Note: The Jets held a practice in Winnipeg which was expected to be a sparsely attended optional but turned out to have 15 of 22 players skating on Saturday. We did learn from head coach Rick Bowness that Nate Schmidt returns for Logan Stanley and that Connor Hellebuyck starts in goal. Given the start time of the game no morning skate for the Jets. All the relevant news will be posted in the pre-game report so check back for that. Puck drop is at 5 PM CST.
Note II: This evening, after the final buzzer sounds between Winnipeg and Arizona, we want you to be part of the conversation on the Illegal Curve Post-Game Show as we discuss and analyze the results of the game.
Note III: The Moose are off today after back-to-back games against the Wranglers this weekend including last night which saw them go down 2-0 after 40 minutes of play but in need of two points they picked up a big 3rd period comeback. It began quickly with Axel Jonsson-Fjallby ripping home this shot to cut deficit in half. Five minutes later it was tied 2-2 as the pride of Foxwarren, Manitoba Dawson Barteaux took a shot from the point which found the back of the net. Four minutes after that Axel Jonsson-Fjallby was back in business shooting a puck on net which deflected in (and would prove to be the GWG). And to cap it all off Jeffrey Viel paid homage to Tiger Williams by riding the stick after scoring a beauty. With the win Manitoba put themselves back into a playoff spot. They are off today.
Jets news:
Winnipeg Sun: Cole Perfetti ‘anxious’ to turn around scoring slump. The best move for the young forward is to get away from the pressure of the second line while he works out his struggles on a fourth line that still has potential to do damage alongside Vlad Namestnikov and Morgan Barron.
Winnipeg Free Press: Finding the right mix. (Paywall). With the Jets having banked plenty of points in the standings they do have some latitude to try to get things right.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
The Athletic Winnipeg: The Winnipeg Jets finally acknowledged their issues. Now, how do they win back fans? (Paywall). As per usual a well thought out article from Murat on the biggest story around these parts.
Jets video:
WST: Chris Johnston on Winnipeg Jets low attendance and need to increase season tickets. Andrew “Hustler” Paterson is joined by Chris Johnston of The Athletic/TSN/SDPN. They discuss Chris’ article at The Athletic ‘Winnipeg jets ownership sounds the alarm on attendance’.
Jets audio:
Illegal Curve Hockey Show: Saturday Podcast. On yesterday’s show the boys discussed Cole Perfetti’s move to the 4th line/Alex Iafallo to the 2nd, did a Jets/Coyotes preview, chatted about the Connor/Scheifele/Vilardi line struggles at 5 on 5 and discussed the big topic of discussion in Winnipeg (Chris Johnston’s article about Jets attendance woes). They were joined by Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press and former NHLer Marty Biron of TSN.
