Best in the West: who called that?

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/01/2018 (2781 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Even the Amazing Kreskin couldn’t have seen this coming.

The calendar has flipped to February and the Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden Knights are both first-place clubs, and they’ll face off tonight at Bell MTS Place with Western Conference supremacy on the line.

Yes, these are the same Winnipeg Jets who have but one playoff appearance in their first six seasons since returning to the NHL. Yes, these are the same Vegas Golden Knights made up of a collection of castoffs thrown together last summer in the expansion draft.

But the numbers don’t lie. Winnipeg (30-13-8) is on top of the Central Division, while Vegas (33-12-4) has soared to the top of the Pacific Division. Just two points separate the Jets and Golden Knights.

“I’ve watched Vegas play a fair amount, and they do so many things almost in a veteran way,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice said Wednesday after putting his team through a 45-minute practice.

“They have a confidence in their game, which I guess just continues to build because they’ve had so much success in doing the right things — simply, but very, very quickly.”

Winnipeg is coming off an impressive 3-1 victory Tuesday over the Tampa Bay Lightning, the NHL’s No. 1 team, as the Jets kicked off a 10-game homestand. But the task doesn’t get any easier with Vegas, the No. 2 outfit in the league, up next on the docket.

“They move the puck efficiently, they make plays,” Maurice said.

“They have lots of confidence. There’s a high skill level throughout their lineup. They just move really well as a group of five, and they really don’t force things. They don’t have to. They score enough goals, they’ve got enough confidence in their game. What they’ve figured out really well is if you skate fast and you got skill, you’re going to be a pretty good team in this league. And they are.”

This will be the third and final regular-season meeting between the clubs. Winnipeg lost 5-2 in early November in Sin City, then skated to a wild 7-4 win on home ice at the start of December.

“I don’t think anyone in the league is going to underestimate them any more,” Jets centre Bryan Little said. “They’re one of the best teams in the league right now. You’ve got to be ready to play them from the start. It seems like they’re always full of energy, especially their starts. They always have great first periods, and we gotta be ready for that.”

Vegas scored three goals in the final two minutes Tuesday night in Calgary to turn a 2-1 deficit into a stunning 4-2 victory against the Flames. They have one of the top lines in the league in William Karlsson, Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault, who have a combined 58 goals and 72 assists.

Adam Lowry, Andrew Copp and Joel Armia will likely draw the assignment to try to shut that trio down, just as they largely did Tuesday night against Tampa Bay’s top unit of Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Vladislav Namestnikov.

“I think they’re kind of the surprise of the season, but I don’t think anyone’s surprised by them anymore. They’ve shown what they can do, and they’re a dangerous team,” Little said.

Connor Hellebuyck will get the start in net for the Jets following his appearance in last weekend’s all-star game. Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to get the call for the Golden Knights. Fleury has yet to face Winnipeg this season, as he was out with a concussion during the two previous meetings.

Winnipeg will be looking to build on its 18-3-1 home record, second-best in the NHL to —you guessed it — Vegas. The Golden Knights are 19-3-2 at T-Mobile Arena.

“It’s great playing at home. The fans are awesome, and we really find another gear, almost, at home. It’s going to be good to get these next nine in,” rookie forward Jack Roslovic said.

Roslovic was with the Manitoba Moose during the two earlier games but said he’s watched plenty of Golden Knights action on television. He’s looking forward to his first up-close viewing.

“For a young franchise to do something like that is special. They’re a hard-working team, so I think we’re going to have to use our speed and work ethic to get the upper hand on them,” Roslovic said.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @mikemcintyrewpg