Note: The Jets practiced on Saturday morning as they prepared themselves to begin the final homestand of the season which kicks off with the Avalanche tonight. At practice the news came out that Mark Scheifele was done for the season as is Cole Perfetti is also expected to miss the rest of the season (which only has one week and four games left anyways). Morning skate for Winnipeg gets underway at 9:30 AM CDT so stay tuned for the pre-game report to get the full 411 ahead of the game against the Avalanche. Puck drop is at 6 PM CDT and following the final buzzer we want you to join the conversation on the Illegal Curve Post-Game Show.
Note II: The Moose had a 15-11 shot edge to start the game last night in Rockford but found themselves down 3-0. They had an excellent middle frame which saw them outshoot the IceHogs 20-6 which included goals by CJ Suess (see here) and Simon Lundmark (see here) but a late goal in the 2nd meant the home team was up 4-2 after 40. The IceHogs scored on a early 3rd period power play and while the Moose were unable to comeback one bright spot was this Kristian Vesalainen (see here) slapper on a delayed penalty which the organization hopes is a skill he has rediscovered. With the loss they failed to clinch 2nd in the Central Division. Today they are in Milwaukee to take on the Admirals to close out their regular season road schedule at 3 PM.
Note III: The Ice were looking to take a commanding series lead last night in game 2 of their first round series with the Raiders which is exactly what they did as they held a 3-1 lead after 20 which they increased to 5-1 after 40 minutes. Ultimately they held on for the 5-2 win over Prince Albert which allowed Winnipeg to take a 2-0 series lead. The third game in the series will be Tuesday night in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
Jets news:
Sportsnet: Jets own up to frustrating results in regular season garbage time. Ya it feels very unusual post-mortem during the season and seems to be rather a unique occurrence in what has been a rather unique year.
Winnipeg Sun: Game Night – Colorado at Jets. Scott gives you a reason to watch as well as three things to know about the Avalanche.
Winnipeg Sun: Snapshots. In this column Scott covers: 1) Hellebuyck bemoans wasted year 2) Scheifele, Perfetti shut down 3) Why no Moose auditions.
Winnipeg Free Press: Jets still have something to prove: Appleton. (Paywall). They sure do as the fans will not tolerate lackluster efforts for these final four home games. And some of these players still have something to play for.
The Athletic Winnipeg: How Jets’ leadership evolved this season and what needs to come next. (Paywall). Lots of leadership talk these days and Murat provides his insight into how one of the benefits from this lost season has been the emergence of new voices.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
Jets video:
Sportsnet: 32 Thoughts. Elliotte Friedman chats about Winnipeg Jets Pierre-Luc Dubois.
TSN: Hellebuyck on Jets missing the playoffs: ‘Every guy needed to be better’. The Winnipeg Jets were officially eliminated from the playoffs when the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Washington Capitals on Wednesday. It will be the first time in five years the club has missed the post-season, and Jets’ goalie Connor Hellebuyck spoke about what he felt went wrong with the team.
Jets audio:
Illegal Curve Hockey Show: Saturday Podcast. Topics included – Jets elimination from playoffs and the post-mortem that has begun. Do the Jets need to retool or rebuild? Organizational need for a top to bottom audit. Need to re-establish a connection to the fan base. We were joined by Ken Wiebe of Sportsnet and Marc Dumont special correspondent for the Montreal Canadiens.
Ice news:
Winnipeg Free Press: Ice dominate Raiders. (Paywall). Despite missing Matt Savoie they just rolled in game 2 writes Mike.
Winnipeg Sun: No leading scorer, no problem, as Winnipeg Ice flattens Prince Albert Raiders to take 2-0 lead in best-of-seven. Ted takes you inside the Ice Cave for last night’s contest.
