FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: Is it time to put Mark Scheifele in bubble wrap? The team’s No. 1 centre has had three injury scares in the past two games but fortunately has managed to escape any serious damage.
The first was a result of a blocked shot on Friday against Utah that briefly sent him to the locker room.
The second was an awkward hit from Calgary’s Rasmus Andersson that had him limping to the bench, where he remained.
The third was a check from Flames forward Martin Pospisil which seemed to knock him for a loop and had him leaving with trainers for a short time. Scheifele would later return and score his team-leading 28th goal of the year, so everyone can exhale.
However, he was said to be receiving treatment following the game, and that was the case during Monday’s optional practice as well. So he’s definitely feeling the effects at least a little bit.
Winnipeg can ill afford to see Scheifele go down, especially with Adam Lowry currently sidelined and not expected back until after the 4 Nations break.
Josh Morrissey was also clearly not feeling 100 per cent on Sunday after being a game-time decision due to illness sweeping through the room. He played just 20:24 — that’s a good four or five minutes less than usual — and didn’t have the same jump we’re used to seeing.
Hopefully another 48 hours has allowed him to put that behind him. The fact he spoke with media following Tuesday’s morning skate is a positive sign.
Nikolaj Ehlers was hit with the same bug on Friday, and you wonder if it’s going to impact anyone else.
Montreal always seems to give Winnipeg a tough test, especially in their own building. The Jets lost 4-3 in a shootout during last year’s annual visit (Laurent Brossoit was in net), and fell 4-1 the previous season (with Hellebuyck between the pipes).
No doubt the visitors would like to avoid getting serenaded with the notorious “Ole, ole ole” chants in the third period that Habs fans typically break out when their team is leading.
Gabriel Vilardi has 11 goals on the Jets’ league-leading power play this season. (Fred Greenslade / The Canadian Press files)
KEN SAYS: Jets right-winger Gabe Vilardi is coming off the second four-point game of his career, delivering two goals and two assists on Sunday to move him to 47 points in 51 games. He’s already established a career-high in points and his next goal will equal his career-best in that category.
Kyle Connor also had a big game, snapping a four-game pointless drought with a beautiful backhand goal and two helpers, while Mark Scheifele scored his team-leading 28th goal and added a helper to give the trio nine points in the contest — including five on the power play.
Speaking of the power play, it will be interesting to monitor how many power plays the Jets will have on this upcoming road trip. Although they’ve been incredibly efficient, you can’t help but notice there haven’t been nearly as many chances for the Jets to be on the man-advantage.
The Jets did a good job of biting their collective tongues when asked about the number of opportunities to show off the top-ranked power play unit, but you got the sense the Jets were hoping for a few more calls moving forward if you read between the lines.
Make it a three-game point streak for David Gustafsson, who has a goal and two helpers during that span as the fourth line has provided some solid examples of complementary scoring.
Montreal Canadiens centre Nick Suzuki (Jose Juarez / The Associated Press files)
As for the Canadiens, captain Nick Suzuki had a three-point game in the OT loss on Saturday and is having an exceptional season, up to 50 points in 49 games, which has him on pace for a career-high.
The Canadiens defence corps has been stabilized after acquiring Alexandre Carrier from the Nashville Predators. Although he’s been kept off the board the past two games, defenceman Lane Hutson (who is on a pairing with Carrier) has upped his stock in the chase for the Calder Trophy as the NHLs top rookie and recently put together a nine-game point streak.
That hot stretch has vaulted Hutson into top spot for rookies for both points (39) and assists (36) while averaging 22:38 of ice time.
Hutson also scored his first NHL goal against the Jets last month.
“He really gets involved in that rush,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “Hutson has got vision, he makes plays and he’s a great skater. Just another young guy that’s jumping into this league and there’s no fear. They get right into it and they show what they can do.”
PROJECTED LINES
WINNIPEG JETS
FORWARDS:
- Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
- Ehlers-Namestnikov-Perfetti
- Niederreiter-Kupari-Appleton
- Barron-Gustafsson-Iafallo
DEFENCE:
- Morrissey-DeMelo
- Samberg-Pionk
- Stanley-Fleury
GOAL:
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D Heinola, D Miller, F Lambert
INJURED: C Lowry (upper-body)
MONTREAL CANADIENS
FORWARDS:
- Caufield-Suzuki-Slafkovsky
- Newhook-Dach-Laine
- Anderson-Evans-Gallagher
- Pezzetta-Dvorak-Armia
DEFENCE:
- Hutson-Matheson
- Guhle-Carrier
- Xhekaj-Savard
GOAL:
INJURED: D Reinbacher (knee). LW Heineman
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: LW Harvey-Pinard
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
Jets coach Scott Arniel on what the Canadiens have been doing well of late:
“They’ve got some offence and they can push the pace, especially when it comes to the back end. Their defence are coming as well. Since we last saw them, our records are pretty close to being identical.
“They’re playing well, they’re good here in this building, so we’ve got to limit the amount of opportunities (the Jets allow). They can transition quick, they can score and they’ve got people that can make plays, so we’ve got to make sure we’re defending first.”
WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON
Ken is on the three-game road trip and will provide game analysis, along with an early notebook. You can find both pieces online and in Wednesday’s print edition.
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