goals and 43 points in 34 career games.
Although the Jets held him off the scoresheet in the season opener, McDavid has been a force against the organization during his career, racking up 12 goals and 56 points in 33 regular season games.
Trying to contain McDavid will be one of the top priorities for the Jets this evening as they look to sharpen up defensively after a series of uncharacteristic mistakes on Tuesday.
PROJECTED LINES
WINNIPEG JETS
FORWARDS
- Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
- Ehlers-Namestnikov-Perfetti
- Niederreiter-Lowry-Appleton
- Tanev-Barron-Iafallo
DEFENCE
- Morrissey-DeMelo
- Samberg-Schenn
- Fleury-Miller
GOAL
Healthy scratches: D Stanley, D Heinola, C Gustafsson, C Kupari
Injued: D Pionk (lower-body)
EDMONTON OILERS
FORWARDS
- Skinner-McDavid-Hyman
- Podkolzin-Nugent-Hopkins-Arvidsson
- Perry-Henrique-Brown
- Jones-Janmark-Kapanen
DEFENCE
- Ekholm-Bouchard
- Nurse-Stecher
- Walman-Kulak
GOAL
Healthy scratches: F Ryan
Injured: C Draisaitl (lower body), LW Kane (knee, abdominal), LW Frederic (lower body), D Klingberg (undisclosed), D Regula (knee).
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
Oilers superstar Connor McDavid with his scouting report on the Jets:
“They’re deep all over. They’ve got good forwards, the back end’s big and strong. And then you have to go up against the best goalie in the world. There’s a reason they are where they are in the standings. It’s not from luck, it’s because they’re a great team.”
WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON
Mike is in Edmonton and has two pieces coming today. The first developed out of a chat with veteran forward Nino Niederreiter, who is in one of the worst slumps of his career and really fighting it these days. The second will be his game analysis of Jets vs. Oilers. You can read both in Friday’s print edition and online at winnipegfreepress.
|
