FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS – I vividly remember rolling into Washington late last March as the Jets were finishing up a five-game road trip and two things standing out. No. 1: The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, which makes the D.C. area both look and smell absolutely magical. No. 2: The hockey club was running on fumes, having already been thumped New Jersey (4-1) and Long Island (6-3) with plenty of angst building up.
Winnipeg would go on to lose 3-0 that day, never really mustering any kind of threat, and the winless skid would ultimately stretch to six games as they headed down the stretch of the regular season. The vibes, as the kids like to say, were not good, and it would only be about a month later before a once-promising season was over thanks to a five-game playoff elimination in the opening round against Colorado.
Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) scores past Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) in the March 24, 2024 game. The two teams face off tonight in Washington. (Mark Schiefelbein / Associated Press files)
What a difference a year can make. Or just over 10 months in this case. I would not have had a Feb. 1 clash of Jets at Capitals on my Bingo card as a showdown for top spot in the NHL, but here we are. Even though I’m not on this particular road trip, I’m confident in saying the mood around the club today would be a whole lot chippier than it was during their last visit.
The Jets have played every other day since Jan. 14, going 7-2-0 in that span, and this game will mark the end of another busy stretch of schedule. Winnipeg will play just two times in the next 20 days after this one – their home games next Tuesday and Friday prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off break – and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. On one hand, they’d probably like to keep the momentum going and not hit pause considering they’re playing so well. On the other hand, it’s clear injuries are starting to catch up, so some time away will likely be very good for the body (along with the mind).
Among the many positive things that stood out in Thursday’s win in Boston was the play of the second line. I thought all three of Vlad Namestnikov, Nikolaj Ehlers and Cole Perfetti were flying – which hasn’t always been the case as of late. If that trio can string some strong games together, especially when the top line of Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Gabe Vilardi are cooking with gas, then the Jets are an even bigger handful for opponents than usual.
KEN SAYS: Before getting to what should be a compelling matchup, a quick thought about the story within the story from Thursday.
There are some days in this media business where a story falls in your lap and this was one of those days.
After Ford took rushes on the fourth line at the morning skate, he took centre stages, handling interviews with enthusiasm and showing gratitude to the people who made sacrifices to help him reach his goal of suiting up in his first NHL game. A quick call to his Providence College head coach Nate Leaman reinforced the attitude and work ethic that earned Ford the call-up.
That the game came against the team he grew up cheering for, and in an arena that was roughly 90 minutes from his hometown of Wakefield, Rhode Island, only added to the story.
When Ford scored his first NHL goal by crashing the net and batting the puck out of the air, with family and friends in the stands erupting with joy, it capped a storybook day for his entire family. Being on site to document moments like the one are part of what makes this job fun.
That Connor and Scheifele became the first teammates to hit 30 goals this season is another example of just how good they’ve been, but Connor met a question about it with a shoulder shrug on Saturday after the morning skate.
“It’s cool, but at the same time, we’re a motivated group and we don’t sit back and really look at it,” said Connor. “With the speed of the season and how you have to stay focused on the next game. It really doesn’t mean much, to be honest. We’ve got bigger things to accomplish.”
It’s been interesting to see how Dubois has fit in with the Capitals and has essentially gotten back to the player he was during his second and third seasons with the Jets. No, he won’t likely threaten to hit 30 goals or eclipse 60 points but he’s been engaged and supplying a two-way game with plenty of intensity. When he’s engaged physically, Dubois can be an extremely tough player to play against. Capitals head coach Spencer Carberry has helped him unlock some of the potential the Jets saw when he was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets in the deal for Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic.
PROJECTED LINES
WINNIPEG JETS
FORWARDS:
- Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
- Ehlers-Namestnikov-Perfetti
- Niederreiter-Kupari-Appleton
- Iafallo-Gustafsson-Ford
DEFENCE:
- Morrissey-DeMelo
- Samberg-Pionk
- Stanley-Miller
GOAL:
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D Heinola, D Fleury, F Lambert
INJURED: C Lowry (upper body), LW Barron (upper body)
WASHINGTON CAPITALS
FORWARDS:
- Ovehckin-Strome-Wilson
- Poitras-Dubois-McMichael
- Raddysh-Eller-Frank
- Duhaime-Dowd-Mangiapane
DEFENCE:
- Sandin-Carlson
- Chychrun-van Riemsdyk
- Fehervary-Roy
GOAL:
INJURED: C Backstrom (hip), RW Oshie (back), LW Milano (upper body)
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D McIlrath, D Alexeyev, LW Vrana
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
Jets head coach Scott Arniel, who was an assistant coach with the Capitals for four seasons, on Ovechkin’s pursuit of the goal-scoring record:
“It’s awesome. It’s been fun to watch. I’m seeing it again. I saw it live, but just the other night in Ottawa, that wrister from the top and has its seeing-eye dog, it goes top shelf. When he gets on a roll like that, he throws pucks at the net, they find a way of getting in there. It was a thrill to work with a guy like that, so professional and first class, and just to watch what he does on a nightly basis at his stage being so consistent over the years, I don’t think anybody was expecting him to be this close at this time of year. But that’s Ovi. He likes to prove people wrong. Hoping that maybe he saves it for some other nights and we can keep him off the board.”
WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON
Ken is on the three-game road trip and will provide the game analysis of this first-place showdown. You can find the story online at winnipegfreepress.com.
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