PHILADELPHIA – One thing that will definitely show up on the pre-game video as the Winnipeg Jets (42-16-4) prepare to take on the Philadelphia Flyers (27-27-8) is how adept the Flyers are at blocking shots.
Philadelphia leads the league in that regard with 1,125, with 22 of those coming against the Jets on Saturday at Canada Life Centre.
In the rematch tonight, the Jets want to do all they can to get more pucks toward the Flyers net – and on top of that, make sure those pucks get to their intended destination.
“It’s huge, especially when the forwards do all that work to get it up to the point, they’re battling down low behind the net,” said Neal Pionk. “You have to find a way to get it not only by that first layer but by the second layer too – whether it’s off the net or a bank pass off the wall. Find a way to get it through and give those guys a chance to score.”
When the Jets dropped that 2-1 final in a shootout on Saturday, they had 30 shots on goal, 22 blocked, and another 21 missed the net. While some of those missed shots may fall into the category of shooting around a block or trying to pick a spot, David Gustafsson said that there are times when firing a puck wide might be the best option.
“Sometimes we have to get our sticks available outside the net. Sometimes you shoot to miss the net and hit a stick,” said Gustafsson, adding that forwards can help give the defenceman some additional time to make plays at the line. “The quicker we can get the puck to our D, the more time they have to make a move and get it through, or the less time their player has to get up to the D.”
The 24-year-old Gustafsson didn’t play in the first meeting with the Flyers, but will centre the fourth line with Alex Iafallo and Morgan Barron on the wings tonight. Rasmus Kupari, who didn’t finish the road trip opening game against the New York Islanders on Tuesday, is in concussion protocol and will be re-evaluated in a week.
Gustafsson has spent some time on the wing this season (rotating in and out of the face-off dot with Kupari depending on which side of the ice the face-off was on), but feels the centre spot is most natural for him.
“It’s just going back to neutral,” said Gustafsson. “We know what (our line) is best at. We know what we’re good at doing. We’ve played a lot of games now. We need a bounce back game here after these last three games.”
Eric Comrie will get the start in goal for the Jets, who will play back-to-back games against the Flyers and the New Jersey Devils Thursday and Friday respectively. To round out the line-up, Dylan Samberg also returns after missing the road trip opener due to family reasons.
“It’s good to have his presence. Off the ice he’s a clown and goofball and lightens up the room a bit,” smiled Pionk. “On the ice, he’s been a great player for us this year. We’re excited to have him back.”
Jets head coach Scott Arniel is also happy to see Samberg back. The defenceman is fourth on the team is average ice time per game at 21:14 and averages the most time on the penalty kill of any Jets skater at 2:27 per game.
“He and Pionk are such a good pair,” said Arniel. “He’s the type of guy that when you lose top four defencemen, it’s a big hole in your line-up. Having him back is a big plus.”
The projected line-up looks like this:
Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
Ehlers-Namestnikov-Perfetti
Niederreiter-Lowry-Appleton
Barron-Gustafsson-Iafallo
Morrissey-DeMelo
Samberg-Pionk
Stanley-Miller
In their lone game since playing the Jets, the Flyers dropped a 6-3 decision to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday. There were six goals scored in the opening period, with the Flyers falling behind 4-2. The loss puts the Flyers five points back of the Ottawa Senators for the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference.
It was a disappointing way to open a seven-game home stand for the Flyers, so the Jets expect every bit of the work ethic they saw in the first meeting of the season on display tonight.
“It’s always their work ethic that stands out,” said Pionk. “Not only that, they have a lot of skill too. It was a tight game last time, and I expect the same thing tonight.”
And if history between these two teams is any indication, goals will be at a premium. The Jets have only scored twice against the Flyers in the last four meetings between the clubs. Overall, the Jets have scored just four times over the course of the last three games.
So the message from the coaching staff is simple. Get pucks through and get to the net.
“Don’t get farther away from the net, get closer to the net,” said Arniel. “We say that to guys lots. If it’s not going in for you, get around that net and get some greasy ones, some of those hack and whack rebound type of goals. That’s something that being on the road, especially, that we need to do.”
Puck drop is set for 6 pm CT.
