Brossoit earned his spot between the pipes against Vegas: Maurice

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This article was published 15/01/2019 (2427 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s no suggestion a goalie controversy is brewing in Winnipeg. But Laurent Brossoit’s strong play has clearly given the coaching staff some pause for thought.

Brossoit was a surprise starter Tuesday night against the Vegas Golden Knights, his 11th of the season but the second in the past three games. Head coach Paul Maurice said Brossoit has earned it after going 9-0-1 in his first 10 starts with the Jets this season, including a 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night. It also allows for some extra rest for No. 1 goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who has struggled at times in recent games.

“We had run Connor for a bunch of games, so we were looking for an evening out of the schedule and his (Brossoit’s) play dictated that he should get back in sooner rather than later,” Maurice said prior to the game.

“I wasn’t looking for a game, I wasn’t trying to squeeze one in that I thought because we do have the break, why wouldn’t you run your other guy real hard. We made the decision to do that earlier when we got into nine (games) in 16 (days) here now. Again, at the end of the day his performance was a driver for those decisions. We love the way he’s played, thought it would be a good night for him.”

The move also allows Hellebuyck some extra time to work on his game. He’s expected to play Thursday in Nashville and likely Saturday in Dallas as the Jets head into their bye week and all-star game break.

“When you get into this block there’s no practise time. And then it gets him some time with (goalie coach) Wade Flaherty, just on his own. Just some private, kinda going back in the days. Goalies like to do that, it keeps them sharp. Then you can go into the break reasonably rested and you can capture that time a little bit better and come out nice and strong,” said Maurice.

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Tyler Myers borrowed a line from one of his favourite movies to declare himself ready to return to action Tuesday night.

“Set to jet, MacGruber,” he said to much laughter following the morning skate, an ode to the Saturday Night Live-inspired flick titled MacGruber.

Myers missed two games with a lower-body injury suffered Thursday in Minnesota

“It was just an awkward hit. Nothing bad about it. Just got it in a weird position. Needed a few days and feeling good now,” said Myers, who returned to his familiar pairing with Dmitry Kulikov.

The news wasn’t all good on the health front, as blue-liner Ben Chiarot was out Tuesday with a lower-body injury Maurice described as day-to-day. As a result, Sami Niku stayed in the lineup and was paired with Joe Morrow.

Defenceman Dustin Byfuglien remains out until at least the end of the month, while forward Nikolaj Ehlers is sidelined until at least mid-February. Forward Nic Petan was the only healthy scratch against the Golden Knights.

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They aren’t a very popular team around these parts. But the Vegas Golden Knights are being fuelled, in part, by a pair of Winnipeggers having career-best seasons.

Ryan Reaves, 31, has already set personal highs in goals (8), assists (7) and points (15) with nearly half of the regular season left to go. And Cody Eakin, 27, is on pace to put up his best numbers, with 13 goals and 12 assists.

Their contributions while playing in the bottom-six have given the Golden Knights the kind of depth you need to be a legitimate contender.

Reaves went to Vegas in February in a trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins and didn’t endear himself to his hometown fans when he scored the winning goal in Game 5 of the Western Conference final to eliminate the Jets and send his squad to the Stanley Cup final. Reaves signed a two-year, US$5.55-million contract with Vegas last summer.

Eakin landed in Sin City as part of the expansion draft after being left unprotected by the Dallas Stars. He is under contract for one more season after this, making US$3.85 million. His best offensive totals are 19 goals and 21 assists in 2014-15 with the Stars.

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Speaking of Winnipeg-born pros, forward Dale Weise may be on the move after the Philadelphia Flyers placed him on waivers Tuesday.

The 30-year-old has struggled to meet expectations that came with a four-year, US$9.4-million contract he signed with Philadelphia in 2016. He has five goals and six assists in 42 games this season.

The other 30 NHL teams have until Wednesday morning to make a claim for Weise. If there are no takers, he could be assigned to Philadelphia’s AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg