Note: The Jets practiced on Wednesday and the D configuration was slightly different as the team was clearly anticipating missing Brenden Dillon after it was determined he would be having a phone hearing with player safety for his match penalty for the illegal check to the head of Noel Acciari in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night. They made the right choice as he was suspended for the next three games which is kinda wild when you consider Jason Zucker got three games for this. His absence is Logan Stanley‘s gain as the big Dman will play his first game since December 12th. The Jets will be without a spare defenceman, for now, as they cannot recall Ville Heinola unless they place someone on waivers. Morning skate gets underway at 10:30 AM CST. All the relevant news will be posted in the pre-game report so check back for that. Puck drop is at 6 PM CST.
Note II: This evening, after the final buzzer sounds between Winnipeg and Philadelphia we want you to be part of the conversation on the Illegal Curve Post-Game Show as we discuss and analyze the results of the game.
Note III: The Moose concluded their AHL All-Star break on Wednesday and will practice today in Grand Rapids as they get set to start the push towards the playoffs starting with a game tomorrow night against the Griffins. They got a boost on Wednesday with Axel Jonsson-Fjallby clearing waivers and being assigned to the AHL affiliate.
Jets news:
Winnipeg Sun: Jets’ Dillon suspended for three games after illegal hit to head. Scott reacts to the latest spin of the “wheels of justice” down at NHL Player Safety.
Winnipeg Free Press: Jets need to find goals fast. (Paywall). Leaving out Scheifele who just returned from injury it has been a drought for this team of late: Connor (1G/6GP), Ehlers (3G/10GP), Perfetti (3G/10GP, but no goals in last seven), Niederreiter (0G/14GP), Vilardi (4G/10GP), Appleton (3G/10GP), Lowry (1G/10GP), Barron (0G/10GP), Iafallo (0G/10GP), Namestnikov (2G/10GP), etc.
Winnipeg Free Press: Stanley gets call as Dillon suspended three games. (Paywall). With the roster maxed out no chance for Ville Heinola to get in (unless the Jets put someone on waivers) which means Logan Stanley will get a chance to make his mark the next few games. As mentioned above it’s been almost two months since he last played so there may be some rust although as head coach Rick Bowness said he treats practice like it’s a game.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
Global News: Nothing fancy in Monahan’s Jets debut, but he’s the right guy for the job. Paul had a front row seat (of sorts) to see the debut for the newest Jets player and he shares his thoughts on the play of Sean Monahan.
The Athletic Winnipeg: The Winnipeg Jets’ defence is a strength but bar is higher for contenders. (Paywall). With apologies to William Shakespeare for modifying his famous saying “Heavy is the head that ‘wants to’ wear the crown” and that is where Winnipeg wants to be as Murat outlines in his latest piece.
Jets video:
TSN: Do the Winnipeg Jets have a scoring problem? With just three goals on their four-game losing streak, do the Winnipeg Jets have a scoring problem? TSN Hockey analyst Jamie McLennan gives his thoughts.
