FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: One of the signs of maturity for a hockey team is not letting a poor performance — or a disappointing result — bleed into what happens next. And the Jets have made the ability to quickly bounce back part of their DNA in recent years.
Fact is, good teams are going to lose games. Lots of them, in fact, over the course of an 82-game season.
(The Jets, for example, lost 26 in total last year en route to winning the Presidents’ Trophy). But not allowing a minor scrape to turn into something more serious is essential for true contenders.
Just looking at this season so far, the Jets have followed up their three previous losses with victories in the very next game. They’ll be trying to make it 4-for-4 in that department tonight.
If I were compiling a list of teams that are becoming appointment viewing, the Sharks would be near the top. (And the Kings would be near the bottom). San Jose plays an exciting, up-tempo brand of hockey and is a team on the rise.
Years of misery are finally starting to pay off as their talented kids start to come of age.
Speaking of young guns, you can see Jets forward Brad Lambert getting more comfortable with each passing game.
Scoring his first NHL goal last Saturday against Pittsburgh obviously gave him a shot of confidence and I thought he had another good showing against Los Angeles.
However, it looks like he’s coming out of the lineup in favour of Nikita Chibrikov as Arniel continues to rotate his rookies and not let anyone sit too long as a healthy scratch.
It will be interesting to see how things shake out with Winnipeg’s lineup once Cole Perfetti returns.
He shed his non-contact jersey during the morning skate in San Jose and could potentially return to the lineup before the end of this six-game trip, which concludes next Saturday in Calgary.
KEN SAYS: It’s a special night for Namestnikov as he skates in NHL regular season Game 800.
It’s an incredible achievement for someone who has officially been part of eight different organizations (though he didn’t actually suit up in a game for the Sharks, who subsequently traded him to the Jets).
Namestnikov is comfortable in almost any position he’s put in and right now he’s flourishing since moving to the wing on a line with Jonathan Toews and Alex Iafallo.
Winnipeg Jets forward Vladislav Namestnikov (right) will play his 800th game tonight against the San Jose Sharks — the club that dealt him to the Jets for a 2025 fourth round draft pick. (Tony Avelar / The Associated Press files)
Namestnikov is already up to six goals in 13 games, showing early signs he could challenge the career-high of 20 he recorded with the Tampa Bay Lightning back in 2017-18.
The addition of Namestnikov wasn’t necessarily a headline grabber at the 2023 NHL trade deadline, but he’s proven to be a perfect fit as an unselfish and consistent player that is comfortable playing anywhere in the lineup.
The trio with Namestnikov, Toews and Iafallo was especially noticeable in Tuesday’s game against the Kings.
By his own admission, Lowry had some rust to shake off but the importance of his return to the lineup cannot be overstated.
He was already a physical force, registering four hits and he was strong on the penalty kill. Lowry was moving well and as he gets into a rhythm, he will begin to impose his will more frequently.
The Sharks are moving toward the fun part of the rebuild, transitioning from filling the cupboards with draft picks and prospects to trying to level up and be more competitive.
Winning the lottery and getting Macklin Celebrini with the first overall pick certainly helped matters, as he’s been a force in the early stages of the season, tied for the NHL scoring lead with Jack Eichel of the Vegas Golden Knights and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers — with Jets centre Mark Scheifele just one point behind.
Celebrini is averaging just under 21 minutes of ice time per game and is someone the Jets will be paying close attention to in this contest.
PROJECTED LINES
WINNIPEG JETS
FORWARDS
- Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
- Namestnikov-Toews-Iafallo
- Niederreiter-Lowry-Chibrikov
- Koepke-Ford-Pearson
DEFENCE
- Morrissey-DeMelo
- Stanley-Pionk
- Fleury-Schenn
GOAL
INJURED: D Samberg (wrist), F Perfetti (ankle), F Barron (mid-body), F Nyquist (undisclosed)
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D Miller, F Lambert
SAN JOSE SHARKS
FORWARDS
- Toffoli-Celebrini-Smith
- Kurashev-Wennberg-Graf
- Skinner-Delandrea-Cardwell
- Goodrow-Gaudette-Reaves
DEFENCE
- Orlov-Liljegren
- Ferraro-Klingberg
- Mukhamadullin-Desharnais
GOAL
INJURED: D Leddy (upper body), F Eklund (lower body), F Misa (undisclosed), C White (upper body)
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D Iorio, D Dickinson, F Ostapchuk
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
Jets captain Adam Lowry to reporters in California when asked about his first game as he returns from off-season hip surgery:
“I didn’t love my game. I was happy that I got through the game and the hip felt good. It was one of those ones where going into the game, I didn’t expect to feel my best or be as sharp as I’d like to be. But, I felt like as the game progressed, I started to handle the puck a little more and my reads started to get better. And, felt like I was starting to get my legs under me.
“All in all, it was a good first one to get out of the way, and I’m looking forward to being a lot better (on Friday) night.”
WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON
Ken will be providing analysis from home before heading out on the road for the final three games of the road trip. With the late start, he’s unlikely to meet our print-edition deadline, but you can find the piece on our website later tonight or early tomorrow.
Be sure to check out the latest edition of Dump and Chase in Saturday’s print edition as Mike and Ken look at who is helping their cause to make Canada’s Olympic team and who is off to a tough start.
Plus, a friendly reminder that the Jets monthly mailbag for November is open, so send your questions to Mike and Ken at your convenience either by replying to this email, or find them on social media.
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