Note: The Jets are back in business at the not so friendly confines at Bell MTS Place where they will look to improve upon their 8-2-2 home record when they “welcome” the Pittsburgh Penguins to town tonight. There was plenty of news on Monday with Patrik Laine being announced as NHL First Star of the Week, Andrew Copp’s concussion necessitating the recall of second year pro Mason Appleton as well as the team announcing their newest inductees to the Jets Hall of Fame/wearing of a new Heritage uniform this season. What will today bring? The Jets AM skate gets underway at 10:30 so be sure to check in for the Winnipeg Jets pre-game report to see if Appleton is an extra skater or if he possibly joins Roslovic & Petan to show off the dominance they did at the AHL level.
Note II: The Moose welcomed Marko Dano back in the fold for a skate on Monday as they practiced for the final time here in Winnipeg ahead of their California road trip. Today the team travels to San Diego where they begin with a game against the Gulls tomorrow night where they will reconnect with a familiar face in Chase De Leo for the first time since his trade last June.
Jets news:
Winnipeg Sun: Five Keys to the game. Paul’s big matchup is Patrik Laine vs Penguins goalie Casey DeSmith. His five keys include: 1) Containing Sid and Co. 2) Home, sweet home. 3) Holding a lead. 4) Discipine, already. 5) Whose turn tonight?
Winnipeg Sun: Perreault lucky to play with Ovie, Laine. 85 had a front row seat to watch the development of both these special players at the start of their careers.
Winnipeg Sun: Low-key Laine grabbing place in history. Good chance we can see history be made over the next couple of games.
Winnipeg Free Press: Laine excited to face Penguins’ star lineup. (Paywall). Always a treat when you get to see superstars like Crosby and Malkin. Jason also writes about Copp’s concussion, ESPN story that referred to the Jets head coach as Maurice Richard and NHL Jets Hall of Fame.
Winnipeg Free Press: After slow start to season, sniper gets his groove back. (Paywall). Think it is fair to say that “hockey is fun again”.
NHL: Laine’s five-goal game for Jets amazes Crosby, Penguins. Check out the reaction to Laine’s feat by Pittsburgh players.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Is the Penguins’ improved defensive play legit? Read more about the Jets opposition tonight.
TSN: Laine ‘having a blast’ as he approaches 100 NHL goals. Something tells me that we may witness him hit this milestone tonight and it won’t be long before we are watching him hit 150, 200, 250, etc etc.
Jets video:
TSN: Laine calls it ‘unreal’ to have his idol Selanne tweet about him. After his sizzling five-goal performance against the Blues over the weekend, Jets winger Patrik Laine joins Gino Reda to discuss getting love from his idol Teemu Selanne, where Finnish hockey ranks in the world, shooting for his 100th career goal and much more.
Sportsnet: How do you put price tag on Laine’s goal scoring? HC at Noon discuss a couple of mind-blowing Patrik Laine scoring stats, wondering what kind of contract he’ll command from the Winnipeg Jets ahead of next season.
Jets audio:
TSN 1290 Winnipeg: Yeah, pretty much incredible, doesn’t happen very often. TSN hockey insider Bob McKenzie joined Jim and Troy on The Big Show, discussing Patrik Laine’s incredible goal scoring streak, the solid play of Kyle Connor.
Moose audio:
TSN 1290 Winnipeg: Dano is excited to play some minutes with the Moose. Manitoba Moose forward Marko Dano joined Andrew Paterson and Rick Ralph on the Afternoon Ride. They discussed his journey from Winnipeg to Denver back to Winnipeg, trying to stay in the NHL, handling long stretches without playing and what his goals are with the Moose.