Note: The Jets had another day of practice in Winnipeg before they took off for Vegas. Still some questions marks surrounding Nikolaj Ehlers and Kevin Stenlund. There will be another day of practice today starting at 12 PM CDT for the Jets in Nevada so check back for the Practice Report.
Note II: The Moose wrapped up their 2022-23 regular season yesterday afternoon in Chicago in a seesaw affair that the Wolves absolutely needed to win in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. They would do just that as they stormed back to tie the game with the goalie pulled and then won it in OT. Lots of big contributions on the Manitoba side.
Note III: The Ice and Warriors split their two-game set in Winnipeg as the visitors handed the home team their first loss of the post-season. The series now shifts to Moose Jaw. They play game three tomorrow night.
Note IV: Pair of Jets prospects had an impact for their teams in wins last night in the OHL. Danny Zhilkin (2022 3rd rounder) had two primary assists in a win for Kitchener while Dom DiVincentiis (2022 7th rounder) made 32 saves in a win for North Bay.
Jets news:
Global News: Jets set for unpredictable first-round playoff series. Who doesn’t love themselves some chaos? This series seems to be the one many pundits feel incapable of truly predicting a result. Could make for an excellent series. Or maybe a terrible one. See what I did there?
Winnipeg Sun: Six players who could have major impacts on series between Jets and Golden Knights. Ted gives you three guys per team who could have a significant impact on this series. I’m giving my vote to the Winnipegger on Vegas as the guy with the biggest chance (predicated on his health) to unbalance this series.
Winnipeg Sun: ‘Anything, everything, is possible’: Calling all heroes and goats as Jets take on Vegas. It really is set up to be a fantastic series between the Jets and Golden Knights.
Winnipeg Sun: Good friends Hellebuyck and Broissoit on collision course in Jets playoff series with Golden Knights. There are no friends in the playoffs. That gets put aside as they compete to defeat the other in the most criticial position for either club.
Sportsnet: Niederreiter eager to bring Stanley Cup Playoffs experience to Jets’ postseason run. If you want your NHL club to make the playoffs then it’s a good bet if Nino Niederreiter is in the lineup. Of course it’s a lot more than luck as to why his teams make it to the post-season so often.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
Sportsnet: What you need to know about the 16 Stanley Cup Playoff teams. This gives you some insight into all 16 clubs vying for Lord Stanley’s mug.
Winnipeg Free Press: Niederreiter a veteran of playoff stage. (Paywall). He has meshed just seamlessly with this Jets team.
Winnipeg Free Press: Roots of Jets resurgence offers road map for success. (Paywall). Between Hellebuyck and the lines combos actually working things are going pretty, pretty, pretty smoothly in ‘Peg City for the Jets.
The Athletic Winnipeg: 6 storylines for 6 Jets players who spoke ahead of Game 1. (Paywall). Who doesn’t like some Harry Potter mixed in with their hockey storylines?
CBC: ‘All hands on deck’: Local businesses prepare for influx of fans during Jets whiteout parties. If you build it they will come and they will be 1000s of Jets fans descending on downtown Winnipeg. Should be a great atmosphere and a great opportunity for downtown businesses to make some money.
Las Vegas Review-Journal: 5 storylines to follow in Golden Knights-Jets series. Always good to get insight from someone who covers the Jets ooponent.
Jets video:
TSN: One Big Question: Are the Jets a sleeping giant or an easy out? The Winnipeg Jets came down to the wire in qualifying for the playoffs, but with the stellar play all season of Connor Hellebuyck, and a healthy Nikolaj Ehlers heading into the playoffs, could the Jets be a sleeping giant, or fodder for Vegas Golden Knights?
TSN: Winnipeg heads to Vegas with Ehlers’ status still undetermined. The Jets are heading to Vegas with the status of Nikolaj Ehlers still undetermined. Saturday, Ehlers said that he was fully confident that he’ll be ready to suit up for Game 1, but after not practicing with the team on Sunday, he is questionable for Winnipeg’s last work day Monday in Vegas before the series starts. John Lu has more.
TSN: ‘We’ve earned the right to be here’: Battle-tested Jets describe mindset ahead of Game 1. The Jets, who have been battle-tested over the last few weeks after fighting to secure a playoff spot, describe their mindset heading into Game 1, the importance of managing the highs and lows of a series, and the challenges the Golden Knights present.
Jets audio:
Illegal Curve Hockey Show: Saturday Podcast. On the show yesterday we had an extensive playoff preview of the Jets and Golden Knights series. We looked at the potential impact Mark Stone could have for Vegas ,the goalie duel between Connor Hellebuyck/Laurent Brossoit and more. We spoke with Murat Ates and Eric Duhatschek, both of The Athletic.
Moose news:
Illegal Curve Hockey: Moose conclude regular season finale with OT loss to the Wolves (Manitoba full playoff schedule out). This isn’t just a game recap but it also doubles as informing you as to when the Moose/Admirals series runs until (if it gets to a game 5).
