Winnipeg Jets at Vegas Golden Knights

LAS VEGAS — It’s another clash of the titans as the Winnipeg Jets face the Vegas Golden Knights.

The two teams occupying top spots in their respective divisions are set to go head-to-head for the third and final time of the regular season on Thursday at T-Mobile Arena.

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The Jets are looking to rebound after a 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, while the Golden Knights dropped a 3-2 decision to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday — though they had won six consecutive games before that setback.

The Golden Knights have won eight consecutive regular season games against the Jets, who will be looking to turn the tables.

“They’ve been a great team for a long time,” said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey.

“They have a core group of guys and are Stanley Cup champions not far removed. They’re well-coached, they don’t give you a lot. They’re a team that throughout their line-up they have a lot of depth, they’re fast and physical, and they play their structure. It’s a lot of the things we try to feel about ourselves and feel about ourselves as a group as well.

“Generally speaking, there isn’t a lot of room out there. You see where they’re at in the standings, and where we’re at, you want to bring your best game against the top teams in the league.”

Much like the Jets are being pushed by the Dallas Stars in the chase for top spot in the Central, the Golden Knights are trying to create some separation between themselves and the Kings and Oilers.

“Obviously one of the best teams in the West,” said Jets defenceman Haydn Fleury. “Like us, well-built and well-structured. It will probably be a tight game and it’s a good test for us.”

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) saves the backhander from Vegas Golden Knights’ Tomas Hertl (48) during the Dec. 12, 2024 game. The Golden Knights won that game 3-2, and they’ve won their last eight matchups against the Jets. (John Woods / The Canadian Press files)

Jets head coach Scott Arniel is mostly encouraged by how his team has played against the Golden Knights this season, other than not being able to hold leads they’ve had in both prior meetings — including the 3-2 OT loss in Winnipeg and the 4-3 loss in Las Vegas.

“They’ve been tight games,” said Arniel. “At the end of the day, they’re a veteran team that knows how to play at this time of the year. They’ve been ramping their game up quietly. They haven’t gotten a whole lot of press about it, but we know how good of a hockey team they are and what type of elite players that they have.”

Arniel is reuniting two of his usual lines for this one, as Nikolaj Ehlers slides back with Vladislav Namestnikov and Cole Perfetti and Nino Niederreiter will skate alongside Adam Lowry and Mason Appleton.

The Jets will also make some subtle tweaks to the team’s power play units, with Perfetti and Alex Iafallo trading places.

This game features the top two power plays in the NHL, though the Jets are looking to work through a stretch that has seen them go eight-for-49 (16.3 per cent) since returning from the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The Jets will make at least one lineup change, with Jaret Anderson-Dolan drawing in on the fourth line for David Gustafsson.

Anderson-Dolan had a strong training camp, but broke his foot in an exhibition game against the Calgary Flames.

After a tough start to the American Hockey League campaign, Anderson-Dolan has been one of the most consistent forwards with the Manitoba Moose and Arniel wanted to see what he could do.

“He’s playing to his identity, which is what you want those guys to do,” said Arniel. “We brought him in because he’s an energy guy, he can get in on the forecheck and help us on the penalty kill if there’s some room there. We wanted to get a look at him. This is the time of year that he might be able to help us.”

There is one question mark for the Jets, as defenceman Luke Schenn made it through the morning skate but his status is undetermined.

Although he took rushes with Ville Heinola on what appeared to be the fourth pairing, Schenn didn’t stay on for extra work and he wasn’t ruled out by Arniel, who didn’t want to get into specifics on how the defence was going to look.

“We’ll see,” said Arniel. “He’s out there in a white jersey and we’ll see where we go from there.”

If Schenn is available, he’ll likely slide back beside Dylan Samberg and either Logan Stanley or Fleury will be scratched.

If Schenn can’t go, the pairings will remain the same as on Tuesday.

Eric Comrie is set to make his 19th start of the season for the Jets, while the Golden Knights counter with Adin Hill.

The Golden Knights appear to be getting a big piece of the puzzle back as defenceman Alex Pietrangelo was skating alongside Noah Hanifin at the morning skate.

Forward Tomas Hertl remains sidelined with a shoulder injury, but he’s been skating in a non-contact jersey the past two days and is trending toward a return.

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FROM THE PRESS BOX

MIKE SAYS: I’ve had a bit of a revelation.

A change-of-heart, perhaps. I’m starting to think it’s far less important where the Jets finish — first or second and playing one of the St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild or Colorado Avalanche — than how they finish.

Allow me to explain. They’re going to face a tough first-round opponent no matter what. Colorado is loaded, St. Louis is the hottest team in the league and Minnesota might just get Kirill Kaprizov back in the nick of time. Pick your poison, really. The Western Conference is an absolute jungle. Yet none of that will matter if the Jets aren’t at the top of their game.

I liked a lot of what they did against Los Angeles in terms of generating some good looks and chances, but this is a results-oriented business and the bottom line is the Jets didn’t have nearly enough finish while also making too many costly mistakes that ended up in the back of their net.

The Kings always seem to play them tough, and that’s a problem considering it closely resembles the type of hockey we expect to see in the playoffs.

Which brings us to Vegas, who certainly are in that same vein while also holding a clear psychological edge over Winnipeg given the fact the Golden Knights have owned the Jets now for several years running.

Not only is tonight a big game because of the two points at stake that Winnipeg could use, but even more so is the hurdle they need to clear when it comes to proving they can hold their own against these types of hockey teams. Recent history isn’t so kind in that department.

Would it be a bummer if the Jets ultimately get passed by the Stars in the final days of the regular-season after holding down that No. 1 spot for most of the year? Of course. But I’d say the bigger concern would be the state of Winnipeg’s game if that ultimately happens.Tonight is a chance to at least address some of those lingering concerns and questions.

KEN SAYS: Facing another top-notch opponent on the heels of a tough loss to the Kings is probably a benefit for the Jets.

Although the Golden Knights have given them plenty of headaches over the years, it also means that their senses will be heightened.

The Jets didn’t make a lot of mistakes against the Kings, but it was the type of puck management issues that was concerning. Neutral zone turnovers are often costly against teams that are good in transition —that was certainly the case the other night and would be against the Golden Knights as well.

The promotion of Perfetti to the top power play unit is a smart call, given the confidence he’s been exuding and moving Mark Scheifele into the position down low that’s usually occupied by the injured Gabe Vilardi could provide a fresh wrinkle for a Jets power play that remains near the top of the NHL but has been working through a bit of a funk.

“We’ll have to wait and see. I don’t want to give away all the secrets here,” said Morrissey. “Obviously (Perfetti) is a great player, we have a lot of great players here. Gabe is a big loss on the power play with what he does all over the O-zone but specifically in front of the net. Just a bit of a change to see if there is a spark there and if there is a good fit with how the hands work out.”

The power play has been a weapon for the majority of the season for the Jets and getting back to that before the playoffs arrive would be an important development for them.

It will be interesting to see if Niederreiter’s return to one of the most effective checking lines in the league can help provide a spark for him offensively as well.

Niederreiter has just one goal during his past 20 games and he’s someone the Jets are counting on to supply secondary scoring.

Going up against a Golden Knights defence corps that is among the best in the NHL, Niederreiter needs to spend a bunch of time in his office around the crease in this one.

The Golden Knights are led by centre Jack Eichel, who should be garnering more attention in the Hart Trophy conversation.

He’s got 27 goals and 93 points and the improvements to his defensive game have continued under head coach Bruce Cassidy. He’s a two-way force and keeps pushing his ceiling higher.

I had a great chat with Keegan Kolesar on Wednesday. Check out that story if you haven’t done so already.

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Keegan Kolesar (55) skates with the Stanley Cup after the Knights defeated the Florida Panthers 9-3 in Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Las Vegas. The Knights won the series 4-1. (John Locher / The Associated Press files)

Kolesar is one of four Manitobans on the roster and they’ve all had strong seasons.

Captain Mark Stone appeared in the 700th game of his NHL career on Tuesday and he’s second in team scoring with 19 goals and 66 points in 63 games. Brett Howden has already hit career highs with 22 goals and 36 points, while defenceman Zach Whitecloud continues to deliver quality minutes on the back end.

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WINNIPEG JETS

NOTABLE QUOTABLE

Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey on the environment at T-Mobile Arena:

“It’s always been rocking in here since they came in the league. It’s a tough building to play in, it’s loud and the music is pumping, but it’s fun. They do a great job with that and it’s good prep for us for playoff hockey, when all the buildings are loud and energetic.”

WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON

Ken is in Las Vegas and will handle the game story. He will also have an early feature on Winnipegger Chris Driedger, a goalie who was acquired by the Jets to be the No. 3 guy on the depth chart. Both stories will be online at winnipegfreepress.com, while the Driedger piece is set to appear in Friday’s print edition.

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