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One more time — with feeling.
It’s the fourth and final meeting between the geographical rivals, though there’s not nearly as much at stake as last season, when the Winnipeg Jets clinched their spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs in Game 81 against the Minnesota Wild.
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The Jets punched their ticket with Thursday’s 5-2 victory over the Calgary Flames, while the Wild are on the verge of being eliminated from contention.
With a playoff spot secured, the Jets are moving on to the process of cleaning up their defensive-zone issues that have been a bit too prevalent during the past month or so.
“I think we have taken a step in the right direction. When I say search, it’s not like we were in a bottomless tailspin,” said Jets captain Adam Lowry. “There are glimpses of when we’re playing really well, what our game looks like. And then there are instances when we are off of it, we make the other team look really good. That’s the biggest thing in the playoffs. You can’t give other teams free offence.
“You can’t give other teams opportunities because we are not managing the puck or losing battles. We get ourselves into trouble when we get a little stubborn, or when we aren’t getting pucks out at our own blueline, and when we can’t get pucks in at their blueline. When we get away from our forechecking game, it’s about doing it consistently throughout the game, not just for a period of time.”
The other thing at play is that with a 6-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Friday, the Jets have an opportunity to pull within two points of the Colorado Avalanche in the chase for second spot in the Central Division.
“The likelihood is we are going to play them. Obviously, you’d like to start at home. But we know we have a game against them coming up,” said Lowry. “I’ve said this before, whether we start at home or on the road, it’s about being confident in our game and having our game look and feel as close to that stretch as we can, and that’s what we’re working toward. Whether we’re able to catch them or not, it’s about being sure that come Game 1 we are ready to go, and we’re not still searching for our game.
“That’s what these last ones are going to be about, the last six here. Firing on all cylinders, having complete efforts, being really sharp so that when playoffs come… we will be ready to go.”
Part of being ready to go means cranking up the intensity on this four-game trip against Central Division opponents, which includes three potential playoff opponents in the Nashville Predators, Dallas Stars and Avalanche.
“That’s how you win in the playoffs, that intensity every shift and in every situation,” said Jets head coach Rick Bowness. “Those are the situations we talk a lot about, getting pucks in when we have no choice and getting them out when we can’t make a play and you learn and live to fight another day. That’s the intensity that’s required on pretty much every shift when you get into the playoffs.”
Wild forward Ryan Hartman, who has a history with several Jets players, including Cole Perfetti and Nikolaj Ehlers, will be absent from this one, as he sits out a suspension for throwing a stick in the direction of an official.
The expectation is that Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck will make his 57th start of the season, while the Wild are expected to counter with Marc-Andre Fleury.
Since there is no morning skate, the lineups for both teams are up in the air.
The Jets could make a change on defence, with Nate Schmidt potentially coming back in on the third pairing for Colin Miller.
As for the Wild, it’s possible Dakota Mermis replaces Alex Goligoski on defence.
Here’s some other information to get you set:
FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: Lowry usually has a little extra snarl to his game as the stakes get higher, and I’d expect the Jets captain to bring the intensity this afternoon against a Wild squad that usually gets the blood boiling. Although his club got the desired result last game, Lowry wasn’t on the ice at the end to celebrate with his teammates. Instead, he was going through concussion protocol as a result of taking a shoulder to the jaw from Flames forward Kevin Rooney, who wasn’t penalized on the play. Fortunately, Lowry passed all tests and is good to go, but it was clear in speaking with him following Friday’s practice the hit left a mark.
“I think you need the puck to get hit,” Lowry said.
Indeed, interference could have certainly been called, and Lowry shared a bit of the discussion he had with officials as he skated off the ice, in clear discomfort.
“He’s saying I’m hunched over and stuff. I’m like, ‘Well, OK, but I still need the puck.’ Like get the puck went through me, but so it’s OK. It’s all good,” said Lowry.
He was more upset with seeing teammate Josh Morrissey take an elbow to the chops from Martin Pospisil, who was given a five-minute major and game misconduct. Pospisil received no further discipline from the NHL, despite the fact he’s now been tossed out of three games this season AND recently served a three-game suspension for a dangerous hit from behind on Seattle Kraken defenceman Vince Dunn.
“He leaves his feet, drives up right into J-Mo’s head. I think it’s his third major penalty in two months. So, at some point, the league needs to do something,” said Lowry.
Yeah, I’d say he might have an extra burr in his saddle, which is usually good news for the Jets.
This is an important trip for Winnipeg for many reasons, including the ability to play well in enemy territory. Although their 21-13-3 road record is rock-solid overall, the Jets have dropped three straight games in regulation (New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders and Washington Capitals). Considering they are likely going to start the playoffs away from home and would, at bare minimum, need to win a big game outside their own backyard in order to advance to the second round, these next four outings should provide a timely tune-up.
KEN SAYS: After watching Gabriel Vilardi notch his first career hat trick on Thursday, it’s impossible not to wonder what he might have accomplished if he hadn’t missed 35 games owing to a variety of injuries. That’s not relevant to the discussion, but it’s clear he’s shown the potential to be a 40-goal guy and the Jets offence is much more dangerous when he’s in the lineup. Vilardi had nine shots on goal and 11 shot attempts against the Flames to pace the offensive attack and the line with Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers looked like it was in sync.
Winnipeg Jets’ Gabriel Vilardi scores on Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf as Oliver Kylington defends during the first period. (John Woods / The Canadian Press)
Sean Monahan has been excellent of late and is riding a five-game point streak.
Speaking of excellence, with two more assists on Thursday, Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey is up to 63 points in 73 games and he’s one goal away from being the 14th player on the roster to hit double digits. Earlier this week, Morrissey became the first D-man in franchise history to eclipse 60 points in consecutive seasons, which is even more impressive when you consider the impact Dustin Byfuglien made before he walked away from the game. Byfuglien eclipsed 50 points on five occasions in nine seasons with the Jets and Atlanta Thrashers, but his career high was 56 during the 2013-14 season.
Another important development was how noticeable Tyler Toffoli was as he returned to the lineup on a unit with Lowry and Mason Appleton. Toffoli had six shots on goal and seven shot attempts and his reward was a power-play marker that was a pass intended for Vladislav Namestnikov that caromed in off a pair of Flames defenders.
For the Wild, keep an eye on Brock Faber, who has emerged as a top-pairing blue-liner and is providing a serious threat to Connor Bedard in the chase for the Calder Trophy as the NHLs top rookie.
Faber has seven goals and 41 points in 73 games this season and has blossomed after the Wild lost captain Jared Spurgeon to a season-ending hip injury.
Former Jets D-man Declan Chisholm has two goals and six point in 22 games since he was claimed off waivers by the Wild on Jan. 29. He’s averaging 17:39 of ice time, which shows the opportunity has been a good one for the fifth-round pick of the Jets in the 2018 NHL Draft.
There’s been plenty of speculation that Fleury could retire in the offseason, and if that’s indeed the case, enjoy every one of his last starts. The first-overall pick in the 2003 NHL Draft haunted the Jets with his brilliant play during the 2018 Western Conference final, but he’s one of the most popular players in the league and the surefire Hall of Famer has always been great to talk to in my limited dealings.
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