VANCOUVER – Brenden Dillon has been doing a lot of practice as he served his three-game suspension, but with that in the rear-view mirror, the Winnipeg Jets defenceman is excited to get back at it on Saturday night.
In his home province, no less.
“I’m extremely excited. Well rested,” said Dillon, the product of New Westminster, BC. “It’s always nice to play in front of friends and family, and it’s the first place team in the National Hockey League. Jump right back into it.”
The 33-year-old spoke about the ruling that the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety handed down the day after Dillon’s hit on Pittsburgh Penguins forward Noel Acciari.
“Obviously you feel terrible for the outcome for Noel and hope that he’s healthy and feeling better,” said Dillon. “Again, I feel for myself I play the game physical. I try to play as hard as I can but within the confines of what we’re allowed to do. If it’s going to happen once out of every 860 games, hopefully I can wait the next 860 for it.”
In Friday’s 45-minute practice at Rogers Arena, Dillon was back in his familiar spot alongside Neal Pionk.
“He’s a heart and soul guy. He gives everything he has to give every night,” head coach Rick Bowness said of Dillon, who leads the Jets in hits with 137 and is fourth in blocks with 66. “We love having him back. Logan Stanley did an outstanding job for us for a guy that hadn’t played in over a month. He came in and played three solid games for us. We’re not going to let him sit out like we have in the past. He’ll get back in there soon.”
The full line rushes looked like this, with Bowness putting Gabriel Vilardi back with Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor:
Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
Perfetti-Monahan-Ehlers
Niederreiter-Lowry-Appleton
Barron-Namestnikov-Iafallo
Kupari
Morrissey-DeMelo
Dillon-Pionk
Samberg-Schmidt
Stanley
As for why Bowness went back to the trio of Scheifele, Connor, and Vilardi, well, it’s about chemistry and also Saturday’s opponent.
“We don’t have last line change here, so that’s why I split the top line up,” said Bowness. “With a team like Vancouver that can score, we have to have good balance in our lines. Sean Monahan has been doing a lot of good things. We’re hoping that line finds some chemistry.”
The Canucks are coming off a 4-1 win over Detroit on Thursday and have won three in a row. With 203 goals, they’re tied for the league lead (with Colorado and Dallas) heading into action on Friday.
Winnipeg is still averaging the fewest goals-against in the NHL per game (2.27), while Vancouver is right behind in third at 2.55.
A big reason for that is defensive structure, but it’s also the goaltenders on both sides. It’s expected that the two goaltenders battling for the league lead in wins – Thatcher Demko and Connor Hellebuyck – will be between the pipes tomorrow night.
“Two of the best in the game,” Bowness said. “You don’t win in this league without great goaltending. Vancouver has been getting it all year from their goaltenders and we’ve been getting it all year. Sometimes the goals against don’t reflect the type of game it was because the goaltending has been outstanding.”
So what a perfect time to come back in the line-up for Dillon, as the Jets prepare for a big test from the league’s top team.
And on top of the shot blocks and hits that Dillon brings, he’s also one goal away from setting a new career high.
“I’ve been working on the shot here,” he laughed. “Get me the puck.”
MINI REUNION
With the Canucks practicing before the Jets on Friday, Rick Bowness – an assistant coach in Vancouver from 2006-2013 – had the chance to catch up with Daniel and Henrik Sedin.
“I love those guys. They’re great people,” Bowness said of the Sedins, who work for the Canucks as development coaches. “We just got caught up with the families and everything again. I loved coaching them, I loved being around them. They’re just wonderful, wonderful people. They love the game. It’s great for the organization to have them back involved. They have an awful lot to offer, they’re two of the smartest hockey minds you’ll ever find. It’s good for them. I love seeing them.”
