Winnipeg Jets at Utah HC

SALT LAKE CITY — There haven’t been many efforts that left Scott Arniel upset enough to voice his displeasure in his post-game comments.

But the 5-2 defeat to Utah HC at the Delta Center was one of them, as the head coach of the Winnipeg Jets called out his team for not playing up to their standard.

It turns out the Jets players agreed with the assessment, as they responded by rattling off 11 consecutive victories to set a franchise record.

With six games left in the regular season, the Jets are working hard to fend off a late push from the Dallas Stars in the chase for top spot in the Central Division standings.

After opening the road trip with a 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, the Jets responded with an excellent effort in a 4-0 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, setting the stage for the finale of the three-game swing.

“They’re a team that has a lot of skill,” said Jets right-winger Mason Appleton. “The last time we played here wasn’t our best, but we’re coming off a really good win, so you’ve got to park that one and move onto the next.

“If we can play to our strengths, we match up well against them.”

Utah HC is in a precarious position, trailing the Minnesota Wild by nine points in the battle for the final wild card in the Western Conference.

Utah HC essentially has to run the table and still rely on getting some help to try and leapfrog over three teams.

“They’re quick off the rush. They ate us up here in this building with their transition game,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “We were better in our building. But it’s the big emphasis for them. They do a real good job, they have skilled forwards that can make plays. They also, I know they’re still not out of it yet and they’re battling as hard as they can. You get a team that’s desperate and looking for an opportunity.

Connor Hellebuyck is set to make his 58th start and 59th appearance for the Jets, while Utah HC will counter with Karel Vejmelka, who is making a 20th consecutive start (no, this is not a misprint) and 51st start of the season.

There is one question mark with regard to the Jets’ lineup, as forward Nikolaj Ehlers is a game-time decision according to Arniel after getting hit with a pair of shots on Thursday — one from Golden Knights defenceman Nic Hague and the other from teammate Cole Perfetti during a third period power play.

Because there was no morning skate, the final decision won’t likely be known until at least the pre-game warmup, but it won’t be a surprise if the Jets give Ehlers a few more days to recover and be ready for Monday’s game against the St. Louis Blues.

If Ehlers is unable to go, Nino Niederreiter is likely to go back with Vladilav Namestnikov and Perfetti, while Brandon Tanev would slide alongside Adam Lowry and Mason Appleton.

It would also open the door for David Gustafsson to return to the fourth line after he was a healthy scratch on Thursday.

Here’s some other information to get you ready:

—Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe

FROM THE PRESS BOX

MIKE SAYS: I vividly recall how angry Jets coach Scott Arniel was with his team the last time they were in Salt Lake City. I was on that road trip and Arniel essentially walked away from the post game media scrum after just a few questions. He had already made his point, and it appeared as if he was trying to stop himself from lobbing any more verbal grenades.

I bring this up because I suspect the team will want to right that previous wrong with a much better effort tonight. It almost feels like that particular game marked a valuable lesson for the Jets and maybe even a turning point of sorts considering the tear they went on immediately after. It was a painful reminder that there are no easy nights in the NHL.

As I wrote in this space prior to Thursday’s game in Las Vegas, I’m more focused on how the Jets are playing compared to where they finish in the standings. It’s safe to say that their performance against the Golden Knights, particularly in the first two periods, should be the gold standard. If they play like that, I like their chances against any opponent.

I really like the play of Winnipeg’s top line, led by Mark Scheifele. They were drivers all night long and really stepped up when it was needed. Both Scheifele and Kyle Connor are within two points of matching their career highs. It seems like only a matter of when not if they get there. Connor still has a shot at 100, needing nine over these final six games.

KEN SAYS: Niederreiter played one of his most effective games on Thursday, recording a pair of assists while accumulating five shots on goal, six shot attempts and three hits. He’s at his best when he’s involved physically and that was certainly the case against the Golden Knights. The next step for Niederreiter will be to find the back of the net again, as he’s been limited to one goal during his past 21 games.

Both Colin Miller and Logan Stanley had bounce back showings after a tough outing against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday. Miller scored a power play goal and was much more effective defensively, showing the physical element as well by recording three hits as he moved back onto the third pairing. Stanley had one giveaway, but looked more comfortable on the left side (his natural side) and chipped in an assist on a goal by Lowry.

Winnipeg Jets defenceman Colin Miller (6) skates during Tuesday's game against the Los Angeles Kings. (Kyusung Gong / The Associated Press)

Winnipeg Jets defenceman Colin Miller (6) skates during Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings. (Kyusung Gong / The Associated Press)

“Those two have been playing well together,” said Arniel. “I thought prior games it was more on me when I threw Stan over on that right side, I’m glad he got back to being where he was. I thought he did a real good job. He made a nice play on the (Lowry) goal, getting it to the net front quick. I liked how physical (Miller) was, and coming up big on the power play.”

Jaret Anderson-Dolan had a highly effective game on the fourth line in his Jets debut, finishing with six hits in just under nine minutes of ice time. He got in on the forecheck well and threw his body around, adding an important element that could come in handy down the road. He gets another opportunity to show he can be an effective option.

“I liked a lot of what he did. You can see his energy, his quickness,” said Arniel. “He’s good on the forecheck, and I liked him on the walls in our end of the rink. The first game going in like that, I thought he did what we had (been) asked (to do). To get him a chance finally, it’s all about knowing what we have there so he’s depth for us in the playoffs.”

As for Utah HC, they’ve been led by captain Clayton Keller, the runaway scoring leader with 25 goals and 80 points — which is just six points behind his career-high for points set in 2022-23 with the Arizona Coyotes.

Nick Schmaltz, who played at the University of North Dakota, is next with 58 points while second-year centre Logan Cooley has taken an important step forward in his development with 22 goals and 56 points in 69 games.

Dylan Guenther was signed to a lucrative, long-term extension prior to the season and he’s delivered a team-leading 26 goals despite missing 12 games due to injuries. He’s got 52 points in 64 games and has an outstanding release. You can see why Utah HC made a commitment to him to be one of its core pieces moving forward despite his limited NHL experience.

Utah HC is playing meaningful games in April and look like a team that should be on the rise if they have another productive offseason.

PROJECTED LINES

WINNIPEG JETS

FORWARDS

Connor-Scheifele-Iafallo
Niederreiter-Namestnikov-Perfetti
Tanev-Lowry-Appleton
Anderson-Dolan-Barron-Gustafsson

DEFENCE

Morrissey-DeMelo
Samberg-Schenn
Stanley-Miller

GOAL

Hellebuyck
Comrie

HEALTHY SCRATCHES: G Driedger, D Fleury, D Heinola

INJURED: D Pionk (lower body), RW Vilardi (upper body), C Kupari (concussion), F Ehlers (foot)

UTAH HC

FORWARDS

Keller-Cooley-Guenther
Schmaltz-Hayton-Yamamoto
Crouse-McBain-Doan
Kerfoot-Stenlund-Bjugstad

DEFENCE

Sergachev-Marino
Cole-Durzi
Maatta-Kesserling

GOAL

Vejmelka
Villalta

HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D Bortuzzo, D DeSimone, F Carcone, F Maccelli

INJURED: G Ingram (personal), F O’Brien (upper body)

NOTABLE QUOTABLE

Jets forward Brandon Tanev on facing Utah HC:

“They’ve got some high-end skill. Guys that like to skate and make plays with the puck. I think it’s going to be crucial to get the puck in deep at the right time and challenge their goaltender, get in front of him. And when you’re able to be physical on those guys, you’ve got to take away time and space.”