‘This city is going crazy, we’re going crazy here,’: Jets fired up for tonight, excited Ehlers says

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This article was published 07/05/2018 (2684 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s a buzz in the air, for sure. And the Winnipeg Jets admitted there may be an extra spring in their step as well as they prepared Monday morning for the biggest game in franchise history.

Winnipeg can close out their second-round playoff series with Nashville and advance to the Western Conference final with a win tonight in Game 6 at Bell MTS Place (8:30 p.m., CBC, TSN 1290). A loss sends the series back to Tennessee for a winner-take-all Game 7 on Thursday night.

“This city is going crazy, we’re going crazy here. It’s amazing. We’re all excited now,” forward Nikolaj Ehlers said following the morning skate.

“It’s overwhelming. It’s going to be a great atmosphere, I think tonight. Like I said, we’re expecting their best, and we’re going to give it our best. That team has been good about bouncing back after losses, so we need to bounce back after a win.”

Indeed, the teams have alternated victories throughout the series, with Winnipeg notching the latest in the form of an impressive 6-2 triumph Saturday night in Nashville.

The Jets are expected to go with the same lineup, although veteran centre Bryan Little was absent from the morning skate. Coach Paul Maurice would say only that it was an “optional” skate and didn’t provide any further update on Little.

This group didn’t have much playoff experience when it all began last month, but they showed a killer instinct in eliminating Minnesota at the first opportunity with a 5-0 Game 5 victory in the first-round. Now they have a similar chance to put away the Predators.

“It’s a great opportunity and there’s a lot of excitement in our group again tonight,” said captain Blake Wheeler.

“There’s something to be said for staying within your routine and approaching each game the same way. You start treating things differently as you go on and you start doing things that you don’t normally do and it takes away from what’s given our group success. Stay even-keel, tough losses, big wins, come back to the rink the next day excited about the next game.”

Nashville may have a change or two to their lineup, with veteran Scott Hartnell expected to draw back in. He made his only appearance in the series during Game 4 last week in Winnipeg, which Nashville won 2-1. Vezina candidate Pekka Rinne will be looking to rebound after getting pulled in Game 5.

“A little bit of nerves, but you can use that to your advantage. I like playing with a little bit of nerves before a game, it brings a little bit of energy into you and hopefully we can use that tonight,” forward Mathieu Perreault said this morning. He returned to the lineup in Game 5 after suffering an injury in the first game of the series with Minnesota, and instantly contributed with a goal.

“It’s a good feeling. The mood is great. Coming in, you can’t ask for anything better, having a chance to clinch at home in front of your fans. This is all what we played hockey for our entire lives, these kind of games. Obviously, everybody’s in a great mood and very excited.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg