Note: Tune into the Illegal Curve Hockey Show on TSN Radio 1290 today as the guys (and myself) discuss all the latest Winnipeg Jets and NHL news. Take note that the show starts at 8 am until 11 am as a result of the Jets game beginning at 2 pm. Guests: Kevin Allen (USA Today), Craig Button (TSN) and Chip Alexander (News and Observer).
Note II: 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) contest and 50/50. (i.e. #ICGWG Byfuglien and #IC5050 $40,650).
Jets news:
Winnipeg Free Press: Zach has your back, Jets. He is the face of this franchise and will be for years to come. He has embraced this team and community on and off the ice without a second thought since he first arrived in Winnipeg.
Winnipeg Free Press: Hoping to feed off playoff fervour. The atmosphere at the MTS Centre is unbelievable during regular season games, so one can only imagine the party atmosphere that would take place during a playoff game. Especially considering it would be the first NHL playoff action this team has seen in 15+ years.
Winnipeg Free Press: Coach fits in a rare practice. It was a quick one yesterday, lasting just 33 minutes, but just what this team needed to erase the memory of the Pittsburgh game from their minds and to get this team focused on the Carolina Hurricanes.
Winnipeg Free Press: Seed of Doubt. Ed takes a look at the decisions facing GM Kevin Cheveldayoff including what the Jets have, what they need, trade bait or key components, right king of deal, wrong kind of deal and who might be available.
Winnipeg Free Press: The Jets at the Deadline. Not to be confused with our Jets on a Deadline posts which recaps the Jets games, in this article Ed takes a look at the status of the players on the Jets’ current roster and whether they may be on the move or staying put.
Winnipeg Free Press: Pavelec rested, ready. You could tell that Ondrej wasn’t going to be happy answering questions about being ready and well rested by the media yesterday. He takes umbrage with the notion that he cannot be ready to go whenever called upon.
Winnipeg Sun: Cheveldayoff should stick to his guns, give Jets a chance in playoffs. Do they stay or do they trade now? That is the question that GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and his staff will be asking themselves over the next few days as we get ready for trade deadline on Wednesday, April 3rd. The Jets will have played three games by the evening of April 2nd (Home to Hurricanes, Visiting Rangers and Islanders) so we should have a better idea of potential playoff positioning. It makes sense to wait and see where you team is positioned and also to drive up the value for teams desperate to get something done before the trade deadline.
Winnipeg Sun: Too good to trade? This organization won’t be making any blockbuster deals because they know that they are still, to use coach Noel’s terminology “aways away” from being Stanley Cup contenders. So there is little point blowing up the long term approach for the potential one or two rounds of playoff action that might result from same.
Winnipeg Sun: Bogosian, Jets have moved on. The Jets have a six point division lead over the Hurricanes (although Carolina has played three fewer games) and all the players know the importance of today’s game.
Winnipeg Sun: The goal? Scoring says forwards. The Jets have 88 goals for this season while giving up 103. They have the worst differential (-15) of any team currently in the playoff picture by a wide margin (New Jersey -8). Quite simply put this team needs to produce more offence with the big players (Wheeler, Little, Kane, Ladd – combined two goals in last five games) having to step up and start putting the puck into the net consistently.
Globe and Mail: Around the Rinks. Eric Duhatscek talks a little about the Jets situation as well as the positioning they have in the Southeast.
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?
Illegal Curve: Jets players audio. Audio following yesterday’s skate from Mark Stuart, Ondrej Pavelec and Evander Kane.
Opposition (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.
NHL news:
Calgary Herald: Attention turns to Bouwmeester now that Iginla has been dealt. The next big trade piece to be sent in the Flames fire sale?
Dallas Morning News: Jaromir Jagr earns 1000th assist, Stars gain revenge on Wild, 5-3. He is eighth on the NHL all-time scoring chart. Based on his assists alone he would be ahead of all active players with the exception of Teemu Selanne (1426), Joe Thornton (1108), Daniel Alfredsson (1102), Jarome Iginla (1095) and his team mate who got the primary assist on Jagr’s 1000th assist, Ray Whitney (1016).
Newsday: Lubomir Visnovsky, Islanders agree to two-year, $9.5-million contract extension. They got off to a rocky start but it looks like Visnovsky has settled on Long Island.
Video of the Day – Anatomy of a Trade:
