Copp could be the answer

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/01/2020 (2118 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MONTREAL — The Winnipeg Jets have simply not been the same team since Andrew Copp went down with an injury. And with just two wins in the eight games he’s missed, a return to the lineup can’t come soon enough.

There’s a good chance it happens Monday night at the Bell Centre , provided Copp shows up to the morning skate feeling as strong as he did after Sunday’s practice. After starting the four-game road trip with a 3-2 overtime loss Saturday in Minnesota, the Jets (22-16-4) will be looking to get back in the win column against the struggling Canadiens (18-17-7).

“I think the way I was playing in particular, and the way our line was playing, I thought we were getting a lot of O-zone time, getting a lot of chances and producing to a good extent. We want to try and pick up where we left off,” said Copp, who was hurt after crashing into the boards while attempting to throw a hit.

After shedding his yellow no-contact jersey, he got back to some bumping with his teammates to test things out.

“You kinda ease into it. So you’re taking bumps in practice the last couple days, even with the non-contact, trying to get it before you go 100 miles an hour. Start walking first. It felt good heading into (Sunday) based on the bumps and stuff (Saturday). And it felt good again (Sunday),” said Copp, who has five goals and nine assists in 34 games this season.

The 25-year-old was part of an effective shutdown unit along with Adam Lowry and Mathieu Perreault which was often tilting the ice heavily in Winnipeg’s favour. But a concussion to Perreault on Dec. 15, and the upper-body injury to Copp on Dec. 17, quickly changed the entire look of the forward group.

Perreault returned after missing five games, and now Copp is ready to join him and get the band back together. Not to mention assuming his usual spot on the penalty kill, which has been a disaster lately for the Jets.

“You have to be a four line hockey team, and I think Adam Lowry is so much more effective with Andrew Copp. And I think that’s true with Andrew,” said coach Paul Maurice.

“But it also gives us some options. We have some young forwards, sometimes, that need to come out of bigger minutes. And you can move Andrew Copp up, you can move him to the middle. There’s a bunch of things you can do with him. Having him back, I just like him with Lowry so much, but it also gives me the option of not to play those guys together.”

Jansen Harkins most recently skated with Lowry and Perreault, so it’s likely he would be bumped to the fourth line, which is currently comprised of Nick Shore between Gabriel Bourque and Mason Appleton. The Jets also have Logan Shaw as an extra forward.

Resting Hellebuyck

Connor Hellebuyck has already made 33 starts, and 35 appearances, through Winnipeg’s first 42 games. His heavy workload is expected to continue with the Jets locked in a tight battle with numerous Western Conference playoff contenders.

The challenge for Maurice is going to be finding spots to give his No. 1 one a rest, especially with recent numbers which suggest his play has slipped a bit. It sounds like that will happen later this week, as the Jets wrap up their four-game road trip with back-to-back games Wednesday in Toronto and Thursday in Boston.

“He’s not getting to 70 games,” Maurice said Sunday, despite numbers which suggest Hellebuyck is on pace for something close to that.

“He will always fight for more. He says he’s a rhythm goalie and he wants to go in and he wants to play. And we’ve got a stretch of games where he feels like he’s right. He’s also trying to find maybe the right rhythm for himself, and we’re working with him on mentally becoming that dominant No. 1 guy. He’s not getting all the games. We’ve got three before we head home, and he’s not getting all three.”

Hellebuyck is 18-12-4 with with a 2.71 GAA and .919 SV%, which has cooled some of the talk about him being a Vezina Trophy contender. Backup Laurent Brossoit last started the Dec,. 23 game at Bell MTS Place against Montreal, which the Jets lost 6-2. He also mopped up for Hellebuyck in the third period last Thursday against Toronto, and has a 4-4-0 record with a 3.50 GAA and .889 SV%. Which might explain the desire to play Hellebuyck as much as possible.

‘He’s not getting all the games… he’s not getting to 70 games’– Paul Maurice on workhorse goalie Connor Hellebuyck (above) who has 35 appearances

“We’re in a really good routine. Practicing a lot, which helps me get better. And taking the mornings off, which helps me rest. I’m able to manage my energy very well,” said Hellebuyck.

“The pullback (to have your No. 1 play less games) is kind of the trends, but it’s different for every guy. Some guys thrive on that, and some guys don’t. I’m one of the guys that likes the rhythm.”

Niku still waiting…

Maurice wouldn’t say Sunday when defenceman Sami Niku might draw into the lineup. The smooth-skating Finn, who has just one NHL game under his belt this year, has been a healthy scratch the past two contests since being called up from the Manitoba Moose following an injury to Nathan Beaulieu expected to sideline him for four-to-six weeks.

Many fans are pining for Niku to be given a legitimate shot on a blue-line that has undergone major turnover and faced plenty of challenges, especially lately. But Maurice was quick to praise the work he’s seen from his group.

“From a compete point of view, very very happy with what they’re doing back there. They give you everything they got every night,” said Maurice.

Veteran Dmitry Kulikov is also expected back soon, having missed the past 16 games with an upper-body injury. The Jets have gone just 6-7-3 in that span.

“He was playing the best hockey of his career prior to the injury. There’s two noticeable injuries and a change in direction of our wins and loss record, and that’s when Kulikov and Copp went out of our lineup,” said Maurice.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg