Stanley Cup Playoffs – Round 1 Game 5: Jets vs. Wild pre-game report

The big question ahead of Tuesday’s game 4 was the status of Tyler Myers.  That question is once again the one at the forefront of most folks minds this Friday morning.  Questions still abound with respect to the health of Enstrom and Perreault but short of them skating this morning skate we won’t be expecting any significant updates aside from a ‘they are skating’ or ‘not skating’.

As to the Jets final D pairs we will wait to see who appears this morning at Bell MTS Place.  CBC host Ron MacLean did say two nights back that he was hearing Tyler Myers would be good to go tonight so we will have to wait to see if the tall D man makes an appearance this morning at skate or if Sami Niku will unexpectedly make his first NHL playoff appearance before he makes one in the AHL.

Pre-skate note:

Jets backup goalie Steve Mason appeared to injure himself as he was out early before the morning skate began according to Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg Sun.  He left down the tunnel.

Morning skate notes:

The big news everyone was waiting on….Tyler Myers is on the ice for today’s morning skate according to Sara Orlesky of TSN.

Post-skate note:

Tyler Myers declares himself good to go for tonight’s game.

Mid Afternoon news:

As per Darren Dreger of TSN the Jets have recalled Michael Hutchinson from the Moose.  Jamie Phillips heads back down to Manitoba to back up Eric Comrie.

Pre-game skate news:

No Nikolaj Ehlers on the ice.  Matt Hendricks is out for warm up.

Projected Jets lines and starting goalie:

Connor-Scheifele-Wheeler
Little-Stastny-Laine
Copp-Lowry-Armia
Tanev-Hendricks-Roslovic

Morrow-Byfuglien
Myers-Trouba
Chiarot-Poolman

Hellebuyck
Hutchinson

Audio:

Tyler Myers

Blake Wheeler

Coach Maurice:  Is Tyler Myers in?  On potential different pairings for the D.  On the fourth win of the series being the hardest W.  Status of Steve Mason.  The intangible of Myers coming back.  Any info on what happened to Mason?  On what appeared to be the seriousness of Myers injury and how it turned out not as bad as originally believed.  How important was it to send him back to Winnipeg after game 3?  Right handed D playing on the left side.  How does he decide who goes on which side?  Perreault/Enstrom back on the ice?  Any temptation to put Tanev back with Lowry and Copp?

Audio courtesy of TSN 1290 Winnipeg.

Health news:

Unsurprisingly Jets coach Paul Maurice did not have an update on goalie Steve Mason but did say they would make a call up if necessary.  Simply said it occurred as a result of “movement across the crease”.  He was asked if either Mathieu Perreault or Tobias Enstrom were skating and the Jets bench boss indicated that Enstrom skated on his own today.