The Jets snapped their three-game losing streak with a 5–3 win over the Canucks on Tuesday, finally ending their power-play drought. They scored twice with the man advantage, breaking a 0-for-14 slump. The biggest news, however, was defenceman Dylan Samberg trading his non-contact jersey for a regular one at morning skate. Will he be in the lineup tonight? We’ll have to wait and see. In addition, Gustav Nyquist was also in a regular jersey and could be ready to return, while both Cole Koepke and Morgan Barron were listed as day-to-day. The only other injury concern was Haydn Fleury, who left the game in Vancouver with an upper-body injury although his status would prove moot if Samberg is able to return.
Despite the win, the Jets could still make a lineup adjustment or two. Prospect Brad Lambert has been a healthy scratch for the past three games, and the coaching staff has emphasized keeping young players involved. Defenceman Luke Schenn also struggled in Vancouver and may benefit from a night off in favour of Colin Miller.
The Kraken enter tonight’s contest looking to bounce back from a four-round shootout loss at home, the first of three straight at Climate Pledge Arena. Seattle sits third in the Pacific Division, with the Sharks and Golden Knights close behind. While the Kraken rank 31st in the league in goals scored, their success has been built on sound defensive play, sitting tied for ninth in fewest goals allowed. Interestingly, those trends haven’t carried over to special teams, as their power play ranks 18th overall while the penalty kill sits 30th.
For now the projected lineup is simply based on the last game but will be adjusted once morning skate gets underway in Seattle.
Skate news:
As expected Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press confirms that Dylan Samberg and Gustav Nyquist are part of this morning’s line rushes with Haydn Fleury (inj) and Nikita Chibrikov coming out of the lineup. Additionally Colin Miller will come in for Luke Schenn.
He added that Morgan Barron (yellow, non-contact) joined the team on the ice later in skate and Cole Koepke was in a regular jersey but didn’t take part in the formal part of skate. Perusing the NHL media site and I see that the Jets have added Haydn Fleury to IR which gives them room for Samberg/Nyquist. Although with Koepke looking like he could be ready to return soon and Barron not that far behind it could necessitate roster moves (i.e. Lambert & Chibrikov to the Moose sooner rather than later).
Jets projected lines & D pairs:
Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
Namestnikov-Toews-Perfetti
Niederreiter-Lowry-Iafallo
Pearson-Ford-Nyquist
Morrissey-DeMelo
Samberg-Pionk
Stanley-Miller
Hellebuyck
Comrie
Kraken projected lines & D pairs:
Schwartz – Beniers – Kakko
Marchment – Stephenson – Eberle
Catton – Wright – Tolvanen
Kartye – Meyers – Winterton
Dunn – Larsson
Lindgren – Montour
Evans – Oleksiak
Grubauer
Murray
Players media availability:
Coach media availability:
Topics:
1) Return of Dylan Samberg
2) Benefit to Neal Pionk (:31)
3) Getting Gustav Nyquist back (:54)
4) Growth in Logan Stanley’s game (1:34)
5) Latest with Haydn Fleury (2:17)
6) What he wants to see from 3rd pairing (2:25)
7) What did he learn about the Kraken (3:03)
Odds:
The Jets head into tonight’s matchup with momentum on their side after snapping their losing streak with a win that saw the power play come to life, striking twice following a lengthy drought. They’ll look to build on that performance against a Kraken team that remains tough to beat at home in regulation, posting a 4-1-3 record at Climate Pledge Arena. Seattle is coming off a shootout loss and will aim to rebound quickly, but Winnipeg appears poised to keep its surge going and capitalize on its renewed offensive confidence. For the latest Winnipeg Jets hockey odds, visit NHL betting site Betway.
Up Next:
Puck drop is at 9 PM CST. Be sure to head over to illegalcurve.com following the game for a recap of the action. You can join us on our YouTube channel for the Illegal Curve Post-Game Show around 11:40 PM CST as we discuss and analyze the results of the game.
