Winnipeg Jets Morning Papers

Note:  The Jets wrap up this two game home stand with a contest today against division rival Minnesota.  As we saw from the practice on Friday there are no changes expected to the lineup this afternoon when puck drops at 3 pm.  Be sure to check out the pre-game report which will be posted at 10:30 am.

Note II:  The Moose are scheduled to hit the ice for practice at 10:30 am today out at the IcePlex as they prepare to face the Colorado Eagles (newest AHL team) for the first time ever.  They play them back-to-back on Sunday (4 pm) and Monday (2 pm).

Note III:   Tune in for three hours of Winnipeg Jets, Manitoba Moose and NHL hockey talk on the Illegal Curve Hockey Show on TSN 1290 Winnipeg starting at 9 am.  Listen here.

Jets news:

Winnipeg Sun:   Five keys to Jets vs Wild.  Paul’s big matchup is Jets top line vs Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon. His five keys include: 1) Tale of two clubs. 2) Not so friendly welcome. 3) End the power outage. 4) Laine is about due. 5) Chasing triple digits.

Winnipeg Sun:  Jets head coach shows no concern for dry spell.  Showing a greater commitment to team D will serve the Jets well if they want to make it deep into the post-season and learning good habits at this point in the season will help with that goal.

Winnipeg Sun:  Hellebuyck says it’s open season on goalies.  Hard to argue with the Jets top netminder.  While you can understand the NHL wanting to increase scoring you have to think placing a premium on the safety of their goalies should also be a priority.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Hellebuyck wants to see crackdown on crease crashers.  (Paywall).  It does seem to be occurring with greater frequency this season.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Several Jets among mid-season contenders for NHL hardware.  (Paywall). Nobody should be surprised to see Wheeler and Scheifele in the running based on the seasons they are having to date.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Ehlers taking it to another level.  (Paywall).  It wasn’t looking like it was going to be a banner season for the Dynamic Dane but he hit another level and has gotten back on course.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Freshman forces way into lineup.  (Paywall).  Appleton has a good head on his shoulders and has shown that he can rise to meet new challenges.  Not surprised based on what we saw last season in the AHL that he has hit a new level with the Jets.

Sports-net:  Seven of the NHL’s best value contracts.  The Jets top centre is probably underpaid by about $2-4 million per season (hard to type that considering he makes six million+ per season but that is the reality of the NHL).