Game 40: Jets vs Canucks pre-game report

The Jets are in a skid having lost five straight (0-3-2) and needed to get back in the win column in a big way, both for the standings and to get that good feeling back. They will continue to do it without Josh Morrissey and Dominic Toninato as they are both in covid protocol. As well they will have to do it without Dylan Samberg as he is out with an upper-body injury and was listed as “week-to-week”. However his misfortune may spell an opportunity (of sorts) for 2017 3rd rounder Johnny Kovacevic who practiced yesterday in a pairing with 2019 1st rounder Ville Heinola. Since the two have played eight games with the Moose as a pair it makes sense to keep them paired up in the NHL.

Transaction news:

The team announced the recall of Johnny Kovacevic from the taxi squad. They also reassigned 2017 5th rounder Leon Gawanke to the taxi squad from the Moose.

Morning skate:

As per Sara Orlesky of TSN defenceman Dylan DeMelo is on the ice in a non-contact jersey.

Lineup:

Interim head coach Dave Lowry confirmed that Johnny Kovacevic will make his NHL debut and goalie Connor Hellebuyck will make his 13th straight start.

Jets projected lines & D pairs:

Connor-Dubois-Perfetti
Copp-Scheifele-Wheeler
Stastny-Lowry-Poganski
Vesalainen-Harkins-Svechnikov

Dillon-Schmidt
Beaulieu-Pionk
Heinola-Kovacevic

Hellebuyck
Comrie

Player media availability:

Coach media availability:

Topics:

1) Are the Canucks doing anything differently now than last time they played them?
2) Connor Hellebuyck starts? (:32)
3) Johnny Kovacevic making NHL debut? (:44)
4) Conversation with Kovacevic (1:16)
5) The path of Kovacevic (1:51)
6) What is the team’s identity? (2:28)
7) Adam Lowry playing his 500th game (3:18)
8) “Being hard to play against” (4:03)
9) Bringing guys into a positive environment (5:05)

Up Next:

Puck drop is at 7 pm CST.  Be sure to head over to illegalcurve.com following the game for a recap of the action which includes post-game interviews from Jets players as well as from interim head coach Dave Lowry.

You can also join us afterwards for the Illegal Curve Post-Game Show. (be sure to smash that like/subscribe button).