FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: It’s safe to say the Jets typically have no trouble getting up for games against the Panthers, as proven by their 4-0-0 record over the last two years.
Yet Winnipeg hasn’t been able to replicate those impressive type of regular-season performances on the big stage of the playoffs, crashing and burning in two consecutive first rounds. Florida certainly knows how to up its game at the right time by going to two straight Finals, including winning the last one.
Who can forget Maurice giving his former employer a surprising shout-out last June, soaking in the championship glory by telling viewers around the world that “If I could have one more thing it’s for the Winnipeg Jets to win the next Stanley Cup” in the immediate aftermath of a 2-1 Game 7 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
The Jets sure look like they’re going to try their best to grant Maurice’s wish with their sizzling start to this campaign. No, you can’t win it all in November, but repeatedly doing all the little things right will hopefully become so routine that it’s embedded in the DNA by next spring.
If we’re playing fantasy hockey for a second and thinking of potential dream storyline scenarios, how about Winnipeg versus Florida for all the marbles next June? Sign me up.
This should be a dandy of a game, especially since the Panthers will likely be a bit growly after their humbling at the hands of New Jersey and the Jets will want to get back to flying high after a tiny bit of turbulence on Thursday in Tampa Bay.
I suspect Maurice, despite his very sincere and classy well-wishes towards Winnipeg, would also like to get a win or two against his old team. I love the fact this is the start of a home-and-home series and wish we saw more of this sort of thing in the NHL. It adds a bit of extra spice to the mix, which is never a bad thing.
By the way: Bombers 27, Argonauts 20.
Enjoy the weekend, folks.
Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice (Wilfredo Lee / The Associated Press files)
KEN SAYS: It was a rare off night for the Jets on the whole and this time, the power play couldn’t bail them out when the offence had trouble generating zone time and quality scoring chances. The zero-for-five outing was rare (though the final power play lasted all of 1.7 seconds at the end of regulation) but the Jets identified how aggressive the Lightning were on the penalty kill and they’ll be ready for something similar from the Panthers.
Cole Perfetti is off to a strong start, but outside of a two-assist game against the Dallas Stars, the Jets winger has been held off the board in four of the past games, so he could be due for an offensive outburst.
Schmidt was a popular guy around these parts and always a fun guy to chat with, whether about the Jets or life in general. Schmidt had a strong season on the Jets’ third pairing, but was making too much money for the role he was playing.
As for Maurice, his legacy with the Jets remains, despite the departure that still doesn’t sit well with some people.
What can’t be denied is that Maurice is the winningest coach in Jets’ franchise history when it comes to the regular season and the Stanley Cup playoffs. He was influential in the development of several members of this core group and the growth of the organization, including the run to the Western Conference final in 2018.
There were plenty of people who were happy to see Maurice and former Jets associate coach Jamie Kompon defeat the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 to get their names etched on the Stanley Cup.
Speaking of former Jets coaches, it was nice to see Rick Bowness at the Panthers’ practice rink on Friday and he’s planning to attend Saturday’s game. Bowness was greeted with smiles and handshakes as he caught up with players, staff members and coaches.
He’s enjoying retirement immensely, though he joked that he hasn’t been able to get his scores down despite his ability to golf frequently while living in Florida.
Bowness remains invested in the fortunes of the Jets and he was quick to applaud the job that Arniel and his staff have done so far this season. He also cited chemistry and continuity as two of the reasons the Jets are off to such a great start.
Since Mike provided a prediction for the Grey Cup, I will do the same: Blue Bombers 24, Argos 18
PROJECTED LINES
WINNIPEG JETS
FORWARDS:
- Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
- Perfetti-Namestnikov-Ehlers
- Niederreiter-Lowry-Appleton
- Barron-Kupari-Iafallo
DEFENCE:
- Morrissey-DeMelo
- Samberg-Pionk
- Fleury-Miller
GOAL:
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D Coghlan, F Gustafsson
INJURED: D Heinola (ankle), D Stanley (mid-body)
PANTHERS
FORWARDS:
- Rodrigues-Barkov-Reinhart
- Verhaeghe-Bennett-Tkachuk
- Luostarinen-Lundell-J. Boqvist
- Greer-Nosek-Samoskevich
DEFENCE:
- Forsling-Ekblad
- Mikkola-Kulikov
- Schmidt-Balinskis
GOAL:
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D A. Boqvist, F Gadjovich
INJURED: None
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
Panthers D-man Nate Schmidt on the Jets’ hot start:
“Anytime you start the year with the fastest to 15 wins in history, it catches anybody by surprise. It’s a great team. I’ve been there and I believed it. I believed it in the summer and I still believe it now. It’s still a great team. They’ve got a lot of good players and they’ve got a world-class goaltender that can win you a lot of games. It’s still a really good recipe for how you can win in this league and they still have it.”
WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON
Ken is on this three-game road trip and will provide analysis from the first of two consecutive meetings between one-time Southeast Division rivals. You can find the story online at www.winnipegfreepress.com.
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