Game 27: Jets vs. Islanders pre-game report

The Jets had the day off on Monday but will hit the ice this morning in Brooklyn as they get ready to complete their three game road trip tonight with a game against the New York Islanders.  As of right now the projected lineup remains the same and we will have to wait for AM skate to see if there are any changes including which goalie gets the start.

Standings:

The Jets are 16-8-2 on the season which remains good enough for 3rd spot in the Central Division.  They remain five points back of 1st place Nashville (with two games in hand) and sit one point up on Dallas who hold the first wild card spot (with two games in hand).

AM Skate:

As per Jason Bell of the Winnipeg Free Press there has been a jersey switch as Dmitry Kulikov is out of the yellow non-contact jersey and in a red one.  Jason also indicated that Andrew Copp is not skating this morning.

Roster update:

Coach Maurice indicated that Jets forward Andrew Copp is out of the lineup as he isn’t feeling well and that he will be evaluated in Winnipeg and he said that Brendan Lemieux draws into the lineup.  Lemieux could play in Copp’s spot on the 3rd line but could also play on the 4th line according to the Jets bench boss depending on how “they match their lines”.

Update:  Coach Maurice hesitated when asked if there were any other lineup changes and now we know why as Josh Morrissey is a late scratch with a lower-body injury.  Nelson Nogier is in.

Projected Jets lines, D pairs and goalie:

Ehlers-Scheifele-Wheeler
Connor-Little-Laine
Lemieux/Perreault-Lowry-Tanev
Perreault/Lemieux-Roslovic-Appleton

Niku-Trouba
Chiarot-Nogier
Schilling-Myers

Hellebuyck
Brossoit

Audio:

Bryan Little

Adam Lowry

Coach Maurice:  Update on Andrew Copp?  Was it a reoccurrence of the concussion or a flu?  What does the 3rd period vs the Rangers do for the team in the midst of a road trip?  Are there any other lineup changes?  Status of Kulikov?  What are his thoughts on Seattle joining the league?  What stands out about Patrik Laine’s shot?  Does Laine ever take you out of coach mode and into a fan mode?  Was his goaltending decision made on the plane or was it adjusted on the road trip?  How has Myers handled the extra minutes?  How much does the scheme play a role or it is largely a result of talent on the power play?  Does he see a reason why across the NHL power plays are more effective?  How will he insert Lemieux into the lineup?

All audio courtesy of TSN 1290 Winnipeg.

Health news:

On Andrew Copp the Jets head coach said “He won’t go today.  He’s not feeling great so we’ll hold him out”.  Asked if it was a reoccurrence of the concussion or a flu he added “We don’t know.  He’ll get looked at when he gets back.  He felt fine, played great just didn’t feel good yesterday so we’ll hold him out.”  Defenceman Dmitry Kulikov as mentioned above was back in a regular uniform and his coach indicated “He’ll get looked at Friday.  He feels he’s right there.  We have to have given it a certain amount of healing time.  So he’ll get looked at Friday.”

Up next:

Puck drop is at 6 pm.  Be sure to head over to illegalcurve.com following the game for a recap of the action which includes post-game audio from the Jets room as well as from coach Maurice.