Note: The Jets had a busy day in Nashville yesterday as they prepared for tonight’s game against the Predators. Stay tuned for the pre-game report as there are still some lineup questions marks. Puck drop is at 7 PM CST and following the final buzzer we want you to join the conversation on the Illegal Curve Post-Game Show.
Note II: Interim head coach Dave Lowry provided some bad news on Wednesday as he indicated that Nikolaj Ehlers, who was being further evaluated that afternoon, would miss the three remaining games on their road trip. While it will prove little solace to Ehlers and the Jets it was determined by Player Safety that Dmitry Orlov should serve a two-game suspension.
Note III: If you haven’t set your calendar for February you may wanna update it as the NHL announced all their rescheduled games and for the Jets that means eight next month and one more in March.
Note IV: The Moose were in Iowa last night where they closed out their six-game road trip. Things started off very well through 40 minutes as they had a 3-1 lead but a third period collapse saw the Wild erase the Manitoba lead and ultimately win it 4-3 scoring with 31 second left in the final frame. It was still a heck of a road trip as they went 4-1-1-0 during the six games given how many players were missing (and that list doesn’t even include three D prospects who were missing but ended the trip with the team). Today they travel back home and will practice tomorrow as they prepare to kick off six straight in Winnipeg starting with a big two-game series this weekend against division rival Chicago.
Jets news:
Winnipeg Sun: New head coach, same old Zooms, mark Wheeler’s return to Jets. Given he could have missed a lot more games it has to be a pleasant surprise for the Jets captain to be back in the same timeline but with a lot less games missed.
Winnipeg Sun: Jets in for busy stretch in February with nine games re-scheduled. Time to back a sleeping bag for an extended stay at Canada Life for the Jets (and those of us who cover the team).
Winnipeg Sun: Jets’ Ehlers to miss at least three, while Caps’ Orlov gets two. Seems disproportionate when you consider that Ehlers is still waiting for further evaluation and is potentially gonna miss more time than the three games we already know about.
Winnipeg Free Press: Jets file busy flight plan. (Paywall). Hope you enjoyed some time off in December and January cause the schedule is gonna be hectic in February.
Winnipeg Free Press: Wheeler on verge of comeback. (Paywall). Based on the comments from the Jets captain it seems likely he plays one (or both possibly) of the games this weekend in Boston or Pittsburgh. He won’t play tonight as he said he requires some contact in practice. Winnipeg will practice tomorrow in Boston.
Sportsnet: Wheeler feels lucky to be nearing return from knee injury. Wieber wrote about the captain’s imminent return.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
The Athletic Winnipeg: Why Jets should keep Cole Perfetti through Olympics and well past 10 games played. (Paywall). Didn’t think he was Olympics eligible but regardless Murat makes the case for the Jets 2020 1st rounder to stick around with the big club for awhile.
Jets video:
Minnesota State Mavericks: Jets prospect Nathan Smith media availability after being named to USA Olympic hockey team. Jets 2018 3rd rounder Nathan Smith is having an excellent season with 13 goals and 22 assists for 35 points in 24 games which is good enough for top spot in NCAA scoring. He was named to the USA Olympic hockey team on January 13th and spoke about what it means to him to play for his country in Beijing and more in this media availability.
TSN: ‘Hopefully sooner than later’: Wheeler optimistic return to Jets lineup getting closer. After returning to team practice on Monday in a non-contact jersey for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury on Dec. 10 against the Canucks, Blake Wheeler discusses how close he is to coming back, his long rehabilitation process, the challenges the rise in COVID cases presented, and more.
