Jets face plenty of challenges on six-game road swing

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This article was published 21/11/2024 (314 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PITTSBURGH — Neal Pionk didn’t shy away from revealing the secret formula that goes into planning for the longest trip of the season after an all-too-brief one-game homestand.

“Do the laundry, grab all the underwear you own and go back on the road,” the veteran defenceman told the Free Press with a laugh.

Sound strategy, indeed, with the Jets set to play six times in six different cities — and three time zones — over the next 10 days.

“Quite the schedule we have,” said forward Kyle Connor, who was taking a glass half-full outlook. “Road’s a good time to come together as a team. You spend a lot of time with each other.”

Who wouldn’t want to be around these 16-3-0 Jets right now? They continue to sit on top of the NHL standings and will look to keep building momentum starting Friday night in Pittsburgh. That will be followed by stops in Nashville (Saturday), St. Paul (Monday), Los Angeles (Wednesday), Las Vegas (Friday) and Dallas (Sunday).

“It’s going to be a busy one,” said coach Scott Arniel, who is very much living in the moment and not getting too far ahead of himself.

“We can only worry about Pittsburgh. I know you guys don’t want to hear it but that’s what this group has been really good at. It’s all about new business against a team there that’s trying to find their way.”

The Jets were road warriors until recently, rattling off seven consecutive victories in enemy territory until they hit the state of Florida last week and suffered consecutive losses to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers by a combined score of 9-1 which brought them back down to Earth a bit.

However, they followed that up with impressive 6-3 victory over the reigning Stanley Cup champions on Tuesday night during that quick pit stop at Canada Life Centre to finish off the home-and-home series.

“As much as we enjoyed that game… now we’re moving on,” said Arniel. “Once we get down to Pittsburgh it’s all about new business against a team there that’s trying to find their way. We’ve got to go in there and make sure we’re just as good as we were (against Florida).”

Winnipeg hasn’t had a stretch like this since April 2022, when they played six in a row in enemy territory. That journey started strong with victories over the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens, only to be followed by four consecutive losses to Florida, Tampa Bay, the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes.

Their longest stint on the road last season was five games, which began with wins over the Columbus Blue Jackets and Rangers followed by three consecutive defeats to the New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders and Washington Capitals.

What will this one bring?

“We’ve gotta bear down,” Connor said of trying to start the trip off on the right foot and then keeping the pedal to the floor throughout.

Here’s six storylines to get you set:

1) Don’t play down to the opposition

On paper, the Jets would appear to be vastly superior to their first two opponents. Pittsburgh (7-10-4) and Nashville (6-11-3) sit 27th and 31st in terms of points percentage so far this year, whereas Winnipeg is No. 1.

In spite of that, expect a proud Penguins group that still has plenty of firepower will likely be seeking some payback after a 6-3 loss to the Jets on Oct. 20, and you know the severely underachieving Predators will be looking to pounce on a tired opponent 24 hours later inside the always raucous Bridgestone Arena.

In other words, take nothing for granted.

2) Tough tests on tap

Games three through six represent a major step-up in weight class.

Heading into action on Thursday night, Minnesota was tied for third in points percentage, Los Angeles 14th, Vegas ninth and Dallas sixth. That’s quite a gauntlet Winnipeg will have to run through some of the Western Conference heavyweights.

Just as the games against Tampa Bay and Florida were litmus tests, we should learn more about this Jets club based on how they perform in these outings.

3) The goalie plan

Expect Connor Hellebuyck and Eric Comrie to split these first two games, with Hellebuyck likely facing the Penguins and Comrie the Predators. Might Hellebuyck then get the next four? There’s a good chance, and you know he’d love the challenge. The Jets are also trying to manage his workload and must be careful not to burn him out.

With yet another one-game homestand after this trip (against the St. Louis Blues) followed immediately by two more games on the road (in Buffalo and Chicago, and then a home game the following night against Columbus), the schedule doesn’t lighten up at all.

Add it all up and Friday begins a stretch of 10 games in the next 17 nights.

4) All hands on deck

Defenceman Dylan Coghlan (19 straight healthy scratches) and forward David Gustafsson (18 scratches in 19 games) can’t get a sniff right now in what is a healthy lineup performing at a high level, but that could change if Arniel wants to try to inject some energy into what could become a weary lineup along the way here.

Keeping everyone sharp and maintaining some internal competition is sound strategy.

5) Ville’s debut

At some point on this trip — perhaps as early as Monday in Minnesota — Ville Heinola is going to play his first NHL game since the 2022-23 season.

The 23-year-old defenceman broke his ankle in the final preseason game last year and never got into Winnipeg’s lineup once he recovered. Then an infection that was discovered in training camp this year required going under the knife once again.

Heinola is currently with the Manitoba Moose on a conditioning assignment and logged big minutes in Thursday’s 5-0 loss to the Chicago Wolves. Barring any unexpected developments, he’ll play again on Saturday afternoon, then hop on a plane to join the Jets.

6) Final push for 4 Nations

The rosters for the 4 Nations Face-Off are set to be announced on Dec. 4, which means an increased spotlight on players in the mix.

While Connor and Hellebuyck are locks for the U.S. squad, Josh Morrissey, Mark Scheifele and Adam Lowry remain on the radar for Team Canada. All three are off to fantastic starts for the Jets, who no doubt hope that continues.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg