Off-Day Notebook - April 3, 2023

WINNIPEG -Nikolaj Ehlers and Blake Wheeler have both made the same comparison over the last couple of days:
Playing with Vladislav Namestnikov is giving them both some serious Paul Stastny vibes.
Of course, Stastny played 146 regular games for the Jets sprinkled over two-plus seasons, but it was only for the final few of those that he played between Ehlers and Wheeler.
The comparisons to Namestnikov aren't far off either.
"Vlad's such a smart player, he's always in the right spot. He's a really easy guy to read off of," said Wheeler after his second straight multi-point performance on Sunday. "He's another guy that needs the puck or wants the puck all the time. He wants it, he'll give it back to you."

Ehlers has also thrived with Namestnikov the last couple of games, both big wins for the Jets as they try to hold off all challengers in the Western Conference wildcard race.
"Vladdy is similar to Stas, in the sense of playing smart, being in the right spots and just the passes that he makes," said Ehlers. "I loved playing with Stas. So, being able to play with Vladdy, who has got the speed - he's a great player. The way that we help each other, and, obviously, with Wheels as well, that's a pretty exciting line."
It certainly does, and the numbers are eerily similar to last year's trio with Stastny.
In 2021-22, Natural Stat Trick's metrics gave Ehlers, Wheeler, and Stastny a 54.5 percent share of shot attempts at five-on-five. They outscored their opposition 6-2, and had a just over 60 percent share of the expected goals.
This season, with Namestnikov, that line is hovering around 50 percent in terms of shot attempt differential, but are outscoring their opponents 6-0 and hold a 58 percent share of expected goals.
Add in the fact that Namestnikov, Ehlers, and Wheeler are generating more high-danger chances than the opposition (19-11), and the line is putting up big performances for the Jets on a consistent basis.
"Everybody likes playing with Vladdy because of his hockey IQ," said head coach Rick Bowness. "There is some chemistry there with Vladdy, Nik, and Wheels. It's worked so far, we'll see how far we can go with it."
It was with that line that Wheeler snapped a run of 21 games without a goal on Friday, and it was a sensational pass from Ehlers that set it up. Wheeler returned the favour on Sunday, winning a key puck battle just under five minutes into the first before setting up Ehlers in the slot.

Wheeler was still finding ways to contribute even if the puck wasn't going in for him, but with four points in the last two games, he feels the break in the Jets schedule has also helped the team a great deal.
They played 24 games in 48 days between February 11 and March 31, with the majority of last month played on the road.
Now that they've had a couple days between games on more than one occasion in the last 10 days, the legs and the energy levels are back to where the Jets expect them to be.
And for Wheeler, who said after the win over New Jersey he's had to evolve his game a bit at 36-years-old, it's paying dividends.
"I still think I move more than well enough to be effective," he said. "Nikky creates so much space. For me, I'm maybe a little bit past the part of creating a ton of space for myself, but to play with a guy that can put me in situations where I have time and space, I can still make some plays happen, given those opportunities."
Perhaps just as important as the Wheeler, Namestnikov, and Ehlers line finding success is the fact that this weekend's offensive explosion wasn't limited to just one line.
The trio of Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, and Pierre-Luc Dubois all found the back of the net in the two victories over Detroit and New Jersey. On top of that, the retooled line of Nino Niederreiter with Adam Lowry and Mason Appleton all found the scoresheet as well.

And who could forget Morgan Barron's penalty shot on Sunday, the result of a perfect stretch pass from Wheeler?
"If you keep doing the good things and playing the right way and creating offence, it's gotta go in for you," said Bowness. "Now, back-to-back six goal games, that's rare for us but it's really good to see. Give the guys credit, they stayed in the fight and they just kept putting pucks on the net and making plays and finally, it's going in."
The schedule doesn't get any easier, with two big games against the Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators coming up this week.
But the Jets will be ready, armed with the confidence of two huge victories this weekend, and an offensive attack that seems to have found its groove once again.
"We have to keep winning," said Bowness. "We know the importance of Wednesday's game, so we want to feel good about it. There is still a lot of hard work ahead of us."