FORT LAUDERDALE - It hasn’t happened often this season – in fact, it’s only happened once so far – but the Winnipeg Jets (15-2-0) will be looking to bounce back from a regulation loss tonight when they take on the Florida Panthers.
Of course, Winnipeg’s only other defeat this season came against the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 28, and the Jets responded with seven straight wins.
That win streak came to an end on Thursday after a 4-1 setback against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but the mood around the team hasn’t changed much. In fact, that ability to remain even keel is part of the reason the Jets have won 15 of 17 games this season.
“(When) we’ve played a really good game, we’ve stepped back the next game and came back with a strong effort. If we played a game that we won and weren’t at our best, we’ve done a great job of making sure that the next night we put the past game behind us,” said head coach Scott Arniel. “After the Toronto game, the Detroit game was one of our best. Let’s hope that tonight, against these Stanley Cup champions, we need to be at our best so we can get better results.”
Given how the Jets started the season, they’ve become used to having a bit of a target on them every night they take the ice. As the top team in the National Hockey League, they know they’re getting the opposition’s best on a night in, night out basis.
The Panthers (11-5-1) know a little something about that too. As the defending Stanley Cup champions, teams tend to look at match-ups against them as a measuring stick.
“I know it’s only November, but it’s a good test for us to go against the benchmark in the league,” said Josh Morrissey, who will play his 600th career game on Saturday. “We’re excited to see that and obviously they’re coming off a couple losses here, so both teams will be hungry and ready to go.”
Tonight’s tilt marks the beginning of a home-and-home set between the Jets and Panthers. Winnipeg won both games against Florida last season, including a 3-0 win at Amerant Bank Arena. This game marks the end of a five-game home stand for Florida, who have lost two straight – both coming against the New Jersey Devils.
So Nino Niederreiter, who has eight goals and 21 points in 31 career games against Florida, knows it’ll be an angry Panthers team taking the ice tonight.
“They’ve showed throughout their line-up how good they are,” said Niederreiter. “They’re a deep team, they know how to win hockey games, and it’s going to be a big test for us.”
It was an optional skate for the Jets on Saturday morning, but based on the line rushes from Friday’s practice, it’s expected that there will be no changes to the projected lines:
Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
Perfetti-Namestnikov-Ehlers
Niederreiter-Lowry-Appleton
Barron-Kupari-Iafallo
Morrissey-DeMelo
Samberg-Pionk
Fleury-Miller
Along with Morrissey’s milestone of 600 games, Morgan Barron will be hitting a big mark of his own. Tonight will be the 200th NHL game of his career, and while the 25-year-old is still searching for his first goal of the season, Arniel likes the fact that the Halifax, NS product hasn’t changed his game looking for offence.
“He’s trying so hard to score a goal and everybody is trying to get him that goal,” said Arniel. “He’s playing heavy, he’s getting to the net, he’s getting a lot of opportunities and a lot of looks. At the end of the day, he knows that when he plays the right way the chances come from that.”
Barron’s exact playing style is the template for what has made the Jets a successful team. Every player in the line-up might do things a little differently, but it all contributes to making the Jets hard to play against. Winnipeg is a structured group, as is Florida, so managing the puck becomes critical.
“If you turn the puck over, they transition it. There are a lot of teams that do a good job of clogging the neutral zone, but their ability to go from defence to offence is striking,” said Arniel. “Whether it’s three guys or four guys with their (defence) joining, they transition really well. It’s imperative that we get down, get deeper in their zone, and make them defend.”
To make Florida defend, Winnipeg will have to get through the neutral zone and get on the forecheck, something they want to improve on from the setback against Tampa Bay.
“We have to make sure we don’t feed into their game,” said Niederreiter. “We have to make sure we play behind them, get pucks on net, and outwork them. That’s going to be the biggest test for us.”
Puck drop is set for 6 pm CT.
