Note: The Jets start off a tough four game road trip tonight in Nashville. The game will be especially diffciult after coach Maurice announced that Dustin Byfuglien would be out 2-4 weeks and Bryan Little would miss at least a few games and would be evaluated in 5-7 days. With the teams they are competing with all winning of late tonight may be a must win game.
Note II: Kick off your Jets game day coverage with three hours of hockey talk with the Illegal Curve Hockey Show on TSN 1290 Winnipeg starts. The guys will talk about the recent injuries that Winnipeg has suffered, preview tonight’s game and take a look around the league starting at 12 noon. Guests: Willy Daunic (Predators radio play-by-play), Ken Campbell (The Hockey News) and Bruce Luebke (Wheat Kings play-by-play).
Jets news:
Winnipeg Free Press: Catch-22 with No. 33. The Jets GM has a huge decision on his hands and there are arguments for both sides. Byfuglien is a unique talent but he is likely looking for his last “big score’ contract and that means both cash and term. Will he still be as effective in three, four or five years time?
Winnipeg Free Press: Fightin’ spirit not hurt. Adversity isn’t anything new to this group and we are gonna see if they can repeat what they were able to achieve the last time they sustained big injuries to critical players.
Winnipeg Free Press: Blue-line partner says Myers a great pickup. Enstrom and Myers seems like the ultimate odd couple but each seems to complement the play of the other.
Winnipeg Free Press: Manitoba Moose 2.0 in the works. With the possibility of the Bulldogs heading east and with no arena yet in Thunder Bay it appears the city of Winnipeg may have two re-born sports franchises in it. Would you support AHL hockey if it was to return to the city?
Winnipeg Free Press: Injury could sideline Byfuglien up to four weeks. Both Byfuglien and Little had played in all 65 Jets games but will miss some critical hockey games down the stretch. It will once again be time for the Jets to band together and show whether they can achieve a playoff spot with big holes in the lineup.
Winnipeg Free Press: Myers has adapted quickly; stellar play has been godsend for the Jets. He has made an immediate impact and it is pretty evident that he has been welcomed with open arms by the rest of the squad.
Winnipeg Sun: Losing Byfuglien and Little is the biggest hurt yet to injury-ravaged Jets. The loss of the Jets best centre is going to really hurt and will require Mark Scheifele to really step up his role as everyone shifts up to try and make up for the absence of Little.
Sportsnet: West coast bias – why teams should fear the Jets. I expected an entire article devoted to the Jets based on that headline but you’re gonna have to scroll to the bottom to read any mentions of your home team. At the same time Spector is highly complimentary of what is happening out on the prairies.
Illegal Curve: Jets Practice Report. A review of the Jets skate as well as audio from the players following practice.
Jets audio:
TSN 1290 Winnipeg: Hustler & Lawless. Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun joins the show to discuss how the latest rash of injuries may affect the Winnipeg Jets’ playoff push.
TSN 1290 Winnipeg: Rona Roundtable. Slava Malamud spoke with Rick about Alex Burmistrov.
TSN 1290 Winnipeg: Rona Roundtable. Shane Hnidy & Rick Ralph react to the news that Dustin Byfuglien will miss 2-4 weeks with an injury and Bryan Little will miss a portion of the upcoming road trip.
Illegal Curve: Coach Maurice scrum. Injury updates on Byfuglien and Little. Status of Ladd and Stuart? How big a loss is Byfuglien? How much of an intimidation factor is he when in the lineup? Is the injury to Little new or a lingering one? How big of a loss is Bryan Little? Any thoughts on the new lines? How does an injury during a playoff race impact the moral in the room? How much is he planning on relying on Jacob Trouba? Is Mark Scheifele the #1 centre? Who will he play with Ladd? Who will be the team’s 4th centre?
Predators news:
The Tennessean: Predators’ losing streak by the numbers. The Jets will be facing a Nashville team that has lost five straight games and will be looking to change their fortunes against a Winnipeg team they have had good success against this season (Three wins and 1 loss).
