FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: It’s always interesting to hit the road to cover the Jets and see and hear how media in other markets view the club. One consistent thing I heard today, following player and coach availabilities: Just how calm and composed and relaxed the Winnipeg room is.
There is a quiet confidence with this group that is palpable in everything they do and say, and others are taking notice.
It’s hard to find much wrong with Winnipeg’s game lately — the bulk of the season, really — but Arniel told me this morning he’d like to see the power play get back to its usual form.
For just the second time all year, the Jets have gone three straight games without scoring with the man advantage. To be clear, we’re talking the smallest of sample sizes here (0-for-6 in that span, which is hardly cause for alarm), but maybe the puck movement hasn’t been as crisp as we’ve become accustomed to seeing it, perhaps the product of the extended 4 Nations break?
“There might be a little bit of that,” said Arniel. “We look at our power play as does it give us momentum? Does it give us looks? Are we getting the amount of looks that we’re after? The last two games (since the break) probably not as much. But there’s teams that are certainly ready for us.”
Indeed, the Jets still lead the NHL with a 32.5 per cent efficiency (Detroit is second at 29.2 per cent) so it’s something opponents are scouting and planning for heavily.
“They know the success we’re having and there’s not going to be any freebies,” Arniel continued. “The one thing we stress an awful lot about our specialty teams is our work ethic, or power play specifically, it’s about outworking the penalty killers. And when we get a chance to attack the net, that’s the big part for me. When we’re consistent with that, we’re really dangerous.”
Expect to see the Jets put their hard hats back on real soon here.
I’m told it’s Tragically Hip night here at the game, which should make for some fantastic music in between whistles and periods and a great atmosphere for his one-anthem matchup.
KEN SAYS: Monday’s game was a masterclass in two-way play from defenceman Josh Morrissey, who logged nearly 30 minutes of ice time and was used in all situations in his first game back from the nasty virus that knocked him out of the championship final of the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Morrissey was omnipresent, driving play at five-on-five, quarterbacking the power play and killing penalties. He made the cross-ice pass to Mark Scheifele that created the zone entry before scoring the equalizer himself during six-on-five play, then was on the ice for the OT winner from Scheifele.
His final two shifts of the game were 2:02 and 1:33, which is a testament to his incredible endurance.
We’ve discussed the short-term and long-term benefits of Morrissey being involved in the best-on-best event and he seemed to find a way to elevate his game in what had already been an exceptional season for him.
Josh Morrissey scored with 26 seconds left in the third period to send the game into overtime. (Frank Greenslade / The Canadian Press)
It feels like the dam is about to break for Kyle Connor, who has gone five games without finding the back of the net but has generated 19 shot attempts (and 14 shots on goal) in his two games coming out of the break.
Connor assisted on the game-tying goal on Saturday against the St. Louis Blues and got a helper on Scheifele’s franchise-record in three-on-three play, so he’s still producing offence. But given how dangerous he’s been, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he went on a hot streak.
Although he’s not a numbers guy, Connor is on pace to take a run at 100 points. Hitting 50 goals would take a torrid finish, but he’s on track to eclipse 40 for the second time and could still challenge the 47 he scored in 2021-22.
For the Senators, keep an eye on defenceman Jake Sanderson, who is an excellent skater and emerging talent. Sanderson jumped into the United States lineup after they were hit by the injury bug and he acquitted himself incredibly well.
I had an opportunity to see Sanderson in action for the University of North Dakota a few years ago while watching Jets forward prospect Chaz Lucius, and Sanderson showed he was going to be a play driver at the next level.
Sanderson’s offensive game has taken an important step forward, as he’s up to six goals and 36 points in 56 games while averaging 24:22 of ice time per game.
PROJECTED LINES
WINNIPEG JETS
FORWARDS
- Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
- Ehlers-Namestnikov-Perfetti
- Niederreiter-Lowry-Appleton
- Iafallo-Gustafsson-Kupari
DEFENCE
- Morrissey-DeMelo
- Samberg-Pionk
- Stanley-Miller
GOAL
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D Heinola, D Fleury, F Anderson-Dolan
INJURED: LW Barron (upper-body)
OTTAWA SENATORS
FORWARDS
- Crookshank-Stutzle-Giroux
- Perron-Greig-Batherson
- Gregor-Gaudette-Amadio
- Highmore-Jenik
DEFENCE
- Sanderson-Zub
- Chabot-Jensen
- Kleven-Matinpalo
- Hamonic
GOAL
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: None
INJURED: LW Tkachuk (lower-body), C Pinto (upper-body, C Norris (upper-body), C Cousins (knee), D Bernard-Docker (ankle)
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
Jets captain Adam Lowry, when asked by Ottawa media this morning about how his team has managed to stay grounded and focused despite all its success so far this year:
“I think Arnie does a great job along with the coaching staff every day of making sure we come in and there’s a purpose to our practice. The meetings, even in games we’ve won, there’s always areas you can improve, areas that we’re striving to be better in.
“I think kind of the message from training camp is how do we get ready for Game 83 — the first game of the playoffs. How do we continue to build this group, continue to build this team and this structure so that come playoff time we’re ready to compete, we’re ready to continue the success we’ve had in the regular season and take the next step in the postseason.”
WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON
Mike is in Ottawa and will have a pair of pieces coming today.
The first is an exclusive story about a recent multi-vehicle accident in Winnipeg in which a Jets player — you’ll have to read the tale to find out who! — helped calm the situation, earning high praise from the mother of a young motorist who was quite distraught at what happened. Mike spoke with the player this morning.
The other will be game coverage of Jets vs. Senators with the usual analysis and quotes, news and notes.
You can find both online at winnipegfreepress.com and in Thursday’s print edition.
|
