Winnipeg Jets Afternoon News (March 23, 2012)

Happy Friday everyone!

Now it’s time for the news.

Illegal Curve News

Join The Illegal Curve crew at The Cheer Bar & Grill tonight (corner of Osborne and Stradbrook) for the Jets/Capitals game starting at 6:00 p.m. CST, we’ll be giving away prizes and there will be drink specials.

Jets News

Winnipeg Jets: Jets need to top Caps tonight in must-win game The title says it all

Winnipeg Sun: Sudden-death game for Jets If it’s Sudden Death, will Jean-Claude Van Damme be in goal?

The Associated Press: Winnipeg Jets can close gap on host Capitals We’ve been hyping this game up for three days, I’m ready for them to drop the puck.

CBC: This is it Judging by their past meetings, tonight’s game will be a “Thriller”. Let’s hope that the Jets don’t play “Bad”, and they’ll “Beat It” out of the Capitals. If they lose, I’ll “Scream”, it’s just “Human Nature”.

TSN: Jets Face Must-Win Situation vs. Capitals Looks like the third and fourth lines for the Jets are: Glass-Slater-Mahacek and Stapleton-Maxwell-Miettinen, Randy Jones is in for the new guy Grant Clitsome.

Washington Post: The Good Ol’ Hockey Game: Time for a hero to emerge One of these players mentioned will have to step up for their respective teams. Who will be the Jets MVP tonight? They’ll need to play “their game” to win this one.

Washington Post: Tomas Vokoun hope to return to Capitals next week The Czech has been out with a groin injury since last Friday’s game in Winnipeg. He skated today but will not be in the lineup tomorrow. If I were a betting man, which I am, I’d be on Michal Neuvirth to start.

Washington Post: Time for Capitals to seize control in playoff race Counter headline: Time for the Jets to beat the Capitals handily and send them into a downward spiral which causes them to miss the playoffs. That’s a long headline, but I’m sure it could fit in a newspaper somewhere.

Washington Post: Capitals recall Cody Eakin from Hershey I hear that this Winnipegger will be wearing a Jets t-shirt under his jersey tonight. All joking aside,  the return of the Jets is such an incredible story, I have difficulty understanding how anyone from Winnipeg could not cheer for them in year one.

Jim Slater @SlaterJim: The Jets have had a few days to spend in Washington, one of the newest Jets on twitter Jim Slater took some to give his 12,000+ followers a tour. Here is his picture of “The Obama Residence”  and “Washingtons monument“. The tour got Zach Bogosian’s approval (@Bogogo4) who said, “very nice tour James. Your the best model American one can ask for…GST is so lucky to have you as the center.” Slater is a UFA after the season and has become a fan favourite as a member of the GST line, I’m sure most fans would like to see him return next season.

Slater also wished good luck to his Alma Matter Michigan State who play against Union in the NCAA Hockey Tournament this afternoon. If you aren’t cheering for the North Dakota _________’s, then cheer on Jimmy Slater’s Spartans.

NHL News

Globe and Mail: San Jose Sharks approaching an organizational crossroads Eric Duhatschek’s weekly NHL Notebook is required reading for hockey fans. We’ll be covering more on this topic with Drew Remenda on tomorrow’s Illegal Curve Hockey Show