Note: The Jets practiced late in the afternoon in Winnipeg on Monday as they got ready to resume a hectic 40 games in 81 days sprint to the end of the regular season. The local NHL club is in tough as they find themselves well out of a playoff spot (nine points back of the Flames who are in the second wild card spot) as of today’s date. Things also aren’t easier for them from a lineup perspective as they had three players placed into protocol and recalled four from the Moose. They will have a chance to make some hay with five straight games against the central division starting tonight when they host the Wild. Morning skate gets underway at 10:30 AM CST so check back for our pre-game report to get the full 411 ahead of the game. Puck drop is at 7 PM and following the final buzzer we want you to join the conversation on the Illegal Curve Post-Game Show.
Note II: The Moose have gone 9-2-1-1 since the calendar hit 2022 despite lineup hiccups which have often left them playing with a mishmash roster. They are 24-11-2-1 sitting 2nd in the Central Division and fifth overall in the AHL. They left for Texas on Monday where they will kick off four games on the road starting with a continuation of their three-game series with the Stars which resumes with game two tonight at 7 PM.
Jets news:
The Athletic Winnipeg: How Jets can turn slim odds into playoff reality, from a Connor Hellebuyck surge to the ideal forward mix. (Paywall). I like how Murat phrased his tweet saying this was for the “so you’re telling me there’s a chance?” crowd.
Winnipeg Sun: Jets looking to quickly erase season’s first half as second gets underway. It is understandable that they want to have a short memory and they aren’t wrong in that they can only focus on what is in front of them. However it also means that they know they have to start stringing together wins because inconsistency will simply mean they finish the season early.
Winnipeg Free Press: Up the creek… searching for paddle. (Paywall). Time to figure out what this team is made of and with five games against the central coming up they should have a pretty good idea in the next week or so.
Sportsnet: Answers to early-season questions are shaping Jets’ current trajectory. I often lament that we see all these predictions made at the beginning of a season but if they aren’t followed up on then who cares! Wieber looks back at his Dubois, defence and Eric Comrie as backup predications.
Photo Credit: Alexander James (Illegal Curve)
Star Tribune: Season’s second half opens with contest in Winnipeg. Some insight into the Jets opponent.
Jets video:
TSN: Struggling Jets dealt another blow as Pionk and Dubois enter COVID-19 protocol. Winnipeg dropped seven of eight games heading into the All-Star break, and now receive more bad news coming out of it. Defenceman Neal Pionk and forward Pierre-Luc Dubois were both placed in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol on Monday.
The Hockey Guy: Should the Winnipeg Jets Buy, Sell or Hold at the deadline? The popular hockey YouTuber chats about the local club and tries to answer the question posed in this headline.
