Winnipeg Jets Morning Papers

Note:  Feels like it has been ages since the last Jets home game (11 days between games officially) but the day is finally here.  The Jets and Predators will do battle at Bell MTS Place for Game 3 with both squads looking to take a series lead.  Yesterday the Jets held an optional skate which included the return to the ice of a player that hasn’t been seen for some time.  Jets morning skate is at 10:30 am (our pre-game report will bring you up to speed) and then puck drop is at 7 pm.

Note II:  The Moose punched their ticket to the 2nd round courtesy of a 5-1 defeat of the defending Calder Cup champion Griffins last night in Grand Rapids.  Captain Patrice Cormier got the party started, Cam Schilling broke the tie late in the 2nd period while Mike Sgarbossa added the backbreaking third goal in the 3rd.  Eric Comrie was stellar in net making 34 saves on 35 shots while Brendan Lemieux added a goal and two assists.  The Moose will battle the Rockford Icehogs for Central Division supremacy which begins on Friday night in Winnipeg.  We have the full schedule here.

Jets news:

Winnipeg Sun: Ken’s Notebook. Ken takes a look at a number of topics including: 1) Turning the page. 2) Jets need more balance. 3) Hellebuyck not fazed by hecklers.

Winnipeg Sun: Active blue lines for Jets and Preds are keeping busy.  When you have this much talent on the backend it certainly makes for some interesting hockey.

Winnipeg Sun: Even with double overtime loss, Jets get an important learning experience.  Just as Rome wasn’t built in a day these Jets cannot reach the summit after one win in the second round.  All these games will be important building blocks now and in the future for a team short on playoff experience.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets doing their best to forget.  (Paywall).  One mantra this Jets squad has preached all season long is having a short memory and that goes for a win or a loss.  Wouldn’t think they hold onto the game 2 loss.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Predators aren’t afraid to enter whiteout tonight.  (Paywall).  The Preds should play the theme music in their locker room from Ghostbusers “I ain’t afraid of no ghosts”….get it?  Cause it is the Whiteout.  Hopefully my bad joke hasn’t forced you to exit the page and not click on Jason’s article about the Preds showing no fear about playing in a building that has been anything but friendly.  

Winnipeg Free Press:  Plenty of blame to go around in Jets’ double-overtime loss.  (Paywall).  Mike takes a look back at the game on Sunday night in Nashville.

The Tennessean:  Preds, Jets both have ‘non-traditional’ in DNA.  One of the things I enjoy about a series between two teams is the new perspectives you gain on other markets.

The Tennessean:  Predators face challenge in Winnipeg, but they were last to win there.  Hard to forget that game as the Predators took advantage of a Jets team that likely expected some overtime hockey that night.  It will be interesting to see how Nashville does this time around.

CBC:  Jets star Mark Scheifele elevating his game on the big stage.  Not too bad for a player who was labeled a bust when he was drafted which is a cautionary tale when labeling kids who just got drafted.

Sportsnet: Jets finding out playoff hockey is a different animal.  This Jets squad doesn’t seem particularly phased by the big stage they are on.  And I’d humbly suggest that Josh Morrissey is already the top pair D man on the left side for the Jets.

Sportsnet: Why Winnipeg-Nashville is the series we all deserve.  This has the makings of a game seven triple OT game for the series win.

TSN: Scheifele takes centre stage in Jets’ playoff run.  Folks that have been paying attention in this market are well aware of the ability of the top centre on the Jets but he is starting to get more notice around the NHL.

Jets video:

TSN:  Scheifele has evolved into key player for Jets.  Mark Scheifele’s development has not been a straight line in his career, he has had to go through ups and downs but he now finds himself at the centre of everything the Jets are doing. Frank Seravalli has more on how he has grown into his game and touches on Patrik Laine’s scoring slump.

TSN:  Jets, Predators living up to ‘high-event series’.  The TSN Hockey panel discusses how the Jets/Predators series is living up to Paul Maurice’s prediction for the series, the barrage of offence so far, and what went wrong during Connor Hellebuyck’s tough performance in Game 2.

TSN:  Have Hellebuyck and Rinne bought into the hype?  Connor Hellebuyck and Pekka Rinne are two obvious talking points in the series between the Jets and Predators because of their credentials this season as Vezina finalists, but does the matchup mean anything extra to them? That’s Hockey discusses.

Jets audio:

TSN 1290 Winnipeg:  Scheifele has had a tremendous playoffs.  Jets broadcaster Paul Edmonds joined Andrew Paterson and Rick Ralph on the Afternoon Ride. They discussed the Jets split in Nashville, the status of the injured Jets on the roster, how close Patrik Laine is to breaking out.

TSN 1290 Winnipeg:  There’s a special atmosphere in Winnipeg.  Steve Valiquette of MSG and CEO of Clear Sight Analytics joined Andrew Paterson and Rick Ralph on the Afternoon Ride. They discuss the first two games of the Jets/Predators series, why shot totals may be misleading, Viktor Arvidsson’s play for Nashville, and the goaltending match-up between Pekka Rinne and Connor Hellebuyck.

TSN 1290 Winnipeg:  This series has seven written all over it.  TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun joined Andrew Paterson and Rick Ralph on the Afternoon Ride. They discussed the fantastic hockey that was played in Game 2 of the Jets/Preds series, the Jets depth and what to expect from Game 3.

TSN 1290 Winnipeg:  Scheifele’s composure a key for Jets in second round.  TSN 1290 Jets analyst Trevor Kidd joined host Kevin Olszewski to break down the opening games between Winnipeg and Nashville and look ahead to Game 3.

TSN 1290 Winnipeg:  Scheifele has evolved into elite NHL player.  TSN’s Bob McKenzie joined the Big Show to talk the opening games of the Jets/Predators series, Toby Enstrom and Pekka Rinne’s struggles as well as Mark Scheifele’s play and his status in the NHL.

Moose news:

Illegal Curve:  Moose defeat Griffins 5-1 in game 5 and move onto the 2nd round.  It was quite a contest to end the 1st round of the AHL playoffs.  Check out the game recap, some of the notable numbers, a look ahead to the schedule with the Icehogs and more.