Note: Despite holding an early media availability yesterday so they could get out ahead of a snow storm that had spread across Minnesota the Jets were forced to fly to Duluth, Minnesota to wait it out on Saturday. That proved for naught and they ultimately returned to Winnipeg and flew this morning to the Twin Cities. The team will have to forget about all that as they have to focus on the Minnesota Wild whom they will face today for game 3 at Xcel Energy Center. Puck drop is at 6 pm and the Jets Playoff Practice Report will have you up to date with the all the latest.
Note II: The Moose finish the regular season tonight in Chicago as they will do battle with the top team in the Central Division. The result won’t impact their playoff position as Grand Rapids secured second spot last night with a win over the Monsters. It is a best of five series 1st round series and the higher seed gets to choose where it begins. The Griffins have chosen to start in Winnipeg so the series begins next Saturday with a game 1 puck drop at Bell MTS Place at 2 pm followed by a game 2 the following day also at 2 pm. Of course like I said there is still a game tonight and puck drop for that one is at 6 pm.
Jets news:
The Athletic: Through two games, Jets on cusp of historic 5-on-5 pounding of Wild. (Paywall). This seem good for the Jets.
Winnipeg Sun: Bad blood boils over ad the Jets and Wild rivalry is coming of age. When you hear players say it takes a series to create a true rivalry you can really get that sense from what we’ve already seen to date.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence
Winnipeg Sun: Jets need killer instinct, now. If they continue to play the way they have so far in this series into the next couple of games in Minnesota then it will likely be a shorter series than many predicted.
Winnipeg Sun: Grace under pressure as Jets youngsters passing all the tests so far. The NHL has changed in many facets and perhaps one of them is that a lack of playoff experience isn’t as problematic as it once was.
Winnipeg Sun: Myers move made Jets teammates nervous but it paid off. The dirty dangle at the blueline certainly was a risk/reward type of play that ended up playing dividends.
Winnipeg Sun: Jets in driver’s seat but expect Wild to be different team at home. The pressure is certainly on the Wild who have been in this position many times before the last few years.
Winnipeg Free Press: No signs of stage fright for Jets’ young stars. (Paywall). It used to be that when young guys got to the big stage they would wilt under the harsh lights but these Jets players have instead excelled.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence
Winnipeg Free Press: Lowry loves to draw. One thing about the Jets centre is he really doesn’t give you filler when you talk with him. He is rather insightful and doesn’t hesitate to give expansive responses when asked about his craft.
Winnipeg Free Press: Jets fans ensure Main Street Project clients will have plenty of pizza for playoff parties. (Paywall). The generosity of Manitobans never surprises me.
Sportsnet: Ron and Don feel Jets ‘stirred up’ Wild with late brawl in Game 2. Guess we will have to see what happens tonight.
Sportsnet: Big, physical hockey as important as ever in Stanley Cup Playoffs. The key element for me isn’t the size of the Jets but really the speed at which they play the game.
Minneapolis Star Tribune: Wild works to unclog neutral zone ahead of Game 3. They were simply unable to generate much against the Jets in the first couple of games. Will home ice advantage allow them to gain the upper hand? We will have to wait until tonight to know.
Minneapolis Star Tribune: It’s 0-2 all over again for the Wild. Considering that teams that go up 2-0 at home win the series like 89% of the time it isn’t very good news for folks in The State of Hockey.
Minneapolis Star Tribune: Wild need to show some fight but not the chippy kind. Lots of coverage of the Jets opposition and what they need to do to turn things around.
Jets video:
TSN: Will home ice be a key factor in Jets/Wild series? TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger dicusses the increased physicality between the Wild and Jets in Game 2, whether home ice will be a key factor in the series, and what kind of changes Bruce Boudreau might be thinking about ahead of a crucial Game 3 for Minnesota.
TSN: Jets expect raucous Minnesota fans to give the Wild a big boost in Game 3. Although happy to take advantage of home ice in the first two games of the series, the Jets know they are in for a challenge when they travel to Minnesota for Game 3, especially with the Wild being the second best home team in the NHL.
Illegal Curve Hockey Show Replay:
Topics: The Jets take a 2-0 series lead over the Minnesota Wild with a 4-1 win in Game 2, Finding a name for the Winnipeg Whiteout Donald Street party, The atmosphere inside Bell MTS Place, Andrew Copp moves up to the third line, Matthieu Perreaults health, The play of Dustin Byfuglien, Breaking down the goaltending battle between Devan Dubnyk and Connor Hellebuyck, Bruins defeat the Leafs 5-1 in Game 1, Nazem Kadri is suspended for three games for his hit on Tommy Wingels
Guest: Mike McIntyre – Part 1 (Winnipeg Free Press).
To listen to part 1 click here.
Topics: Ken Hitchcock retires as Head Coach of The Dallas Stars, Who will be the next HC in Dallas, Capitals/Blue Jackets Round 1 series, The end of the Manitoba Moose regular season/look ahead to the playoffs.
Guests: Willy Daunic (Play By Play- Nashville Predators TV), Mike McIntyre – Part 2 (Winnipeg Free Press), Karson Kuhlman (Boston Bruins prospect), Brian Engblom (Tampa Bay Lightning Analyst).
To listen to part 2 click here.
