Jets play ‘underdog’ card

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This article was published 14/04/2015 (3835 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Jets started their first Stanley Cup week by being sure to mention their roles as underdogs against the Anaheim Ducks.

“We’re a huge, decided underdog in this series,” Jets coach Paul Maurice declared after Monday’s skate at the MTS Centre. The best-of-seven series starts Thursday night in Anaheim.

“They finished first, best team in the Western Conference. We didn’t. But we have some confidence in our game.”

Questioned about that underdog status, Maurice added: “Even if you finished first, you’d want to come in as the underdog, wouldn’t you?”

Jets defenceman Dustin Byfuglien was also trumpeting the Jets’ role.

“As of right now, we’re the underdogs,” Byfuglien said. “We’re facing a team that’s unbelievable. They have guys with more experience, but really, nothing’s changing. We just have to go in and be loose and just play hockey.

“Really, it’s just hockey.”

And Jets captain Andrew Ladd was happy to correct a reporter on Monday about the matter.

“I don’t know that we’re not the underdog,” Ladd said. “They’re the top team in the West. But I think we match up pretty strongly with them.”

Sunday a day of rest

The Jets took Sunday off, one day after scratching eight regulars for their 5-1 victory over Calgary in the regular-season finale.

Monday, everyone was back on the ice except left-winger Mathieu Perreault.

Perreault had to leave last Thursday’s game in Denver and didn’t return.

Maurice said Monday Perreault will skate this week and there’s still a good chance he’ll play in Thursday’s series-opener.

Plenty of practise

The Jets will have three practice days prior to Thursday’s Game 1.

Three straight days of practice hasn’t happened since the start of the season, Maurice said.

The coach said these won’t be normal practices this week. They’ll be focused on specific things.

“What we’re going to do now is a real scaled-down version of in-season,” he said.

Little has a clue

Still looking ahead to his first-ever Stanley Cup playoff game, Jets No. 1 centre Bryan Little is sure he has some idea of what it will be all about.

It will be something like what the Jets have just been through in their 10-3-1 finish to the regular season to qualify for the tournament.

“The last two months, every game seemed like a big one,” Little said. “Every point, every loss, every win, they all seemed like big games and they were all kind of emotionally draining, almost like a playoff game.

“It’s definitely going to be bit different once we start the series, but we’ve been playing important hockey for a while now.”

Pavs second star

Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec was named the NHL’s second star of the week Monday morning.

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Pavelec, who finished the season in style to get to a 22-16-8 record, didn’t allow a single goal in 185 minutes of hockey last week, earning three straight shutouts to help the Jets qualify for the playoffs.

That 1.000 save percentage for the week and a 0.00 goals against average wasn’t good enough to rank as the NHL’s first star of the week, however.

Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars was named first star after scoring 10 points last week. Benn’s final night of four points gave him the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s leading scorer.

Ottawa’s Mark Stone, who helped his team get into the playoffs, was the third star.

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca