Note: Make sure to @ tweet @illegalcurve with your guess in our contests. During tonight’s game you can win IC Gear by participating in our twitter 50/50 and Game Winning Goal contests. Remember that for your vote to qualify you must send in your guess by hashtaging (#) our 50/50 contest or the Game Winning Goal (GWG) contest. (i.e. #IC5050 $40,975 or #ICGWG Ladd).
Jets news:
National Post: Jets take lessons from physical home win. No time to have a let down. Is it finally time to say ‘biggest game of the year’?
Winnipeg Free Press: Rallying around Thorburn after scrap shows tight team. These guys know what it took for Thorburn to take on a heavyweight like Orr. Especially after they saw the move Orr pulled at the end of the fight, the guys wanted to show that Thorburn’s effort wasn’t for naught.
Winnipeg Free Press: Noel won’t commit on Burmi’s return. Two topics will have the normally chatty coach quiet down. The first are injuries and the second are private conversations he has with players.
Winnipeg Free Press: Pasquale called-up for ‘precautionary reasons’. Since neither goalie is showing signs of injury this move is curious.
Winnipe Free Press: Jets vow not to slip up. To truly be a playoff team you have to be able to have some consistency. If the Jets ever want to get ‘above the line’ then they need to sting together some impressive wins.
ESPN: Eyeing playoffs, Jets set sights on Rangers. Pierre LeBrun takes a look at the Jets as they climb further into playoff contention. Calls the fans at the MTS Centre the loudest in the NHL.
Winnipeg Sun: All’s well with Wellwood. He saw his ice time jump to over 16 minutes against the Leafs on Tuesday. While he picked up a goal and assist against Toronto his points production has fallen significantly. With more time on ice and potentially more power play time, this could help to increase his numbers.
Winnipeg Sun: Lots of fight in Winnipeg Jets scrapper Chris Thorburn. For all those questioning his place on the team, it really didn’t take much time on Tuesday night to see his value when he was asked to dance by Colton Orr. Who else on this team would answer that call? While he won’t score a highlight goal of the season every night, he brings intangibles to this squad that make him universally loved by his team mates .
Winnipeg Sun: Need to keep foot on pedal against Rangers. Tonight is going to be one hell of a test. You everything you need for drama. The Rangers are coming off a bad loss, both team’s are tied in the playoff race (8th & 9th, both with 28 points) and the Jets have to show that they can follow-up a win with another dominating performance. Bet Jets fans want to see more of this from Evander Kane tonight.
Winnipeg Sun: Burmistrov wants back into Winnipeg Jets lineup. The mass hysteria that seems to arise when the coach sits a player in the press box is over the top. Coach Noel obviously feels (or felt) that Alexander needed a coaching moment and he used a tool he has at his disposal.
Winnipeg Sun: Winger James Wright on right track to end goal drought. Eventually he will find himself in the right spot (oh that’s right) to put one in the net. He has been extremely responsible defensively and has earned coach Noel’s trust.
Winnipeg Sun: Jim Slater lost, recall Patrice Cormier. Never like to see a player like Slater go out, especially with the dreaded week-to-week pronouncement.
Illegal Curve: Coach Claude Noel post-practice audio. Jim Slater injured and is week-to-week (upper body injury). Patrice Cormier called up, what he brings. Loss of Jim Slater. Taking Burmistrov out of the lineup. Best game on home ice last night, keeping that consistency. Physical nature of play. Thorburn fight and team responds. Wellwood back in the lineup. Are the Jets a tough team to play against? How tough a role is it to play the role that Thorburn did last night against Orr. Do players need to be instructed when to fight and when not to?
Illegal Curve: Jets pay tribute to Stompin’ Tom Connors. During the 3rd period of the Jets and Leafs game on March 12th, 2013 Winnipeg paid tribute to Thomas Charles aka “Stompin’ Tom” Connors. He passed away on March 6th, 2013.
Jets affiliate and prospect news:
The Telegram: IceCaps’ front lines are thinning out. Fans in St. John’s are experiencing what Manitoba Moose fans had to deal with for years. When the parent club makes a call, you have to report and it can decimate your team.
OHL: Eastern Conference Coaches Poll. Mark Scheifele is very well regarded by coaches across the OHL. He finished first in a couple of categories (Most Dangerous in the Goal Area, Best Shot) as well as second (Best on Face-Offs, Best Shootout Shooter).
CBC: The Package – Mark Scheifele. CBC is taking a periodic look at some prospects and they turn their sights on the first round pick in 2011 for the Jets.
Michigan Daily: Trouba named to all-league team. The Wolverines are playing some of their best hockey of late, in large part to the play of Trouba. It is important to remember he is still just a freshman and still has a lot of growing/developing to do.
Opponent (Rangers) news:
New York Daily News: Rant can’t shake Rangers, who look to turn on Jets. Just like the win for the Jets on Tuesday, you have to leave the past in the rear view mirror and be sure your team is ready for the next contest. While Torts wasn’t displaying his usual brevity he did flash his usual short fuse when answering questions.
NHL news:
Orange County Register: Ducks’ Perry with four-game suspension. A costly loss to both Perry and the team although perhaps they can get a sense of what type of team they are without the almost a point per game player in the lineup.
San Jose Mercury News: Burns returning to Sharks — but as a third-line forward with some shifts on the blue line. The Jets know well what it is like to have a D-man capable of playing forward if the need presents itself.
NHL Mid-Week with Illegal Curve Replay:
Replay: John Tortorella and what’s wrong with the New York Rangers. Break it down: The New York Rangers power play. Six Things We Learned This Week. Interview with Mike Greenlay, TV analyst for the Minnesota Wild on Fox Sports North. NHL News & Notes. Interview with PJ Stock of Hockey Night in Canada. Prospect Pulse: Vancouver Canucks. Over/Under, Keep Your Eye On.
