Hits keep coming to worn-down Jets

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This article was published 29/11/2019 (2109 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ANAHEIM — Nathan Beaulieu and Josh Morrissey go down early in last Saturday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, leaving the Winnipeg Jets with just four defencemen. Somehow, they find a way to gut out of a 4-3 victory.

Dmitry Kulikov is rocked with a big hit and exits Friday afternoon’s game against Anaheim, and suddenly the Jets have just five healthy blue-liners left for the duration. No problem, as they pitch a 24-save shutout against the Ducks.

No, it’s not the way they’d draw it up. And yes, head coach Paul Maurice and company would prefer to keep the troops healthy. But in the face of some injury adversity, the Jets keep rolling with the punches and racking up the wins.

“They’re definitely in shape, we know that. They’ve been fantastic, every single one of them. They battle so hard in front of our net and we’ve got really good chemistry going, so my hat’s off to them. They’re just playing fantastic,” Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck said Friday of the effort in front of him following the 3-0 win.

Josh Morrissey (25:51) and Neal Pionk (25:06) both logged huge minutes in this one and might feel some heavy legs as they play back-to-back tonight in Los Angeles. Both were actually knocking on the door of 20 minutes each through two periods, but Maurice was able to scale them back once the Jets got up by three goals early in the final frame.

Tucker Poolman (22:33) and Luca Sbisa (21:56) also took on increased roles with Kulikov’s exit, which came after he absorbed a clean hit from Anaheim’s Carter Rowney. Anthony Bitetto (14:07) likely would have played a bit more, but he took seven minutes in penalties after a hit on Ondrej Kase that was called interference, and then a subsequent fight with Erik Gudbranson of the Ducks.

It may not always be pretty, but it’s certainly been effective of late. The Jets’ blue-liners have also played a key part in Winnipeg’s penalty kill going a perfect 8-for-8 on this road trip, in which the Jets have outscored the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim 8-1.

“I was just talking to (assistant coach) Charlie Huddy. I like watching our defence play hockey because they play hard. They battle on every puck, finish checks, block shots. It’s a little bit more of an old-school. That includes Pionk and Morrissey. A lot of really good sweep-ins or puck attacks at the line just to deny possession. They played great for us,” said Maurice, who didn’t have an update on Kulikov’s injury.

“I won’t have anything more until we get him looked at (Saturday),” he said.

Kulikov appeared to be favouring a shoulder as he went off, and he was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game. An immediate return to the lineup would be surprising.

Carl Dahlstrom was the extra defenceman on Friday, and he would be the likely candidate to step into Kulikov’s place in the lineup. He’s been a healthy scratch for the past 13 games. Down on the farm, Sami Niku missed Friday’s game with the Manitoba Moose with an upper-body injury, so he might not be an option if a call-up is needed. Cameron Schilling and Nelson Nogier would likely be considered.

The Jets are already missing Beaulieu, who suffered a hand injury last weekend against the Blue Jackets and could miss a few weeks. And they dodged a bullet when Morrissey blocked a shot with the back of his leg, left and didn’t return, but was able to play when this road trip started on Wednesday in San Jose.

The hits keep coming. But so do the points.

“I think it shows that we’re able to adapt. So the whole team knows that when we go down to four defencemen against Columbus, and then we go down to five (Friday), it just means that we’re simple from the back end and the forwards are simple, too. That gives us the opportunity to change and keep ourselves fresh,” Pionk said of the mindset.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg