Note: The Jets road trip didn’t start off quite how they would have liked as they dropped the first game last night in Columbus by a final score of 3-1. The story of the game was missed opportunities as they went 1-7 on the powerplay including three different 5 on 3 opportunities that they failed to capitalize on. They are off today and will be back on the ice on Saturday for a practice in New Jersey.
Note II: The Moose were off on Thursday after they opened this eight-game homestand on Wednesday with a 4-2 win over the Wild. They’ll have a re-match with Iowa this evening as they look to continue to gain ground in the Central Division. They sit in 3rd place and are six points back of 1st which is held by Texas/Milwaukee. They are also just one point up on Rockford and two up on Iowa so these divisional games are critical. Puck drop is at 7 PM CST.
Note III: The Ice clinched a playoff spot on Wednesday night when they concluded their homestand with a win over the Broncos. They are now on the road for the next ten games starting tonight in Moose Jaw. Puck drop is at 7 PM CST.
Jets news:
Global News: Jets’ loss to Columbus an example of fickle NHL. It was certainly a combo of running into a hot goalie but you cannot ignore the powerless power play which ultimately killed their chance at winning that game.
Winnipeg Free Press: Jets miss major opportunity. (Paywall). Between the firings of the cannon which had him jumping out of his seat Mike filed this story on last night’s game.
Winnipeg Free Press: Hockey-lifer Jerrard learned game on rinks of East Kildonan. A tough loss for the hockey community of Manitoba.
Winnipeg Sun: Jets winning streak halted by last-place Blue Jackets. What do you get when the 8th place team in the NHL goes up against the 32nd ranked team? If you answered an upset you’d be correct as the combination of Joonas Korpisalo, a lack of power in the power play and a lack of discipline led to last night’s upset.
Sportsnet: Power play promotion for Ehlers could solve multiple problems for Jets. It was noticeable by the 3rd period that the Jets pace on the power play had slowed down as Columbus clogged up the neutral zone. One guy known for alleviating that is entry specialist Nikolaj Ehlers. The power play literally cost the Jets the game last night and they need to switch something up.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
Sportsnet: From demotion to impact player for Jets, Stenlund returns to Columbus as a new player. I remember speaking to him when he was with the Moose earlier this season and he spoke about how he knew the Jets were watching what he was doing in the AHL, which is another benefit to having the two teams within the same building. He clearly has embraced this opportunity to take the role of 4th line centre.
Global News: Jets power play sputters in 3-1 loss to league-worst Columbus. The Jets power play has slipped to 16th overall in the NHL while being limited to three goals in their last 33 attempts during the past eight games. That just won’t cut it.
Columbus Post-Dispatch: Blue Jackets sweep season series against Winnipeg with 3-1 win. Check out this game recap from a writer that covers the Jets opponent.
The Athletic Columbus: Blue Jackets kill three 5-on-3s in rare feat, ride momentum to win over Jets. (Paywall). Always good to get Aaron’s insight into the game. Check out his thoughts after watching the contest.
The Athletic: NHL trade deadline perfect fits: Proposals for Timo Meier, Jakob Chychrun and more. (Paywall). For the Jets they are saying James van Riemsdyk. They also list Vladislav Gavrikov as an alternative. They don’t see the Jets big game hunting.
Jets video:
TSN: Jets miss chance to grab top spot in the West, fall to Blue Jackets. TSN Hockey analyst Frankie Corrado broke down what went wrong for the Jets, who missed an opportunity to claim the top spot in the Western Conference, with a loss to the league-worst Blue Jackets. Corrado also shared which areas he thinks the Jets are targeting to upgrade prior to the deadline.
