Jets news:

Winnipeg Free Press:  Kane stresses progress.  Based on the injuries he was dealing with it is impressive that the young forward was able to grit it out and play as many games as he did.  Unfortunately it will cost him a chance to play for Team Canada at the World Championships in a week as he lets his body finally get the needed rest and healing it requires.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Injuries a factor in Jets’ performance this season.  While many teams experienced injuries throughout the lockout shortened season, none was more critical than the loss of Zach Bogosian for the critical game against the Capitals.

Winnipeg Sun:  Antti Miettinen figures he, and other ‘underachievers,’ won’t return to Jets.  Many fans have already started doing the work for Kevin Cheveldayoff and company as they began discussions of  who they don`t expect to see back next season.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Claude Noel end of season interview.  The Jets bench boss met with the media for his final interview for the 2013 season.

Illegal Curve:  Jets players end of season interviews.  We spoke to a number of players today including Andrew Ladd, Evander Kane, Zach Bogosian, Ondrej Pavelec, Chris Thorburn, Jim Slater, Nik Antropov,

NHL.com:  Special-teams woes, poor starts hamstrung Jets.  Nothing special about the Jets special teams.

Scoreboard watch:  Senators @ Capitals | Rangers @ Hurricanes

Note: Make sure to @ tweet @illegalcurve with your guess during tonight’s game you can win IC Gear by participating in our twitter Game Winning Goal and 50/50 contests. Remember that for your vote to qualify you must send in your guess by hashtaging (#) our Game Winning Goal (GWG) and 50/50 contest. (i.e. #ICGWG Thorburn #IC5050 $51,350.00).

Jets news:

Winnipeg Free Press:  Sole focus is on game tonight.  No point worrying about tomorrow when all you can focus on is tonight.  Captain Ladd is right, they cannot worry about anything else before or during the game cause that will simply distract from what they need to accomplish.

Winnipeg Sun:  Playoff hopes on the line.  The Jets are going to be left doing some serious scoreboard watching, assuming they don’t already have bad news prior to the end of the game as both the Rangers and Senators start tonight an hour before the Jets game.  The bottom of the post also contains video from today’s post-practice scrums.

TSN: Jets wrap up regular season against Canadiens.  Some additional info for tonight’s game.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel pre-game scrum.  Ready to go?  Any new players today (No. Juggling, yes).  Being able to insert AHL players (Gagnon) into the roster.  Does he need to prepare any differently for tonight?  Play of Derek Meech.  Facing the Habs.  Going into the playoffs with confidence.  Being behind the bench.  Win and watch.

Illegal Curve:  Game day preview.  Ez previews tonight’s action.

Illegal Curve:  Morning Papers.  If you missed any of the news from this morning, we have you covered.

Scoreboard Watch:

Ottawa Citizen:  Karlsson ready to return against Capitals.   Simply unbelievable that he is returning so quickly after what many believed was a season ending injury.  His return should boost the Sens as they hope to clinch against the Capitals who might be taking it a bit easier after they clinched against the Jets on Tuesday.

Star-Ledger:  Can the Rangers clinch a playoff spot?  Jets fans hope the answer is no.

Jets news:

Winnipeg Free Press:  Down but not out heading into final regular-season game.  One last chance for romance as Winnipeg can only win Thursday and then they have to pray for some help.

Winnipeg Sun:  Noel gives Pavelec big endorsement.  Coach Noel was quite effusive in his praise of his number one netminder.  Pavelec is often maligned for his less than stellar numbers but coach Noel played some serious defence for Ondrej today.

Sportsnet:  Jets are a long ways out.  So close but yet so far.  Of course you have to play the games and it isn’t inconceivable, despite being highly unlikely, that all the stars align for Winnipeg to get into the playoffs.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel post-practice audio.  Talking about the Capitals game.  Moving past yesterday’s game.  Difference in this team.  Is team better today than they were a year ago?  Has Pavelec taken his game to another level?  Goals for and against talk.  Quality of chances.  Talk of Pavelec’s numbers, is it reflective of his play?  Bogosian update.  Did he see the review of the Gagnon non-goal?  Anyone available tomorrow that wasn’t before?

Illegal Curve:  Jets players post-practice.  Audio from Blake Wheeler, Mark Stuart, Grant Clitsome and Nik Antropov.

Illegal Curve:  Morning Papers.  If you missed any of the news from this morning, we have you covered.

Jets news:

Winnipeg Free Press: Meech and Miettinen added to lineup.  Going to be a tough assignment to fill in for Bogosian but Meech is a veteran defenceman who should be able to handle the pressure of playing in a must win game.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Captain Ladd named NHL star of the week.  And not just any old star, but first star as a result of his unbelievable play of late.  He has really taken his line on his back and gotten them and the rest of the team to that next level.  In his last five games he has four goals and eight assists.

Winnipeg Sun:  Jets still hot over hit on Bogosian.  Rightly so.  Upon further review it seemed like a hit that merited some sort of discipline.

Winnipeg Sun:  How Jets can still make the playoffs despite the long odds.  The odds are not great but there is still a chance starting with the need for a big win in Buffalo.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel pre-game scrum.  How are the Jets getting it done?  What’s it mean to have Redmond back in the locker room?  New troops at this point make it difficult?  Do or die hockey, exiting games?  Does he try and control the emotion?  Meech drawing back in.  Redmond talk.  Is Kane a player tonight?

Illegal Curve:  Jets at Sabres preview.  Ezra takes a look at tonight’s game and gives you the projected Jets lineup.

Illegal Curve:  Morning Papers.  If you missed any of the Jets, IceCaps or Sabres news from earlier today, we have you covered.

Jets opposition (Sabres) news:

Buffalo News:  Tickets are going once, going twice … sold?   Not exactly the environment you think of when you consider Buffalo as a hockey market.

Buffalo News:  Sabres in worse shape than before Pegula.  Considering expectations when he first took over and started spending the dough, things have not gone quite as expected in Buffalo.

Jets news:

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets face critical tests in games against Islanders, Sabres, Capitals.  While the five game winning streak is impressive the five game losing streak has ensured that the remaining four contests are of critical importance.

Winnipeg Sun:  Jets face red-hot Islanders on 5-game win streak.  Big test tomorrow against the Islanders in the second last home game of the season.  Join the Sun writers for a chat from 2-3 pm to discuss the Jets.

Winnipeg Jets:  Take a Jet to work.  Jim Slater and Anthony Peluso visit the Winnipeg Police Service – Flight Operations Unit.

ESPN:  Caps-Jets, what you need to know.  What we do know is it is going to be an exciting week both here and in Washington.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel audio from MTS Centre.  Challenge presented by the Islanders.  How many players has he faced this year better than Tavares?  Is Kane ok?  Controlling destiny.  Importance of practice today.  Juggling of the d-pairs.  What are Hainsey & Byfuglien like as a pairing?  Coaching at the NHL level.

Illegal Curve:  Morning Papers.  If you missed any Jets news we have you covered.

Note: Make sure to @ tweet @illegalcurve with your guess during tonight’s game you can win IC Gear by participating in our twitter Game Winning Goal and 50/50 contests. Remember that for your vote to qualify you must send in your guess by hashtaging (#) our Game Winning Goal (GWG) and 50/50 contest. (i.e. #ICGWG Kane #IC5050 $44,170.00).

Jets news:

Winnipeg Free Press:  Keeping eye on playoff spot.  So much is going to happen between today and next Thursday that the speculation as to if this, then that is enough to drive you to distraction.  Jets have control over one thing and that is how they play.  Continue to win and play hard and find out after Game 48 where you are positioned.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Current Jets tackle trivia.  Derek Meech not knowing a past #7 is pretty weak.  Good to see that current players have knowledge of the hockey history in this province.  

Winnipeg Sun:  Jets and Hurricanes pre-game video.  A game preview and at the bottom, Ken provides you with video from Coach Muller, Jordan Staal, Blake Wheeler, Andrew Ladd, Grant Clitsome, Kyle Wellwood, Bryan Little and Ondrej Pavelec.

TSN:  Pavelec faces Peters.  Some stats and streaks heading into tonight’s all important game.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel pre-game scrum.  Size of the Hurricanes.  His philosophy using top line vs. top line.  Staying focused on his team.  Does he need to worry about his team being ready to go?  Getting up for every single game.  Was it a good thing (i.e. wakeup call to his team) that Tampa came back from a 3-1 deficit?  What has he liked about Pavelec during this stretch?  What has enabled the teams to win at home?  Does he have to keep the linup the same during a win streak?  When Antropov returns is he back then?

Illegal Curve:  Jets vs. Hurricanes game preview.  Ezra brings you up to speed on tonight’s match.

Illegal Curve:  Morning Papers.  If you missed any news, we have you covered including news that defenceman Ron Hainsey will be the Jets nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

Opposition (Hurricanes) news:

TSN:  Looking at Cowen’s hit on Skinner.  Former NHL ref Kerry Fraser tackles whether this should have been a penalty or not.

Jets news:

Winnipeg Free Press:  Redmond on stint with IceCaps.  This news is quite unbelievable considering the circumstances. From life threatening injury to conditioning assignment with St. John’s.  Quite a remarkable journey for the young defenceman.

TSN: Jets want to resurrect Winnipeg White Out as playoffs near.  Count me as someone in favour of seeing the already crazy atmosphere at the MTS Centre hit another level if fans bring back the white out tradition from the Jets 1.0.  While some might not be in favour (i.e. they own a blue jersey, home team wears dark colours) it is hard to argue against the memories the original white out elicits in this city.  Ya or nay on the Whiteout?  Of course all this talk of the whiteout is a bit premature but always fun to speculate.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Ladd, Little, Wheeler: one of NHL’s top lines, says coach.  Would you put the Jets top line up against the best in the NHL?  Where do they rank against the other top lines in your mind?

Winnipeg Sun:  Free-falling Hurricanes perfect foes for Jets playoff quest.  They are the perfect victim and just the type of team that scares Jets fans.  A team the Jets “should” beat but there is no guarantee that the Jet can bury the Canes.  No better example than when these two teams met last time and a goalie named Peters and we aren’t talking about Pete stopped them cold.

WHL:  Lowry named WHL player of the Year nominee.  Been quite the whirlwind for the Jets pick in 2011. First he gets signed by Winnipeg and now he is named player of the Year nominee in the WHL.  He had 45 goals and 43 assists for the Swift Current Broncos this season.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel post-practice press conference.  Pixalized after his disallowed goal.  Rarely is he demonstrative, what caused this?  Does he ever hear from NHL if they got call wrong. Ladd setting the tone.  Importance of players who have playoff experience considering number of players who have none on this team.  Any difference with Ladd’s line this season?  Did he talk before the season about being put together as a line?  Streaks – finding solutions.  Does he need to look back at the past Carolina game?  Any chance of Antropov tomorrow night?

Illegal Curve:  Morning Papers.  If you missed any of the Jets news from earlier, we have you covered.

Note:  Make sure to @ tweet @illegalcurve with your guess during tonight’s game you can win IC Gear by participating in our twitter Game Winning Goal and 50/50 contests. Remember that for your vote to qualify you must send in your guess by hashtaging (#) our Game Winning Goal (GWG) and 50/50 contest. (i.e. #ICGWG Ladd #IC5050 $41,385.00).

Jets news:

Winnipeg Sun:  Ready to go.  They have had their time off and tonight we see if that helped or hindered them.  At the bottom of the article are some videos from practice featuring Bolts coach Jon Cooper, goalie Ben Bishop, Steven Stamkos, Nate Thompson, Marty St. Louis as well as Jets Blake Wheeler and Kyle Wellwood.

TSN:  Bishop faces Pavelec as Jets host Lightning.  Some streaks and milestones can be continued/achieved tonight as Winnipeg hosts Tampa.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Next six games a sprint says Wheeler.  Good thing he has speed to burn.  The team won’t have a chance to rest as they try to keep up with the rest of the teams in the East.

CBC:  5 reasons the Jets will make the playoffs.  So are you buying or selling based on these reasons?  Will the Jets make the playoffs?  What do you think?

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel pre-game.  Update on Nik Antropov (day to day, could be back this week). Changes to the Tampa system. Getting back to playing a meaningful game. Importance of playing with speed. Knowledge of Ben Bishop. Motivating the team.

Illegal Curve:  Game day preview.  Ezzy previews tonight’s action as the Jets take on the Lightning.

Illegal Curve:  Winnipeg Jets prospect Adam Lowry signs three year deal.  The Jets obviously like what they see from this young man.

TSN:  Jets don’t have much wiggle room to make playoffs.  The Jets cannot afford any let downs.  It is as simple as that.  Maybe one loss in their next six games.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Using down time to prep for final six regular games.  Now that they have had time to rest the sprint to the end begins.  Six games in 10 days will show us what this team is made of.

Winnipeg Sun:  Energized for date with Lightning.  The Jets have got to be ready for puck drop tomorrow when a surly Tampa Bay team comes in to play spoilers in their final game as Southeast division rivals.

Winnipeg Jets official site:  Museum tour.  The Jets got a sneak peek at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and here are some of the pictures from their tour.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel post-practice audio.  Thought today’s practice was pretty good.  Challenge first game back.  His focus during the last couple of days.   Excitement of the next 10 days.  Biggest challenge for him as a coach this week.  Sticking to the game plan (Using 4 lines vs. 3), not afraid to shorten but would prefer not to.  Importance of getting scoring from 3rd and 4th line players.  Will he match lines?

Illegal Curve:  Jets players post-practice audio.  We have audio from Evander Kane, Ondrej Pavelec, Olli Jokinen and Chris Thorburn.

Illegal Curve:  Jets morning papers.  If you missed any of the news from this morning we have you covered.

NHL news:

Edmonton Journal:  Oilers replace fired GM Tambellini with MacTavish.  The Oilers love recycling.

Scoreboard watch: Penguins @ Hurricanes | Capitals @ Canadiens | Flyers @ Islanders | Senators @ Lightning

Note: Make sure to @ tweet @illegalcurve with your guess during tonight’s game you can win IC Gear by participating in our twitter Game Winning Goal and 50/50 contests. Remember that for your vote to qualify you must send in your guess by hashtaging (#) our Game Winning Goal (GWG)  and 50/50 contest. (i.e. #ICGWG Wellwood #IC5050 $43,255.00).

Jets news:

Winnipeg Free Press:  Looking to move up against the surging Sabres.  As the Sabres are looking to do to the Jets.  Should be an interesting test for both teams tonight.

Winnipeg Sun:  Playoff atmosphere at MTS Centre as Jets take on Sabres.  How many times can we call a game the biggest game of the season?  While it still feels early, tonight’s game is of monumental importance to maintain the Jets push for the post season.

Winnipeg Sun:  Ready to do battle.  Kirk with some news and notes from practice including the beef (and we ain’t talking tacos) between Steve Ott’s fiance and Buffalo News reporter Mike Harrington.

IIHF:  From Ust-Kamenogorsk to NHL.  Jets Nik Antropov talks about his career, Winnipeg and Kazakh hockey.

Illegal Curve:  Dustin Byfuglien and the Trade Market.  Richard takes a look at what the Jets might do with the enigmatic defenceman.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel post-practice.  How close is Peluso?  Having to be ready to go.  Focus on Buffalo.  What does he look for from his club early on in the game tonight?  More even ice time distribution across the board.  Benefit to the team.  Addition of Wright and Santorelli brings speed to bottom 6.  Status of Slater.  What team is missing with Slater on the shelf.  Getting healthy at the right time.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Hoping practice makes perfect.  They haven’t had time to run a full practice very often this season, and coach Noel and company were quite happy to be able to put his troops through the paces after they held an optional yesterday.

Winnipeg Sun:  Wellwood’s younger brother Eric severs artery in AHL game.  The Jets already have had their fill of on-ice injuries of this nature.  Kyle Wellwood got the news that his brother had been injured on Sunday in an AHL game.  Luckily for Eric he was able to skate off the ice under his own power and has had surgery to repair the injury.

CBC:  Inner-city kids get a Jets surprise.  Hopefully the kids got a kick out of meeting Slater and Peluso.  Nice to see the guys in the community, rewarding young kids who have worked hard for the opportunity.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel post-practice audio.  Keeping focus on Buffalo. Having a full practice. Status of Ladd. Trouba fitting in.  Any confidence facing teams below them in the standings?  Top line finding net again.  Approach to team defence, how has it gone after 40 games?  Goals For down from last season (focus on power play).  Guarding against being complacent.  Warning signs.

Illegal Curve:  Player audio post-practice.  Chats with Jacob Trouba, Mark Stuart and James Wright.

Illegal Curve:  Winnipeg Jets Morning Papers.  If you missed any of the Jets news from this morning we have you covered.

Opposition (Sabres) news:

Buffalo News:  A day off in the Peg’.  Frequent guest on the Illegal Curve Hockey Show, Mike Harrington (@BNHarrington) is in-town and discusses his delight at discovering some snow in April.  The Sabres had the day off today in advance of their game tomorrow night at the MTS Centre.

Jets news:

Winnipeg Free Press:  A ‘miracle’ Redmond back on ice: doctors.  He went from life threatening condition, to recuperation to coming to see his team mates to skating with the injured Jets players.  Quite a remarkable young man.

Winnipeg Sun:  Alex Burmistrov relieved he’s staying put.  He has been much better of late.  He seems to get a lot of attention because it appears some are looking for the faults.

TSN:  Lack of offence continues to be major issue with Jets.  While some have been blaming Pavelec the losing skid is directly attributable to a lack of scoring.  It is really that simple.

Illegal Curve:  Winnipeg Jets coach Claude Noel scrum from MTS IcePlex.  With his team on a five game slide, coach Noel held an optional practice at the IcePlex today and met with the media following same.

Illegal Curve:  Market Research Survey to gauge potential interest in WHL franchise in Winnipeg.  It seems like fans in Winnipeg really like the idea of WHL hockey in this city.  Answer our poll question now.

Scoreboard watch tonight:  Devils @ Bruins | Flyers @ Leafs | Islanders @ Capitals | Lightning @ Hurricanes |

Jets news:

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets to raffle off first team licence plate.  A very cool idea to raise more money for charity.  15,004 tickets available for purchase to get a chance to be drawn and win the first Jets licence plate.  Something tells me all 15,004 will sell and raise an additional $300,080.00 for charity.

CBC:  Winnipeg Jets licence plates raise $800K for charity.  Not a bad cheque for the foundation which was raised through the generosity of Manitobans.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Byfuglien moves to forward as Jets chase playoff spot.  Desperate times call for desperate measures and while this reeks of desperation, with just a few goals by the forward corps over the last few days, coach Noel felt the need to make a radical move.

Winnipeg Sun:  Looking to snap funk against Canadiens.  The Jets had the day off yesterday while Montreal played a heavy game against the Flyers.  Can the Jets take advantage of this?  We shall see.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel pre-game from Bell Centre.  Talking about Mike Santorelli.  Buff as a forward.  Was the team distracted by trade deadline?  Why are guys pressing?  Expectations of the Habs.  Evaluation of how team has handled last few weeks.  Play of Aaron Gagnon.  Signing of Jacob Trouba.

Winnipeg Sun:  Adam Lowry joining IceCaps.  He had a beast of a final year in junior playing for the Swift Current Broncos and now will take his skills to the East coast as he signed an ATO to play with the Jets farm club.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Byfuglien’s game a roller coaster.  As Buff goes, so go the Jets.  This will be evident as they play a critical three game in four nights stretch on the road this week.

Winnipeg Sun:  Big Buff has to be more consistent.  More Buff talk.  Have you noticed a downgrade in his play?  Is this the ebb and flow of an accelerated regular season?

CBC:  Things to watch for in the final 12 games of the season.  Five thoughts on the team as they head into the stretch run.  Covers scheduling, Jets upcoming home stand, GM Cheveldayoff as a buyer or seller, the Olli Jokinen experience and has captain Ladd run out of gas?

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel pre-trip presser.  Guys who weren’t on the ice were just for maintenance?  Slater and Peluso are only guys not traveling.  How close is Stuart?  Does he get busier with trade deadline upcoming?  Top line has been playing well but not scoring goals…concern?  Does trade deadline impact the room?  Dustin Byfuglien’s play.  Expectations from the Rangers.  Not getting too high or low after a win or loss – scheduling or maturing?  Ends scrum talks about play of Pavelec. 

Illegal Curve:  Jets players pre-trip.  We have audio from Dustin Byfuglien, Ondrej Pavelec, Mark Stuart and Ron Hainsey.

Illegal Curve:  Winnipeg Jets Morning Papers.  If you missed any of the Jets news from this morning, including a very interesting piece on Mark Scheifele, we have you covered.

NHL news:

TSN: Crosby out indefinitely with a broken jaw.  It was the March of the Penguins as Pittsburgh won all 15 contests they played in the month.  While it is not yet April the above headline is not an April Fools joke as they have lost their captain indefinitely with what looked like a horrifically painful injury during Saturday’s game against the Islanders.

Buffalo News:  Vanek wants to stay with Sabres but would ‘look the other direction’ if Buffalo decides on long-term rebuild.  While a team like Buffalo doesn’t want to get rid of a player like Vanek if they decide to rebuild this team, he could go a long way to securing some assets to help get the process started.

Jets news:

Winnipeg Free Press:  Pavelec rested, ready.  The busiest member of the Winnipeg Jets is tired…about being asked if he is tired!!  He is quite ready and excited for the stretch run as his team gets ready to face division rival Carolina on Saturday.

Winnipeg Sun:  Friday Jets chat.  Ken brings you up to speed on what happened at the MTS Centre today.

CBC:  Team should hold onto Ron Hainsey.   The talk around Winnipeg is about the return you could get for Ron Hainsey.  We have heard some suggest a 1st round pick (which seems high) although with some of these teams that is the basically a low 2nd round pick.  At the same time, who steps in and takes his spot?  Seems difficult to find someone on the current roster able to handle those types of minutes.  We will know by next Wednesday what the Jets brass decides to do, but until then #Hainseywatch continues.  What would you like to see done?

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel audio.  Injury update (Wright – day-to-day.  Stuart – day-to-day.  Peluso – week-to-week.  Slater – week-to-week +.  Redmond – Expected in-town in early April).  Hainsey & Antropov on maintenance days (jokes – not being traded).  Can he put yesterday away and move forward.  Does he think his team competed well?  Did he get an explanation as to why Malkin’s goal counted?  Good chance to widen the gap tomorrow.  Comfort level (“Even if it did hit, I wouldn’t tell you until the season was over”)  What does he take from the last game against Hurricanes?  Good to see the discipline in last night’s game?  Will Pavelec start against Hurricanes?  Did Evander Kane shoot the puck at the ref and was he warned about it?   Ends scrum with this: “Have a good…..Friday”.

Illegal Curve:  Winnipeg Jets players audio.  Scrums with Mark Stuart, Evander Kane and Ondrej Pavelec.

Illegal Curve:  Winnipeg Jets Morning Papers.  If you missed any of the Jets news from this morning, including a very interesting piece on Mark Scheifele, we have you covered.

Jets opponent (Hurricanes) news:

News and Observer:  Skinner struggles for consistency.  It appears he still hasn’t gotten back to the game he was playing prior to the second concussion of his career.  We will be having Chip Alexander on tomorrow’s Illegal Curve Hockey Show so we will ask him about this during the interview.

Jets news:

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets find Penguins in circus mode after acquisition of Iginla.  Will this distraction even the playing field?  Of course word is Malkin returns tonight so that probably evens things out.

Winnipeg Sun:  Montoya back between the pipes.  He will seeing his first game action since March 7th.  Big chance for the Big Cubano to steal a couple of points for the Jets.

Illegal Curve:  Examining Winnipeg Jets prospect Jacob Trouba’s options.  Since his NCAA season with the University of Michigan Wolverines ended with a loss to Notre Dame, there has been wild speculation as to the path the Jets number one pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft will take.  We examined his options.

Illegal Curve:  Game day preview of Jets vs. Penguins.  The Southeast Division-leading Jets play the red hot and re-tooled Pittsburgh Penguins tonight looking to end Pittsburgh’s 13-game winning streak.

Illegal Curve:  Winnipeg Jets Morning Papers.  If you missed any of the Jets news from this morning, we have you covered.

Jets opposition (Penguins) news:

CBC:  GM Ray Shero a master of deadline deals.  He certainly knows how to make a flair.

USA Today:  Why Penguins are loading up for Cup run.  Kevin Allen looks at 10 reasons why the Penguins are loading up for a deep Cup run.  Kevin will be joining us on Saturday’s Illegal Curve Hockey Show on TSN Radio 1290.

Pittsburgh Tribune:  Iginla ‘wanted’ Penguins.  It is going to be quite the intimidating roster when the Penguins visit opposing buildings.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:  Shero, Bylsma discuss how Iginla will fit in with Penguins.  How excited was Dan Bylsma when he got the news that Iginla would be coming to Pittsburgh and not the Bruins?

Jets news:

Winnipeg Free Press:  Enstrom gets green light to return.  Great news for the Jets anemic power play.

Winnipeg Sun:  Enstrom to play against Lightning.  With the news that Ron Hainsey and Mark Stuart would be unavailable tonight, this comes as welcome relief to Jets fans worried about the team’s depth on D.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel pre-game scrum.  Comments on firing of coach Boucher.  What was it like when he took over for coach Hitchcock?  Difficult part of coming in when someone has been released.  Did he get a sense players are more energized?  Is there a malaise hitting teams this season?  Managing the players energy (thinking for game vs. playoffs).  Injury updates (Wright – on IR, Stuart – will not be in game, Hainsey – not in game, Enstrom – off IR and in tonight, Peluso – week to week, Slater – week to week, Mario Lemieux – oh we don’t have him).  Optional practice.  Keys to managing injuries.

Illegal Curve:  Players pre-game audio.  Spoke with Ron Hainsey, Evander Kane, Mark Stuart and Tobias Enstrom.

Illegal Curve:  Jets vs. Lightning game day preview.  Ez provides a look at tonight’s match-up after all the lineup changes were announced.

Illegal Curve:  Winnipeg Jets Morning Papers.  If you missed any of today’s morning news, we have you covered.

Jets opponent (Lightning) news:

SI.com:  Steve Yzerman, not Guy Boucher, at fault in Tampa. A coach can only coach the players he gets from the GM, so should this fall on Steve Yzerman or Guy Boucher?

Jets news:

Scott Brown (Director Corporate Communications & Hockey Operations) just tweeted: #NHLJets will face the Boston Bruins in a preseason game at the Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon on September 27, 2013.

Winnipeg Free Press:   Need to play harder.  The play seemed very laissez-faire by many Jets yesterday and clearly coach Noel believes that it wasn’t his plan of attack that needs changing but instead the effort given by this troops.

Winnipeg Sun:  Live chat.  Join the Sun writers as they chat about tonight’s game.

TSN:  Pavelec gets nod.  Pavelec’s numbers might not be off the charts but coach Noel is riding his number one netminder during this stretch.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel pre-game scrum.  Haven’t watched tape yet.  Given different periods to different coaches.  Stuart is game-time decision.  Potential lineup changes.  Pavelec playing tonight.  If on merit, could pull entire team out.  Over analyzing games.  Room has to sort out what they want to do.  No X and O tactical adjustments (“If you can find the coaching manual that has the chapter on this problem, show me!”).  The plan is to play better/harder/etc.  6 pm start time is fine.  He has been in this situation before but because he is older better able to handle it.  Did not address team this morning.

Illegal Curve:  Game day preview as Jets face Capitals.  Less than 24 hours following a 4-0 loss, Ezzy breaks down tonight’s action.

Illegal Curve:  Winnipeg Jets Morning Papers.  If you missed any of today’s news, we have you covered.

Opponent (Capitals) news:

Washington Post:  Braden Holtby to start again against Jets.  He made some excellent saves to keep his team in the game, which is exactly what you want your goaltender to do.

Washington Post:  The problem with the Capitals power play.  We broke down the Capitals special teams during a couple of NHL Mid-Week shows and here is Katie Carrera with her thoughts on the Washington pp.

Jets news:

Winnipeg Free Press:  ‘We’ll have to come out strong and ready to play’ says Byfuglien.  The Jets are going to need Big Buff to be at his best the next two nights.

TSN:  Winnipeg looks to keep hold of first place with back-to-back Caps.  The Jets record at the MTS Centre this season is a disappointing 7-6-0, so the barn isn’t the fearsome place it was last season.  Time for fans to show why this was such a tough place to play and part of the reason the Jets finished with a 23-13-5 record on home ice.  Munz gives you a look at both team’s expected lines.

CBC:  Winnipeg police lay charges in ticket scam.  Good for the police for catching this guy.

NHL.com:  Kane developing into premier power forward.  Comprehensive read by our friend Patrick Williams on the Jets power forward.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Enstrom not dressing for Jets tonight.  You know that coach Noel is just itching to get the offensively talented Enstrom back into this lineup, especially to help quarterback the Jets anemic power play.  At same time this team is winning and he won’t want to risk re-injury by rushing Tobias back into lineup too quickly.

Winnipeg Sun:  Jets look to avenge shut out in back-to-back with Capitals.  Whatever motivation this team needs to create to beat the Capitals they should use as tonight’s win is of critical importance in solidifying a playoff position.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel pre-game scrum.  Players taking Maintenance days.  Enstrom coming soon.  What has Blake Wheeler meant to this team?  Playing with coach Noel’s system.  Potential to be a 30 goal scorer?  Has Ladd’s production surprised him?  More on Ladd.  Frustrating the opponents?  Talk about Mike Green.  What does he see from Olli Jokinen?  His thoughts on smaller goalie equipment/coach’s challenge.

Puck Buddys:  Coming out 2.0.  A new Jets site is starting up and writer Remi introduces himself under the Puck Buddys banner.  

Illegal Curve:  Winnipeg Jets Morning Papers.  If you missed any of today’s news, we have you covered.

Opponent (Capitals) news:

Monumental Network:  Coach Oates pre-game (video).  If you want to hear from Capital coach Adam Oates prior to tonight’s important game against the Jets here he is.

Washington Post:  Caps morning skate update.  Caps beat writer Katie Carrera gives you insight into how Washington looked this morning.

Jets news:

The Hockey News:  Keeping promise to make stronger NHL playoff push in sophomore season.  This is not the same team that we saw last year and the  Jets are proving that over and over again as they manage to win games that last season they probably would have lost.

TSN:  NHL Power Rankings.  Despite having won five of seven games (not including last night’s win over Boston) the Jets only moved up five spots to #19 on this list.  Even though they had 15 (now 16) wins, they were ranked behind teams with fewer wins like the Rangers, Lightning, Sharks, Canucks and Coyotes.  Where would you rank the Jets in the Top 30?

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel audio from MTS Centre.  Having the Jets staying on task.  What is Coach Noel’s blueprint for keeping his team staying on task?  (funny response by coach).  Little/Ladd/Wheeler line an unquestioned 1st line.  If things aren’t going well for that line do they need to be corrected or can they guide their own path?  Playing same team at the National Hockey League level is unusual, his thoughts.  Going back to Moose days, was difficult to sweep a back-to-back, still the case?  Al Montoya’s status “getting close”.  Thoughts on Burmistrov’s game.  Does decision on giving Pavelec a break rest on Montoya’s status?

Illegal Curve:  Players audio from MTS Centre.  The Jets are not basking in the glow of yesterday’s win over the Bruins.  Instead they have turned their attention to the next game against division rival Washington Capitals.  Audio from captain Andrew Ladd, Blake Wheeler, Zach Bogosian and Ondrej Pavelec.

Illegal Curve:  Winnipeg Jets Morning Papers.  If you missed any of today’s news, we have you covered.

Jets news:

National Post:  Jets buoyed by Pavelec’s hot streak.  He is becoming like the Flames Miikka Kiprusoff, in that it seems like he plays every single game for this team.  Without the strong play of Ondrej, the Jets wouldn’t be currently positioned where they are in the East.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Starting to see results, team’s confidence growing.  The team has been very impressive since mid February and will look to continue that tonight against the Leafs.

Winnipeg Sun:  Looking to keep rolling against Maple Leafs.  Both the Rangers and Capitals lost already today so the Jets not only can make a gain against the 7th place Leafs, but put further ground between themselves and the teams on the outside looking in.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel pre-game at ACC.  Key to road games.  Improvement of the penalty kill.   Being able to match the Leafs physically.  Has the PK been good for improving team confidence.  Is he doing more or less coaching right now?  Does he check the standings often?

Illegal Curve:  Jets vs. Leafs game preview.  Ez takes a look at tonight’s match-up between Winnipeg and Toronto.

Illegal Curve:  The All-Pat team.  In honour of St. Patrick’s Day, Illegal Curve’s Ezra Ginsburg and Michael Remis have created the most comprehensive All-Pat team even compiled.

Jets pre-game video- Chris Thorburn:

Leafs pre-game video – Coach Carlyle:

Jets news:

Winnipeg Free Press:  Pleased, but hardly satisfied.  While the Jets have been hot, it bears keeping in mind that they are currently an eighth place team.  Even teams in first or second shouldn’t rest on their laurels but they can generally afford to have a let down game.  Not so with your Winnipeg Jets where each game they play is critical to pushing them above that line.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets hit the road for rematch against Leafs.  This mini-road trip is going to be huge for the Jets.  If they can sustain their high level of play against two close rivals in the standings, they could be cruising when they return home for four games next week at the MTS Centre.

Winnipeg Sun:  Jets chat at 2pm.  Join the Sun writers to talk about the Jets.

CBC:  Sizzling Jets sizing up new rivals in re-alignment.  Some more analysis of what the Jets schedule will look like next season.

ESPN:  Need to know – Jets and Rangers study in opposites.  In the words of George Costanza “oh that game had cachet baby”.

Illegal Curve: Coach Noel.  Injury update (Discussed Montoya).  Going with same lineup. Play of Ondrej Pavelec.  Inter-conference play builds rivalries.  Preparing for the Leafs, different because of their situation?  Keeping focus short term.  Phyiscal edge to the Jets play.  Improvement of Zach Bogosian.  Play of the lines together.  Not using the 4th line, concerning?  With Slater out, who becomes go to face off guy?  James Wright under the radar?  (coach made an interesting comparison to Guy Carbonneau who went from being offensive in AHL to defensive specialist in the NHL).

Illegal Curve: Players audio. Scrums from Pavelec, Antropov, Jokinen and Ladd.

Illegal Curve:  Morning Papers.  If you missed any of the Jets news from earlier, we have you covered.

Note II:  Tune into the Illegal Curve Hockey Show on TSN Radio 1290 as the guys discuss all the latest Winnipeg Jets and NHL news returning to the regular time of noon to 3 pm on Saturday.  Guests:  George Johnson (Calgary Herald), Andrew Gross (The Record) and Earl Skakel (comedian).

Jets news:

Winnipeg Free Press:  In a good position heading into rematch with Panthers.  The Jets simply cannot afford to have a let down game tonight.  While it wouldn’t crush them in terms of standings in the Southeast, it is an important psychological win for this team.

TSN:  Jets continue four-game road trip; visit Panthers.  Would be nice to get to New Jersey with a two wins and one loss record during this road trip.

Winnipeg Sun:  Ready for another shot at Panthers.  Once again the players are saying the right things and tonight we can see if they can turn words into actions.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel pre-game scrum.  Reviewing the past two games and being ready for tonight.  Hitting the .500 mark.  Needing to be better than .500.  Happy to see Tangradi score, hopes Wright scores (“Wright does the right things”).  Where does he stand on visors?  Redemption for Tuesday’s game.  Not being satisfied with just winning in Tampa.

Illegal Curve:  Game day preview between Jets and Panthers.  For the Winnipeg Jets, revenge might be a dish best served in Florida.

Illegal Curve:  Jets 2013 playoff ticket confirmation and pricing.  The Jets have sent season ticket holders an email requesting confirmation of their intent to purchase their seats for the playoffs.  This does not require any payment.  They are just trying to ascertain who will be using their seats.  Payment doesn’t occur until playoffs begin.

Illegal Curve:  Winnipeg Jets Morning Papers.  If you missed any of the news from earlier today, we have you covered.

Jets news:

Winnipeg Free Press:  Noel says clean points are huge.  Playing the next four games against Southeast Division opponents will test this theory.

Winnipeg Sun:  Coach Noel not ruling out lineup changes.  While the Jets have been on a roll, coach Noel doesn’t want his team getting complacent.

Illegal Curve: Coach Noel.  The Joy in Joyland continues. Today coach Noel had 400 screaming school kids at the MTS Centre along with the usual retinue of media.

Illegal Curve: Players audio. Scrums from Pavelec, Stuart, Wheeler and Ladd.

Illegal Curve:  Morning Papers.  If you missed any Jets news from earlier today, we have you covered.

Capitals news:

Washington Times:  Eric Fehr eager to show Jets what they’re missing.  The Winkler product is showing the positive impact of the lockout as he appears fully healed and is playing well for the Capitals.  He has seven points in 16 games with the Capitals whereas he only had three in 35 games during an injury plagued 2011-12 season.

Washington Post:  Mike Green aggravates groin injury.  Won’t be in Winnipeg for tomorrow’s game.

NHL news:

Sportsnet:  Flames fortunate Avs matched.  This is just a bizarre twist to an already unusual story.

Jets news:

CBC:  Superfan abroad dishes tough love to hometown fans.  A good friend to the IC Hockey Show, he has some tough talk for fans who jump on and off the bandwagon.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Facing Devils tonight ‘an important game for us’ says Jokinen.  Jets cannot afford to have a let down tonight.

Winnipeg Sun:  Pavelec has kind words for Hedberg.  Good to hear that the former teammates still have affinity for each other.

TSN:  The Breakdown – Evander Kane (video).  Craig Button breaks down Evander Kane’s game and what makes him such a dangerous player.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel pre-game scrum.  Prior to the Jets taking on the New Jersey Devils and following practice, Coach Noel met with the media.

Illegal Curve:  Game Day Preview: Devils @ Jets.  The Winnipeg Jets are finally back home after a season long five-game road trip tonight and with four out of five wins in their back pockets, life is pretty good.

Illegal Curve:  Jets Morning Papers.  If you missed any of the news from earlier today we have you covered.

Note II: Stick to @illegalcurve as we will be bringing you all the latest from the MTS Centre as the Leafs visit the Jets. During the game you can win IC Gear by participating in our twitter 50/50 and Game Winning Goal contests. Remember that for your vote to qualify you must send in your guess by hashtaging (#) our 50/50 contest or the Game Winning Goal (GWG) contest. (i.e. #IC5050 $39,650 or #ICGWG Ladd.)

Jets news:

Globe and Mail:  Carlyle, Reimer return home as Leafs face Jets.  It isn’t everyday that a favoured son returns to your city and Jets fans will gladly welcome home Randy Carlyle and company this evening at the MTS Centre.

NHL.com:  Maple Leafs, Jets can continue winning streak.  Some interesting news and notes on tonight’s game.

Winnipeg Free Press: Defence line has been saving grace this season. Considering the injuries that this team is dealing with that is quite the statement.

Winnipeg Sun: Byfuglien won’t be back for game against Leafs. Good to read that he is back on the ice working with the Jets strength and conditioning coach.

Barrie Examiner:  Scheifele’s dream rests in Winnipeg.  Stick tap to reader Robert who pointed out this good read with the Barrie perspective on the return of Mark Scheifele.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel pre-game presser.  Zach Bogosian’s progress report.  Dustin Byfuglien progress report.   Tobias Enstrom assessment.  Talk about the Leafs.  Randy Carlyle discussion.

Illegal Curve:  Jets Morning Papers.  If you missed any of the action we have all the latest Winnipeg Jets, IceCaps, prospects as well as NHL news of interest to fans.

Winnipeg Sun:  Season opens with 14 players in last year of contract.  Potentially a lot of turnover for this team next season.  Even though its short, we should probably focus on first 5-10 games of 2013 and perhaps start to consider next season later in the year.

Winnipeg Sun:  For Jets, leadership starts with a Ladd.  The Jets have spread the leadership around but this is Ladd’s team.

Winnipeg Sun:  Mark Scheifele eager for 2nd chance to crack squad.  As I said the other day the jury is out as to what the best course of action will be for Scheifele’s development.  Obviously he wants to stick with the big club and will get that chance over the next 5 games.   Of course if he is playing on the 4th line, you wonder what sort of opportunity that really gives him to succeed.

Winnipeg Sun:  Jokinen, Ponikarovsky could stick.  Two nice veteran additions that can help this team during the shortened season.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets’ opening-day roster taking shape.  With the re-assignment of Spencer Machacek and Maxime Macenauer and defenceman Derek Meech to the IceCaps the roster is looking pretty set.

Winnipeg Sun: Will Olli Jokinen be a leader or loser for Winnipeg Jets?  He has said and done all the right things since his arrival in Winnipeg.  Now we will see exactly what he brings to the table on the ice.

Winnipeg Sun: Just a matter of time before Mark Chipman joins NHL Board of Governors.  His stock certainly has risen since the lockout and you can probably expect that to continue moving forward.

Winnipeg Sun:  Big Buff could make the difference on Jets’ blue-line.  The fortunes of the Jets can be put on the broad shoulders of Buff as he will be one of the most important players on the team this season.

Winnipeg Sun:  Short season could be just right for Jets’ Ondrej Pavelec.  Not overtaxing Pavelec could be just want the Czech netminder needs to get himself and the Jets to the next level.

Winnipeg Sun:  Jets sign centre, Kane teammate James Wright.  They briefly played together on the Vancouver Giants.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel presser.  Talking about James Wright.  How close is he to knowing his lineup.  Tough on players trying to make an impression, especially without exhibition games.  How much does he know about Ottawa?  How does he prep for Game 1?  Role of Perry Pearn.  What players who get reassigned learn.  Planning for 3 games in 4 nights.  How have Winnipeg’s expectations changed this year?  Any clarity on Bogosian’s status?   Will goalies be on a short leash?  Does the opinions of ‘experts’ impact him?

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets still have role to play ahead of playoffs.  While no team relishes the role of spoiler, the Jets are going to have to embrace it tonight.  They have continued to develop quite a rivalry with the Panthers so tonight’s season finale should be a good contest.

Winnipeg Sun:  Big game for Panthers – and Jets too, says Noel.  Coach Noel wants his team to finish strong, despite the fact that they cannot make the playoffs this year.

TSN:  Jets try to stop Panthers from clinching division title.  Miettinen is hot as the Jets look to prevent the Cats from clinching.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel Game Day Press Conference.  Buff is playing tonight.  Playing the spoiler role.  Cormier’s game in St. John’s, needs to defend well.  Surprised at the way the Panthers team came together.  What has he liked about the Jets execution?

Illegal Curve:  The curious case of Tobias Enstrom.  On Saturday’s Illegal Curve Hockey Show, Drew, Richard and Ezra discussed what the Jets plans should be regarding Tobias Enstrom, who will become a UFA after next season.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets, Canes vow professional efforts.  While the motivation to make the post season is all but removed for both teams, neither wants to be eliminated by the other.  Throw in guys playing for next year and we could be in for a pretty good hockey game.

Winnipeg Sun:  Jets battle elimination, Hurricanes.  Crazy that Mason has not started in over a month.  He has shows a penchant for playing the Hurricanes, having gone 3-1 this year against Carolina.  Will be interesting to see if Bogosian takes any flack over his hit which knocked Andreas Nodl out of the Canes lineup since the March 18th game in Winnipeg.

TSN:  Jets begin final road trip.  Where has the season gone?  It seems like just yesterday we were dealing with the excitement of the Jets first road trip.

Hockey’s Futures:  Snipers, grinders emerge as week’s best.  The Machacek and Maxwell duo should have quite a bit of confidence when they return to St. John’s to help the IceCaps on their Calder Cup bid.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel game day press conference.  Rivalry developing with Carolina.  What coach Noel is looking for in last 7 games.  Worst team in league in last 10 games.  Eric Fehr talk.  Temptation to shut down Dustin Byfuglien.  What does it say about Buff that he continues to play.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets look to reward fans with full effort.  The Jets are going to need a full effort from everyone when you play a ‘heavy’ team like the Rangers.  New York, despite playing the second game of a back-to-back, has a pretty solid 9-2-2 record in game 2.

Winnipeg Sun:  Jets fans deserve big game against Rangers.  Almost as big a story as the return of NHL hockey to Winnipeg, has been the impact these fans have had on each and every game played at the MTS Centre this season.  Coach Noel discussed this phenomenon regarding the fans in today’s press conference (link below).

New York Times:  Raucous fans make Winnipeg tough at home.  Really great read by Jeff Klein.  Always happy to see a wider audience gain an appreciation for what the Winnipeg fans bring to the table.

TSN:  Jets have work cut out for them against Rangers.  New York comes to the Peg’ having beaten the Jets 3 times already this season, outscoring the Jets 8-1.  They possess the 3rd best road record as well.  A tall order for the Jets to overcome.

Illegal Curve:  Jets game day post-practice audio.  Ondrej Pavelec, Antti Miettinen, Zach Bogosian, Andrew Ladd and Chris Thorburn.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel game-day press conference.  Injury update (Antropov, Fehr, Thorburn & Buff).  Playing against the Rangers.  Team still having desire to compete.  Lineup changes (Clitsome in playing with Stuart).  Play of Miettinen.  And more. 

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets in near-impossible situation.  The players tried not to allow defeat to creep into their voices today during pre-practice interviews but you got the sense that they are fully aware of the mountain they have to climb.

Winnipeg Sun:  Jets dealing with disappointment.  That was the feeling today at the rink according to coach Noel.

National Post:  Jets on final approach to missing the playoffs.  The improvement over the last two Thrashers teams has been marginal, although based on their play at home you would never know that.  Lots will need to get done this summer to help this team make that move from marginal playoff team to a team expected to make the post season.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel pre-practice press conference.  The coach gave his players an optional today and spoke to reporters about last night’s loss, what the team can do to move forward and what he expects from the New York Rangers.

Illegal Curve:  Jets players pre-practice audio.  The Jets held an optional following last night’s disappointing loss to the Senators. We spoke with Tanner Glass, Jim Slater, Zach Bogosian, Evander Kane and Blake Wheeler.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets have mini-hospital close to ice.  If you’ve ever wondered what the Jets medial room looks like, here is the grand tour.

Affiliate news – St. John’s IceCaps:

News:  Goalie Chris Carrozi recalled from Ontario Reign.  As well University of Maine defenceman Will O’Neill was signed to an amateur tryout contract.

Now it’s time for the news.

Illegal Curve News

Join The Illegal Curve crew at The Cheer Bar & Grill tonight (corner of Osborne and Stradbrook) for the Jets/Capitals game starting at 6:00 p.m. CST, we’ll be giving away prizes and there will be drink specials.

Jets News

Winnipeg Jets: Jets need to top Caps tonight in must-win game The title says it all

Winnipeg Sun: Sudden-death game for Jets If it’s Sudden Death, will Jean-Claude Van Damme be in goal?

The Associated Press: Winnipeg Jets can close gap on host Capitals We’ve been hyping this game up for three days, I’m ready for them to drop the puck.

CBC: This is it Judging by their past meetings, tonight’s game will be a “Thriller”. Let’s hope that the Jets don’t play “Bad”, and they’ll “Beat It” out of the Capitals. If they lose, I’ll “Scream”, it’s just “Human Nature”.

TSN: Jets Face Must-Win Situation vs. Capitals Looks like the third and fourth lines for the Jets are: Glass-Slater-Mahacek and Stapleton-Maxwell-Miettinen, Randy Jones is in for the new guy Grant Clitsome.

Washington Post: The Good Ol’ Hockey Game: Time for a hero to emerge One of these players mentioned will have to step up for their respective teams. Who will be the Jets MVP tonight? They’ll need to play “their game” to win this one.

Washington Post: Tomas Vokoun hope to return to Capitals next week The Czech has been out with a groin injury since last Friday’s game in Winnipeg. He skated today but will not be in the lineup tomorrow. If I were a betting man, which I am, I’d be on Michal Neuvirth to start.

Washington Post: Time for Capitals to seize control in playoff race Counter headline: Time for the Jets to beat the Capitals handily and send them into a downward spiral which causes them to miss the playoffs. That’s a long headline, but I’m sure it could fit in a newspaper somewhere.

Washington Post: Capitals recall Cody Eakin from Hershey I hear that this Winnipegger will be wearing a Jets t-shirt under his jersey tonight. All joking aside,  the return of the Jets is such an incredible story, I have difficulty understanding how anyone from Winnipeg could not cheer for them in year one.

Jim Slater @SlaterJim: The Jets have had a few days to spend in Washington, one of the newest Jets on twitter Jim Slater took some to give his 12,000+ followers a tour. Here is his picture of “The Obama Residence“  and “Washingtons monument“. The tour got Zach Bogosian’s approval (@Bogogo4) who said, “very nice tour James. Your the best model American one can ask for…GST is so lucky to have you as the center.” Slater is a UFA after the season and has become a fan favourite as a member of the GST line, I’m sure most fans would like to see him return next season.

Slater also wished good luck to his Alma Matter Michigan State who play against Union in the NCAA Hockey Tournament this afternoon. If you aren’t cheering for the North Dakota _________’s, then cheer on Jimmy Slater’s Spartans.

NHL News

Globe and Mail: San Jose Sharks approaching an organizational crossroads Eric Duhatschek’s weekly NHL Notebook is required reading for hockey fans. We’ll be covering more on this topic with Drew Remenda on tomorrow’s Illegal Curve Hockey Show

NHL.com:  Back in action.  With all this time off between games it feels like ages since we have last seen fans pack the MTS Centre.  My guess for tonight’s 50/50 is approximately $44,560.00.  Give us your guess as to what the winner of the 50/50 will receive and whomever is closest will win an IC Touque.  (Send us a tweet @illegalcurve or you can post your guess in the comments section).

CBC:  Need to beat the Stars.  A preview of tonight’s action with some info tracking the race to get above the line for the playoffs.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets hungry for win against Stars.  While the Jets have had time to heal, the teams around them have used the opportunity to put some distance between the Jets and the playoff line.  Tonight is a must-win game against a Stars team that played last night in St. Paul.

TSN:  Jets open up three-game homestand.  Once again the Jets version of the energizer bunny (Ondrej Pavelec) gets the nod for Winnipeg, for the 6th consecutive game.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Feeling the pane, but both OK.  I did not realize that two girls were injured in the Big Buff blast that shattered the glass at the IcePlex yesterday.  Nice of him to give them some Jets memorabilia.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel press conference.  Unlikely break in March been good for team.  Buff will be a player.  Talking about Stars team.  Eric Fehr on the GST line.  Rolling 4 lines.  More talk about Stars players.  Rising to the occasion.  Reflections on last week’s road losses.  Bogosian will likely be a player for Friday.

Illegal Curve:  Talking Stars with Ralph Strangis.  On Saturday’s Illegal Curve Hockey Show, play-by-play voice of the Dallas Stars, Ralph Strangis came on to discuss the latest on the Pacific Division leaders.

Illegal Curve:  First impressions of Winnipeg Jets App.  Remis was down at MTS Centre to check out the unveiling of the new Jets App and offers his initial thoughts on the new feature.

Next opponent news – Dallas Stars:

Dallas Morning News: Scouting the enemy.   It will be one angry Moose that the Stars will be facing tonight.

ESPN Dallas:  Richard Bachman in goal tonight.  The Jets won’t face the shutout man (Kari Lehtonen) but will face his backup as the Stars try to overcome their poor back-to-back record against Winnipeg.

Globe and Mail:  Jets’ potent GST line put on hold.  Have to agree with Paul.  These 3 guys have captured the hearts of the fans at the MTS Centre (and Jets fans everywhere).  While we are not going to rename the line, we are going to have to re-focus the fans energy into a constant “Go Jets Go” chant.

Winnipeg Free Press:  New nickname needed?  Fehr replaces Thorburn on GST checking line.  No need for a new nickname.  Let’s not get crazy.  Have to enjoy the fact that the players are having so much fun with the nickname.

Winnipeg Sun:  Fehr excited for latest opportunity.  Perhaps the big forward from Winkler can add some scoring to the Jets 3rd line.

National Post:  Eastern Conference is wide open.  After last week’s back-to-back losses the Jets fall from 17th to 21st in the power rankings.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel scrum.  Update on Bogosian (remains day to day).  No Buff on the ice today talk (good to go).  Fehr stepping in for Thorburn.  Miettinen looking like Gretzky.  No more 11 and 7.  Fehr handling idle time (makes American Idol joke).  Surprised by road support?  Working hard and wanting it.  Scoreboard watching?  

Around the Southeast:

Hockey’s Future:  Division notes – Capitals hit the road while other contenders stay home.  While every game is important this week will essentially make or break the Jets.

Washington Post:  Caps take day off.  Looks like the Capitals have it turned around just in the nick of time to save their season.

Tampa Bay Tribune:  Wyman a welcome wild card for Bolts.  Quite the versatile foot soldier for coach Guy Boucher to have in his arsenal.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets feel they’ve ‘found themselves’.  Now that they’ve discovered who they are it is time to prove that they can deal with teams on the road.  They certainly need to come away with points from these back-to-back games in Vancouver and Calgary.

Winnipeg Sun:  Overtime (video).  Happy times for Jets fans as Ted Wyman breaks down the recent Jets news.

The Manitoban:  Picture perfect finish?  If you ask any Jets fans, they would likely say that just being back in the NHL has been a dream.  The post season, especially if Winnipeg manages to win the Southeast (and have home ice advantage) would be simply beyond most fans expectations.

Illegal Curve:  Fuelled by Career Years.  One of the big “if’s” coming into the season was whether or not a number of the Jets players, would improve from last year.  Mainly the young core of Wheeler, Kane, Ladd, Little, Byfuglien, Burmistrov, Bogosian and Pavelec would be called on to shoulder the burden if this team was to have success.

Illegal Curve:  Jets practice audio.  Bryan Little, Dustin Byfuglien, Evander Kane and Ron Hainsey.

RLD Hockey Talk:  Podcast.  Our own hockey analyst Richard Pollock was asked to give his thoughts on the Jets season so far.

Around the Southeast:

Sun-Sentinel:  Panthers already in playoff mode.  These teams have to give 100% for the remaining games of the regular season and you have to wonder if they will have anything left once the playoffs roll around.

Washington Post:  Dennis Wideman owns up to mistake.   The Caps blew the lead and luckily managed to get a point from the game.

Tampa Bay Tribune:  Lightning may lose Mathieu Garon for season.  That isn’t going to be good for business.

News and Observer:  Faulk scores for Canes in overtime. The Hurricanes didn’t do the Jets any favours by blowing the 3-2 lead to the Capitals with 3 minutes to go in the game.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets prep for contender test against Canucks.  It is one thing to beat fellow bottom of the barrel teams, but it is quite another animal to take on the top team in the West and come away victorious.  This will be exactly what the Jets need to do on Thursday night in Vancouver.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Fourth stick was the charm.  Evander Kane discusses the problems he has occasionally experienced with his composite sticks.  This was much discussed by the guys on last Saturday’s Illegal Curve Hockey Show.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Hockey night much more than game.  A behind-the-scenes look at the methods behind game day madness.

Hockey’s Future:  Jets close home stand with big win over hot Sabres.  While we know the results of the games, some good news and notes on what is happening around the Southeast.

National Post:  Jets need to work their magic on the road.  The emergence of Blake Wheeler has been a major factor in this teams rise in the standings.  Post All-Star break he is tied for 7th in the league in points along with names like Spezza, Malkin, Kovalchuk and Thornton.
 

NHL.com:  Trending – Jets surge, Leafs struggle.  If only they could play all their games at home.  Will the surge continue?  Four more points is certainly possible this week.  The Canucks face off against the Stars and the Flames face the Canadiens tonight so the Jets will have 1 day of rest in their pocket.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel press conference.  Always funny and good with the media, coach Noel was his usual self today. His best line was asked how he distinguished the Sedin’s and he said “I just called them bro!”.

Illegal Curve:  Jets post-practice audio.  Andrew Ladd, Grant Clitsome, Chris Thorburn and Tanner Glass.

Illegal Curve:  Interview with Al Strachan.  Interview ranged from Brian Burke, future of Montreal, situation in Phoenix, Scott Howson calling out Rick Nash, Tim Thomas comments, respect in the league and the next CBA.

Globe and Mail:  From unknown defenceman to media darling.  The look on his face as he approached the gaggle of reporters swarming his locker was quite comical.  He stood in and answered questions from the assembled mass of journalists for just under 10 minutes.  (audio link below).

Winnipeg Free Press:  Pressure on Jets to rack up wins in playoff race.  Jets can only take this one game at a time.  While that cliche has become extremely tired the truth remains that this team cannot look too far head of its next opponent.  Set the target on Florida and worry about Buffalo on Friday.

Winnipeg Sun:  Bogo’s back but Jets are in trouble.  Good news for the Jets is they get Zach Bogosian and his booming shot from the point back on the ice for the must win game against the Panthers.

Globe and Mail:  Coach sympathizes with Wilson.  In response to a question about the booing of Ron Wilson in Toronto, Coach Noel indicated he had never faced anything like that and made the “knock on wood” signal, indicating that he would be knocking his hand to his head, to the chuckle of the media.

Illegal Curve:  Jets post-practice audio.  Ondrej Pavelec, Zach Bogosian and Grant Clitsome.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Claude Noel press conference.  Pavelec’s poise.  Expected starts for Pavelec.  Not letting media over hype emphasis of games.  Opportunity for rest and practice.  Nature of the games against Florida.  The booing of Ron Wilson in Toronto.  Nashville experience (type of GM David Poile is).  Bogosian is a player for game against Florida.  Clitsome game time decision, has to evaluate him still.

Around the Southeast:

CSN Washington:  Capitals earn a day off.  Lots of Capitals news and notes in this article.

Hockey’s Future:  Hunter’s second act with Capitals is a work in progress.  Quite a bit about the tall task held the Washington hero.  Some good around the Southeast notes as well.

News and Observer:  Allen plays roll of prankster at practice.  More of an annoying prank and one I’m sure that will be revisited on Allen many times over.

Tampa Bay Tribune:  Bolts show fight in win over Canadiens.  Starting a new streak with 2 wins in a row.  Bolts are still rolling along.

Note:  Tanner Glass, Jim Slater and Chris Thorburn bring their GST line skills to the Rick Mercer Report tonight at 8pm on CBC.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets keen to turn things around against Panthers.  We’ve been saying it for the last few games but as coach Noel said today, every game (of the 17 remaining) will be a playoff type game for Winnipeg.

Winnipeg Sun:  Noel eases off Jets.  Much like in horse racing, you need to know how to pace yourself, and coach Noel has spoken many times on properly managing his players during the course of this race for the post season.  Especially when they use a lot of energy for “heavy” games.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets players take to twitter.  Geoff Kirbyson has some fun with the players talking twitter and while none follow him as of yet, @illegalcurve has a Jets follower.  IC compiled a list of all the Jets players and their twitter handles and you can see that here.  

Canadian Public Relations Society:  CPRS Manitoba’s Manitoba Communicator of the Year.  Congrats go to Scott Brown, Senior Director of Corporate Communications for True North, as he was selected as this year’s recipient.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel press conference.  The Jets held an optional skate today and only a few players chose to participate.  The newest Jets Grant Clitsome is still not in Winnipeg and coach Noel still hasn’t determined if he will be a player on Thursday.

Around the Southeast:

TSN:  Panthers lose Versteeg for at least 3 games.  Jets fans won’t be too upset not seeing the Alberta native not playing against Winnipeg as he has been a Jets killer (6 goals in 4 games) so far this season.

Washington Post:  Keith Aucoin hopes to stick with Caps a little longer this time.  He has bounced back and forth between the AHL and the NHL but a couple more games in the NHL and the Caps will have to chance him on waivers.

NHL.com:  Lee, Commodore exited to make Lightning debuts.  I’m upset that Commodore didn’t leap at the chance to take #64 at his jersey number.  Hope I am not dating myself with that joke.

News and Observer:  Spacek, Allen happy not to be on move.  You have to wonder if players who could leave as UFA’s wouldn’t relish the opportunity to play on a Cup contender.

Evaluating the pre-deadline deals.

Game day preview.

Jets acquire Grant Clitsome from waivers.

Jets trade Johnny Oduya was traded to the Blackhawks.

Jets game day post-practice audio:  Ladd, Kane, Slater, Bogosian and former Jet Oduya.

Oilers game day post-practice audio:  Khabibulin, Smyth, Nugent-Hopkins and coach Renney.

Coach Noel press conference.

GM Cheveldayoff press conference.

Illegal Curve:  Establishing Ondrej Pavelec’s market value.  Our hockey analyst Richard Pollock takes an in-depth look at the potential value of Ondrej Pavelec on the market.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets waive Miettinen, prep for Blues.  No point in getting complacent now.  Jets need to go full pedal to the metal against the Blues tomorrow.

NHL.com:  Jets siting pretty in Southeast.  It will be quite interesting to see were the Jets are sitting mid March when most of the games in hand that the others teams in the East have on Winnipeg are cashed in and they will have played the same numbers of games.

Puck Daddy:  Q & A with Jim Slater.  We love the shout out that IC received from the guy who puts the S in GST.  Surprised that his favorite drink is Grolsch and not the one that a Winnipeg fan invented based on his lines name.  No word if the GST drink of Gin, Scotch and Tequila is available at your local watering hole.

Hockey’s Future:  Blake Wheeler earns first star for red-hot Jets.  While the Southeast division teams don’t inspire fear in many opponents, many of the individual players are quite skilled and Wheeler gets the call ahead of some stiff competition.

Metro:  Winnipeg Jets brew to make debut.  Wonder if we are gonna have a ticker keeping track of beer sales on Monday.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel press conference.  Talking about his working relationship with coach Ken Hitchcock.  St. Louis game plan. Bogosian injury update.  Playing with 11 forwards and 7 D.  Miettienin waiver situation.  Goaltending situation.