Note: The Jets skated in Vegas on Wednesday and it was a bad news/possible good news sort of day as they advised that Mark Scheifele would not play in game 5 but that Nikolaj Ehlers could potentially play. Morning skate gets underway at 1 PM CDT. All the relevant news will be posted in the pre-game report so check back for that. Puck drop is at 9 PM CDT.
Note II: This evening, after the final buzzer sounds between Winnipeg and Vegas, we want you to be part of the conversation on the Illegal Curve Playoff Post-Game Show as we discuss and analyze the results of game 5.
Note III: The Moose practiced downtown on Wednesday as they continue to ramp up towards game 1 of their series with the Admirals which gets underway on Friday. The notes focused on players having time to heal, excitement for the Whiteout and more. We spoke with captain Jimmy Oligny, defenceman Declan Chisholm and head coach Mark Morrison. The team is scheduled to practice again today so check back for the Playoff Practice Report. If you want to go to the playoff games on Friday (game 1) and Sunday (game 2) use this discount code to get there for an affordable rate.
Note IV: The Ice also have another day of practice scheduled today as they continue to prepare for the Eastern Conference Championship which gets underway in Winnipeg tomorrow night. They face a Saskatoon Blades team that have won back-to-back series that went the full seven games.
Jets news:
The Athletic Winnipeg: Jets’ injuries, series deficit vs. Vegas put Neal Pionk in a familiar spot: ‘Prove people wrong’. Time for them to use the ‘us against the world’ mentality cause right now not a lot of folks have faith the team can win tonight let alone get themselves into a position to win this series.
Sportsnet: Facing elimination, Ehlers’ return could provide much-needed boost for Jets. Even if he’s at 50% you have to imagine he will still be more effective than most guys at 100%.
Winnipeg Sun: No sign of Superman in Jets sweater, so Ehlers will have to do. Dynamic skating and shooting skills will certainty check a lot of boxes.
Winnipeg Sun: Jets face elimination without top goal-scorer Mark Scheifele. That’s almost 20% of the regular season goal scoring for Winnipeg.
Winnipeg Free Press: Connor knows what he has to do. (Paywall). He’s become more of a leader this season and this Jets club is going to need his voice and his goal scoring to get back into the mix.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
Winnipeg Free Press: Ehlers looks ready for return in do-or die Game 5 against Vegas. (Paywall). Couldn’t have come at a better time for the Jets.
Jets video:
Global News: John Shannon previews game 5 between the Jets and Golden Knights. Who has been the best Jets player? Is the pressure on Vegas to wrap it up in front of their fans? What should the coach’s message be to the players? 680 CJOB hockey analyst John Shannon looks ahead to Game 5 of Jets/Golden Knights.
Sportsnet: Why Jets need the Vezina-version of Hellebuyck in order to keep their season alive. Sean Reynolds and Ken Wiebe get us set for Jets vs. Knights, Game 5, where injuries continue to be a huge factor with Mark Scheifele now being ruled out, and why they’ll need the Vezina-version of Connor Hellebuyck to help keep their season alive.
TSN: ‘This team has matured’: Jets not negative heading into must-win Game 5. Most of Winnipeg’s core group have been through plenty of together, including being down in a playoff series before. During their off-day skate, things appeared loose, and following practice, the players said that their experience has helped them learn to move past the tough times, and learn to look ahead to what they can control.
