Note: The Jets get the benefit of facing a Leafs team which played in St. Paul last night. They hit the ice for pre-game skate at 9:30 am in advance of tonight’s 6 pm Hockey Night in Canada game at the MTS Centre. As always stick with @illegalcurve for all the latest Jets news pre and post game.
Note II: The Illegal Curve Hockey Show returns from its holiday hiatus from 12 Noon until 3 pm on TSN 1290 Winnipeg. Join Drew, Richard and Ezra as they get you set up for tonight’s Jets-Leafs game live from Boston Pizza Cityplace. The guys will also discuss the play of the Jets prospects at the World Juniors and take a look around the NHL. Guests: Tom Gulitti (Devils beat reporter for The Record) & Jonas Siegel (Maple Leafs Beat Reporter for TSN Radio 1050). To listen click here.
Jets news:
Winnipeg Free Press: Jets’ dance card overflowing. Coach spoke about the challenge of the schedule they will be facing in January.
Winnipeg Free Press: Maurice wants for more from checking lines. When you see what a team like the Islanders can do when they throw out all four lines you see that a team with true ‘depth’ isn’t forced to shelter their lines. With the injury to Kane the bottom six are a lot less effective and that is going to have to change immediately.
Winnipeg Free Press: Galiardi moving to third line for Jets against Leafs. He wasn’t getting into many games during the team’s hot stretch but with the injury to Evander Kane and a need to get something out of the 3rd line, this may be his best opportunity to secure coach Maurice’s faith in his abilities.
Photo Credit: Colin Jensen
Winnipeg Sun: Jets try to stabilize ‘wobble’ in 2015. This team is going to have to steady their level of play if they want to maintain their position in a playoff spot.
Illegal Curve: Coach Maurice scrum (audio). Does he feel the team played any differently defensively the last few games? A difficult January schedule. Moving TJ Galiardi up to the 3rd line. More attention to detail when not on the ice. Tough to manage when players have lingering issues? Expecting a similar game against the Leafs that they saw vs Islanders? Getting back to playing “their game” and when there is slippage is more mental or physical that needs to be improved upon? Any updates on the injured players?
TSN 1290 Winnipeg: The Big Show (audio). TSN hockey analyst Craig Button joins the Big Show to provide a breakdown of the World Juniors ahead of the quarter-final games, and discusses Canada’s chances to advance to the gold medal game. Craig also talks about how Josh Morrissey could push for a spot with the Jets in training camp next season.
TSN 1290 Winnipeg: The Big Show (audio). Despite giving up 11 goals in the final three games of 2014, Paul Edmonds explains that even with Ondrej Pavelec’s recent struggles in net, Winnipeg will continue to have both Pavelec and Michael Hutchison split time.
Leafs news:
Toronto Star: Short-handed Maple Leafs fall to Wild, Lupul out month. It was a tough day for the Leafs yesterday as they got more injury news prior to the contest against Minnesota and then ultimately lost the game despite carrying a significant portion of the play.
Toronto Sun: 5 keys to the game. Looking at the game from a Leafs perspective the five are: 1) Reim time 2) Hutch in the clutch 3) Kitty vs. Moe 4) Rally killers and 5) Toronto tuckered.
World Juniors:
Hockey Canada: Eric Comrie’s family. A bit on the Jets goalie prospect’s family support.
