Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/jets-missing-quickness-in-loss-to-jackets- 451534733.html

Jets missing quickness in loss to Jackets

By: Jason Bell

The Jets say the try was there but the execution wasn’t in Tuesday’s ugly defeat to the visiting .

Conspicuously absent from the Jets’ (3-3-0) performance was quickness — not defined simply by their acceleration through the neutral zone but more by winning races to loose pucks, hasty attacks on Columbus puck carriers and short, swift routes to open spaces.

None of those things transpired, replaced by glaring giveaways, sloppy play in the defensive zone and a lack of creativity near the Columbus net.

Winnipeg was in chase mode from the opening whistle but weathered the storm on the strength of Steve Mason’s stingy goaltending in a scoreless first period. But the team paid for it in the second period, falling behind 4-1 and eventually losing 5-2 to the club (5- 1-0), which won its fourth straight.

For Mason, it was his third loss in as many starts to begin the 2017-18 campaign and his time with the Jets.

On Wednesday, head coach Paul Maurice said quickness — even for a team that counts itself blessed with an abundance — still remains a skill area that needs regular time and attention.

"You don’t have to be a fast skater to play quickly. So, mental effort is a bit part of it. Make your read as fast as you can and then go," said Maurice, still one victory shy of 600 for his NHL coaching career. "A lot of it is just habit. There was a lot of sprint work in practice with pucks. We’re doing one thing here, (so) do it as fast as you possibly can.

"Worry less about slowing down to let the play develop… it won’t develop in this league. This is all about speed now. We’ve got to get this thing going north faster and get galloping."

The loss snapped a three-game winning streak that had plenty of good things happening, such as a strong forecheck, sound defensive awareness and rock-solid goaltending by Connor Hellebuyck.

Maurice said he didn’t for a minute blame the misstep on a lack of effort. He referenced Nikolaj Ehlers’ costly giveaway up the middle of the ice that led to the Blue Jackets’ first tally of the game as a sign players are trying to be difference-makers — when simpler, wiser decisions sometimes need to be made.

"He scored two goals off that, two game-winners ( and Carolina), with that same concept, driving into that hole. So, I’m not going to pull that away from him," Maurice said. "But when the bigger ice is down the wall or it’s in behind, we have to take that first. This isn’t a casual group. There really isn’t anybody casual in the NHL. But if you’re looking for a different game, you look like you’re not putting in the right kind of effort and I don’t think we were looking for the right kind of game (Wednesday night)."

Maurice has already indicated Hellebuyck — who has won all three of his starts — will get the call Friday night when the come to town. Winnipeg right-winger Patrik Laine, who has a pair of goals in the club’s first six games, was highly critical of the team’s play in front of the veteran Mason, who signed with the Jets during the off-season.

"Everybody feels bad for Steve because it’s not been the easiest start. But we know he’s a really good goalie and we haven’t given him a lot of help on the ice," Laine said. "Always, when a team allows seven, six or five goals, obviously, the goalie looks bad. But when we’re doing those kind of mistakes, when somebody’s alone at the back door, it’s not his fault. Those kind of goals, he can’t do nothing about it."

Laine, who took line rushes on Wednesday with Ehlers and centre Bryan Little, said after reviewing video from Tuesday’s game it was clear no player was exempt from criticism or blame.

"We watched the video to see what we did wrong and there weren’t many things that we did right. We weren’t good," he said. "We played three very good game games before this, so everybody knows what went wrong and why we were so bad."

Maurice was asked if Brendan Lemieux could make his NHL debut against Minnesota.

"We’re going to look at our lineup more (today)," he said, adding the health of injured forwards such as Matt Hendricks and Adam Lowry could factor into the decision. "You have a tough night like that, certainly you want to have faith in your team. The same team won three in a row and everything was good, and we play that (Tuesday) we’re not going to send a bunch of guys to the minors off it. But yeah, we’re going to look at it." https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/too-soon-for-lemieux-451373593.html

Too soon for Lemieux

By: Mike McIntyre

Brendan Lemieux’s debut will have to wait another day.

Lemieux was a surprise recall from the on Tuesday, prompting speculation he could be in the lineup for the Tuesday against the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets. He took the pre-game skate but was a scratch for the game. It appears he was up strictly for insurance, given the Jets had no extra healthy forwards available.

Lemieux, 21, is off to a strong start with the Moose, scoring three goals and adding two assists along with nine penalty minutes in four games this season. He had 12 goals, seven assists and a team-high 130 penalty minutes in 61 games last year with the Moose.

The son of former NHL star Claude Lemieux joined the organization as part of the Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian blockbuster trade in 2015 that also brought , , the now-departed Drew Stafford and the draft pick that turned out to be Jack Roslovic to town.

Lemieux would add an intriguing element of talent and toughness to a bottom-six group of forwards that is struggling to produce much of anything for the Jets so far this season.

● ● ●

The injured-reserve list is getting crowded.

Adam Lowry is the latest addition, joining fellow forwards Mathieu Perreault and Matt Hendricks. Lowry suffered an upper-body injury on Thursday in and has missed the past two games. Jets head coach Paul Maurice said earlier this week Lowry may be ready to play when the Jets host the Minnesota Wild on Friday.

The same goes for Hendricks, who was hurt blocking a shot during the pre-season and has yet to suit up for a regular-season game. Perreault is expected to be out at least a month after getting injured on Saturday, also while blocking a shot.

On the blue line, Dmitry Kulikov missed Tuesday’s game with a lower-body injury caused by being on the wrong end of a big hit Saturday. He could be out as long as two weeks. Tucker Poolman took his spot in the lineup. The Jets also have defenceman Ben Chiarot as an option, although he has yet to play this season.

● ● ●

Mark Flood’s return to Winnipeg was short-lived.

The former Winnipeg Jets defenceman was in town on a professional tryout offer with the Manitoba Moose, trying to earn a spot after several years playing overseas. Now 33, Flood dressed in the season opener last weekend in Grand Rapids, going pointless and a minus-three on the night. He was a healthy scratch for the past three games.

The biggest problem for Flood was the number of young prospects stacked on the blue line for the Moose. As well, Manitoba was carrying one more veteran player than can dress each game under AHL rules, so he likely wasn’t going to see a lot of playing time as a result of the bloated roster.

Winnipeg Sun http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/10/18/jets-second-period-woes-continue

Jets' second-period woes continue

BY KEN WIEBE, WINNIPEG SUN

It’s important to remember the sample size for the current season remains limited.

But since the Winnipeg Jets endured similar struggles during the second period last season, it’s worth noting some of those challenges have returned through the first six games.

As the Jets get set to close out a three-game homestand against the Minnesota Wild on Friday, they’re already minus-six when it comes to the second period goal differential.

That’s a significant number when you consider the Jets have given up 11 of 23 goals during the second period and their overall goal differential is minus-five.

The latest outburst came on Tuesday, when the Jets surrendered four goals and scored only once in what turned into a 5-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Any theories to why the Jets are having similar issues in second periods so far?

“I think it’s just that mentality of keeping that focus for a full 60 minutes. We know we can get to that level and when we are playing at that level, there are lots of good things and we can play against any team,” said Jets centre Bryan Little. “Just a matter of putting that all together. It’s not an easy thing to do. We’re still trying to find a way.”

Jets head coach Paul Maurice noted there were a few factors related to the second-period woes.

“The things we still don’t love about our game become a bigger problem in the second period, with the line changes on and off, and how we seem to transition the puck,” said Maurice. “They’re changing, you’re changing. You have more time to kind of regroup and counter the puck and there’s more motion and you’re looking to make more plays, and that’s not what we need to do.

“We need to be quicker, simpler. We have enough skill to execute in the end but we are not driving with enough speed and in the second period we seem you read to slow down a bit.”

Mason managing Several Jets have spoken openly about being disappointed they’ve played so poorly in front of goalie Steve Mason in each of his three starts.

“That game could have been a lot uglier,” said Little. “It wasn’t a good game for our team. I mean, he had three or four highlight-reel saves. They could have had quite a bit more. It’s tough.

“You don’t play a good game and you hang your goalie out to dry a bit like that. We didn’t do him any favours and the next time he’s in net for us, I think we owe him.”

As for Mason, he’s found a way to remain calm and he’s working to put this slow start behind him.

“You have to. That’s something you learn along the way,” said Mason, who is 0-3 with a 5.96 goals-against average and .846 save % so far this season. “The season hasn’t started on a positive manner on a personal note, but the only way to work through it is to work hard and that’s what I’ll do. Once the ship finally rights, it will be a good feeling.”

During the course of his career, Mason has enjoyed hot starts and cold, so his ability to stay on an even keel has improved over time.

“You definitely learn to cope with it a little bit better. You don’t let the lows get too low or the highs get too high,” said Mason. “You learn to leave the hockey stuff at the rink and go home and go about your day and not dwell on it. That’s what I’ll continue to do here. Once you get to the rink, you put your hard work in. It will get better and once it does, it will feel that much better.”

Maurice reiterated that Connor Hellebuyck will be back between the pipes on Friday against the Wild – but that choice had already been made based on the upcoming schedule.

Standing pat? If Maurice is going to make any changes to skaters on Friday, he wasn’t tipping his hand during Wednesday’s workout.

Up front, Kyle Connor remained with Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler, Little was between Nikolaj Ehlers and Patrik Laine, Andrew Copp was with Brandon Tanev and Joel Armia and Nic Petan found himself with Marko Dano and Shawn Matthias.

Left-winger Brendan Lemieux, who was recalled from the Manitoba Moose on Tuesday, remained the extra forward based on the line rushes.

But things could change when the Jets return to the ice on Thursday.

“We’re going to look at our lineup more,” said Maurice. “We’ve got some of these (injured) guys that are close to coming back, so I don’t have the answer on whether they’ll be available but all doors are open. You know (when) you have a tough night like that, certainly you want to have faith in your team. The same team won three in a row and everything was good, and we play (like) that, we’re not going to send a bunch of guys to the minors off it. But yeah, we’re going to look at it.”

Since the Jets won’t play again until the following Thursday, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see forwards Adam Lowry (upper body) and Matt Hendricks (foot) miss one more game to ensure they’re fully healed.

Jets defenceman Dustin Byfuglien wasn’t on the ice for maintenance purposes, but Maurice said it had nothing to do with the injury that kept him out of the lineup for two games last week.

Dmitry Kulikov skated prior to Wednesday’s workout and continues to progress after suffering a suspected knee injury against the last Saturday. http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/10/18/jets-remember-gord-downie

Jets remember Gord Downie

BY KEN WIEBE, WINNIPEG SUN

Bryan Little wishes he could go back in time and savour the moment.

When he was playing in the with the Barrie Colts in his late teens, the Winnipeg Jets centre actually had the opportunity to spend some time with Gord Downie before seeing The Tragically Hip perform live for the first time.

“I met him just very briefly before that concert in Barrie. I wish I could go back, I would soak it up a bit more than I did,” Little said on the day Downie passed away after a lengthy battle with brain cancer at the age of 53. “I was pretty young, sitting front row. It was a pretty good time.”

As was the case in many arenas around Canada on Wednesday, The Tragically Hip was playing and players were sharing fond memories of the band’s frontman.

“I saw them on their farewell tour in Hamilton, which was my favourite concert. Awesome atmosphere, pretty emotional,” said Little. “Of course, I watched their last concert in Kingston on TV back home. I think he’s going to be missed.”

There’s no doubt Downie will be missed by many in the hockey community.

“Everyone knows he’s a hockey fan,” said Little. “I can remember playing world juniors and The Tragically Hip and the Trailer Park Boys sent us a video wishing us good luck and stuff.

“I heard they did that just about every year. They were big hockey fans and they were kind of the definition of being Canadian. I think everyone in Canada knows who The Hip and Gord Downie are.”

Little, defenceman Ben Chiarot and goalie Steve Mason all attended the farewell tour stop at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton in 2016.

“Seeing him there and seeing the show he put on, knowing how sick he was, it was pretty inspiring,” said Chiarot, noting it wasn’t surprising that Downie was able to strike a chord with so many hockey players. “It’s just his songs and how much they relate to Canada. Everything that he says, there’s something that’s so Canadian about him. It’s kind of like the CBC, and The Tragically Hip, it all just blends together. As a Canadian hockey player, you have to be a Hip fan.”

Chiarot got into the band during the latter stages of his junior career.

“As you get a little more mature, you start listening to the words a little more and you hear Gord singing about Canada and different things in Canada and hockey,” said Chiarot. “You can relate to what he’s saying a little better as you get older.”

That ability to relate to people across the nation is one of the reasons the band is beloved.

“I really enjoyed The Hip’s music, along with a bunch of buddies back home. It’s a sad day for everybody in Canada. They’re one of the greatest bands of all time in Canada,” said Mason. “They incorporate a lot of the Canadian lifestyle into their music. Their music will live on for many, many years.”

Jets head coach Paul Maurice also calls himself a fan of The Hip.

“That’s part of the passport,” said Maurice. “They just seem to darned Canadian. I was living in the (United) States for most of it when they came in, and you didn’t hear much about them. But my brother plays guitar in a band and he was going wild over them. All my friends, guys my age, back home, that was the band that they connected with. So, you start listening to them and you get it.

“There are far more eloquent people that understand music better than I do, but they just sound Canadian and it resonated with everybody. Everybody’s got their song that they like to listen to, a lot of them. It’s an incredibly sad day.”

Maurice took in The Tragically Hip show in Winnipeg during the summer of 2016 and came away thoroughly impressed by what he witnessed.

“For anyone that was there, it was incredible,” said Maurice.

Much like the legacy Downie is leaving behind.

Jets share favourite Tragically Hip song

Bryan Little I knew I’d be asked that. I don’t know, too many. I like some of their slower stuff, Bobcaygeon, Wheat Kings and I like Ahead by a Century. I could name 15 or 20 right now.”

Ben Chiarot “I’m a big Wheat Kings fan and Thompson Girl is actually one (song) that I found when I was out here (in Winnipeg). If I’m driving for 20 minutes, there’s a good chance at least one Hip song is coming on.”

Paul Maurice “Fiddler’s Green was mine. It just resonates.”

Global Winnipeg https://globalnews.ca/news/3811166/former-winnipeg-jet-of-whl-days-loses-battle-with-cancer/

Former Winnipeg Jet of WHA days loses battle with cancer

By Sharon Pfeifer Online Producer

Duncan Rousseau, a player with the Winnipeg Jets when they were part of the , has passed away.

Rousseau’s family told Global News that Dunc’, as he was affectionately known, died Tuesday night following a 3-year battle with cancer. He was 72.

Rousseau’s daughter said her dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer in March of 2015 and was given just six months to live.

Despite his illness, Rousseau was able to attend the 2016 NHL Heritage Classic in Winnipeg last October.

“I never thought I’d be alive to see this,” Rousseau’s daughter recalled her dad telling her.

The family noted that Rousseau was always extremely proud to have been one of the first ever Winnipeg Jets.

Originally from Bissett Manitoba, 230 kilometres north-east of Winnipeg, Rousseau played left wing for the WHL’s Winnipeg Jets from 1972-1974, according to HockeyDB.com.

Global Winnipeg https://globalnews.ca/news/3809688/columbus-blue-jackets-end-winnipeg-jets-three-game-win- streak/

Columbus Blue Jackets end Winnipeg Jets’ three game win streak

By Russ Hobson Sports Anchor/Reporter

WINNIPEG – A disastrous second period spelled the end of the Winnipeg Jets winning ways.

The Columbus Blue Jackets scored four times in the middle frame as the Jets three game winning streak came to a screeching halt with a 5-2 loss on Tuesday at Bell MTS Place.

Cam Atkinson, Nick Foligno, Jack Johnson, Lukas Sedlack and Zach Werenski all scored goals to lead the way for Columbus.

“There’s a handful of nights, a small number that you think you deserve a better fate or you got lucky, but for the most part you get what you earned and we earned that one.” Jets head coach Paul Maurice said.

In his first game back in the NHL after Monday’s recall from the AHL, Kyle Connor scored once, while Joel Armia added another marker for the Jets in the loss.

The Jets lacked energy throughout the contest and seemed to really struggle with the Blue Jackets strong forecheck.

“We were just slower than them.” Jets captain Blake Wheeler said. “They were just quicker than us all over the rink, beat us to a lot of pucks. They were on us all night and we just couldn’t get back quick enough to help our D (defense) out and get anything clean out of the zone. Just a lot of punch outs trying to chase the puck down and it makes for a long night.”

After backing up Connor Hellebuyck for the last three games, goalie Steve Mason allowed five goals on 39 shots as he suffered his third consecutive defeat in just his third start of the season.

“I think it got away from us there in the second period.” Mason said. “Anytime you give up four in one period, it’s usually not a good sign, so it wasn’t good.”

“Through the first period I think Mase (Mason) made some big saves and kept that one closer than it was in the first.” Josh Morrissey said. “We just never got it going in the second, a couple mistakes obviously kinda leaving Steve out to dry. We just weren’t right tonight, we weren’t at the same level we’ve been at the last three nights.”

For the most part the Blue Jackets controlled the play in the first stanza, but it was the Jets who had the better scoring opportunities in a scoreless opening period. Columbus outshot Winnipeg 11-8 in the first 20 minutes.

Just 36 seconds into the middle frame the Blue Jackets opened the scoring. Nikolaj Ehlers was stripped of the puck at the blueline and Artemi Panarin sent Atkinson in on the breakaway and he outmanouvered Mason for his third goal of the season. Columbus had a one goal lead.

The Jackets came within a hair of going ahead by two just minutes later. There was a mad scramble surrounding the Jets net. Mason made one stop before Pierre-Luc Dubois clanged the puck off the crossbar. Play continued and Mason was forced to make another big stop to keep the Jets within one.

Midway through the second the Jackets added to their lead. Wheeler handed the puck right to Foligno at his own blueline and Foligno danced around Mason before tucking it in for a magnificent goal. Columbus had some breathing room ahead by two.

Just a few minutes later the Jets broke through after Maurice shuffled his top two lines. Mark Scheifele sent a backhand in front for Connor and he buried the one-timer behind Joonas Korpisalo. Connor with his first NHL goal of the season after Monday’s callup from the Manitoba Moose. Wheeler had the other assist and it was a 2-1 game.

The Blue Jackets immediately restored the two goal lead though. Brandon Dubinsky with a cross ice pass spotted a wide open Johnson and he hammered the shot into the open side. His first goal of the season gave Columbus a 3-1 advantage. Josh Anderson had the other helper and it was 3-1.

With just 1:49 remaining in the middle frame, Dubois came in hard on the forecheck and forced Toby Enstrom to cough up the puck. From behind the goal line Sedlak banked in the puck off Mason for his second tally of the campaign and the Blue Jackets headed to the room ahead 4-1.

The Blue Jackets tacked on one more in the final frame. Werenski skated down the wing and picked the top corner on Mason for his third goal of the season. Seth Jones and Brandon’s Matt Calvert had the assists.

Armia made the score look a little more respectable as he notched his first goal of the season shorthanded with 1:37 remaining to make it a 5-2 final. Dustin Byfuglien drew the only assist.

The Jets were outshot 39-26.

Mathieu Perreault, Adam Lowry, and Matt Hendricks missed the game with injuries while Brendan Lemieux and Ben Chiarot were healthy scratches.

The Jets conclude their three game homestand on Friday against the Minnesota Wild at Bell MTS Place.

Sporting News http://www.sportingnews.com/ca/nhl/news/winnipeg-jets-second-period-woes- nhl/cp4v6zbss0su1j77x6fhmwe9a

Second-period woes continue to haunt Jets

By Scott Billeck

An all-too-familiar concern is beginning to rear its ugly head once again for the Winnipeg Jets in the infancy of the 2017-18 season.

Second-period woes, which plagued the Jets mightily at times last season, are beginning to manifest themselves again. The Jets have allowed 11 of their 23 goals against in the second frame. where they have been outscored 11-5.

The Jets were outscored 94-71 in second periods last season and gave up more goals in that frame than any other NHL team.

The curiosity rests in why it’s still lingering this year.

“I think it’s just that mentality of keeping that focus for a full 60 (minutes),” forward Bryan Little said on Tuesday at Bell MTS Iceplex. “We know we can get to that level and when we are playing at that level there are lots of good things and we can play against any team. Just a matter of putting that all together, that full 60 minutes. It’s not an easy thing to do. We’re still trying to find a way.”

Indeed, playing a full 60-minute game has alluded the Jets, who are 3-3-0 on the season after playing their worst game as a team in a 5-2 loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.

The Jets looked cumbersome and clumsy and only escaped a massacre because Steve Mason stood on his head with 11 saves as the Jets struggled to get the puck out of their own zone.

It was hardly a good trend to start the game and, eventually, the floodgates sprung a leak that quickly turned into a landslide, with the Jets allowing four of their five goals against in the second period.

“The things we still don’t love about our game become a bigger problem in the second period, with the line changes on and off, and how we seem to transition the puck,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “They’re changing, you’re changing. You have more time to kind of regroup and counter the puck and there’s more motion and you’re looking to make more plays, and that’s not what we need to do.

“We need to be quicker, simpler. We have enough skill to execute in the end but we are not driving with enough speed and in the second period we seem to slow down a bit.”

Maurice said his team isn’t a casual group, nor are there casual players in the NHL. But the game came down to his players not looking for the right type of game and not applying the right type of effort to suit what was in front of them.

“I’m going to say some nights it’s mental effort, where you’ve got to fight to get out of the comfort zone of a game where you’re curling up and finding quiet areas as your starting point,” Maurice said. “There’s a real place for it. And all the great players do. They drive it down and then curl up and relieve the pressure, find the holes. It’s a fantastic way to play. And I’m not taking that play that Nik Ehlers made on the first goal, he scored two goals off that, two game- winners with that same concept, driving into that hole. So, I’m not going to pull that away from him.

"But when the bigger ice is down the wall or its in behind, we have to take that first.”

TSN 1290 (AUDIO LINKS) http://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/ates-jets-bottom-six-struggling-early-in-the-season- 1.888947

Ates: Jets bottom six struggling early in the season

Murat Ates of The Athletic joins the Afternoon Ride to discuss the differences in performance and contribution of the Winnipeg Jets top 6 forwards and the bottom 6 forwards early in the season. http://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/edmonds-jets-have-to-do-a-better-job-of-protecting-the- puck-1.888896

Edmonds: Jets have to do a better job of protecting the puck

Winnipeg Jets play-by-play voice Paul Edmonds joins Kevin Olszewski and discusses the Jets loss to the Blue Jackets. http://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/reda-jets-have-more-talent-than-a-500-team-1.888887

Reda: Jets have more talent than a .500 team

Host of TSN's That's Hockey Gino Reda spoke with Kevin Olszewski about the Winnipeg Jets start to the season, player of the week Nikolaj Ehlers, if there are any concerns about Edmonton & Montreal's slow starts and the strong play of the Maple Leafs & Senators. www.winnipegjets.com https://www.nhl.com/jets/news/jets-remember-gord-downie/c-292057198

Jets remember Gord Downie Canadians Little, Chiarot, Mason and Maurice recall their favourite memories of Downie and The Tragically Hip by Ryan Dittrick @ryandittrick / WinnipegJets.com

WINNIPEG - When Bryan Little left his house this morning, it was a little after nine.

Following practice, when he and fellow Ontarian Ben Chiarot spoke with the media about the impact Canadian icon Gord Downie and The Tragically Hip had on them, the sweet, soulful notes of the '98 classic 'Bobcaygeon' played softly in the background.

Fitting. It is, after all, one of Little's favourite songs.

He, like millions of us, awoke to the news that Downie had passed away after a yearlong battle with cancer.

"Everyone knew it was coming, but it's definitely sad," he said. "Everyone will have their own memories of Gord Downie and The Hip, and I've got a few good ones, so I'll remember them fondly. I definitely listened to them a lot on the ride to the rink this morning."

Little saw The Hip play live numerous times, but two shows in particular stand out as lifelong memories.

"My first time and last time," he said. "The first time I was playing junior in Barrie, and I actually got to sit in the front row. It was a pretty good time. Then I saw him on their farewell tour in Hamilton, which was my favourite concert [I've ever attended]. It was an awesome atmosphere; very emotional. … He's going to be missed.

"Everyone knew they were hockey fans. I remember the year I played in the World Juniors, The Tragically Hip and the Trailer Park Boys sent us a video wishing us good luck. I heard they did that just about year. They were big hockey fans and they were the definition of being Canadian."

Downie was diagnosed with glioblastoma - an aggressive and incurable form of brain cancer - in December of 2015, and became an image of hope, life and perseverance on the Canada-wide Man Machine Poem Tour after revealing his illness in May of last year.

Dedicating his final 15 utterly stellar performances to the generations of Canadians that helped shape The Hip's legacy, the iconic singer-songwriter brought his usual flare to each venue, bonding the nation, coast-to-coast, one final time with his legendary lyrical genius and showmanship, celebrating "a life well lived" the only way he knew how.

"It's a sad day for Canadian music fans," Chiarot said. "I went to the farewell show in Hamilton last summer. Seeing him there and the show he put on, knowing how sick he was, it was pretty inspiring.

"His songs and how they relate to Canada... The CBC, Hockey Night in Canada and The Tragically Hip - it all just kind of blends together and as a Canadian hockey player, you have to be a Hip fan."

Little, Chiarot, Steve Mason and Head Coach Paul Maurice were among the thousands of Canadians lucky enough to attend one of the shows on the farewell tour, and all four left with a greater appreciation of what the band meant to the country.

"You have to be (a fan). That's part of the passport, right?" Maurice said.

"They just seem to darn Canadian. I was living in the States for most of their career and you don't hear about them much. All my friends and guys my age back home, that was the band that you connected with. You start listening to them and you get it. There's far more eloquent people that understand music better than I do, but they just sound Canadian, and it just resonated with everybody." https://www.nhl.com/jets/news/jets-work-on-getting-speed-back-in-their-game-after-loss-to- columbus/c-292055480 (INTERVIEWS INCLUDED)

Jets work on getting speed back in their game after loss to Columbus by Mitchell Clinton @MitchellClinton / WinnipegJets.com

WINNIPEG - Head coach Paul Maurice said his team wasn't quick enough in last night's loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

He made sure they were quick at practice today.

"The practice today was simple. There weren't a whole lot of reads in it. Make your read as fast as you can, and then go," said Maurice.

"In a straight away foot race, there wouldn't be a whole lot of guys catching some of our guys, or any team. Every team has three or four guys that can really go… A lot of it is just habit. It's getting out there, run your routes. There was a lot of sprint work in practice today with pucks.

"We're doing one thing here. Do it as fast as you possibly can."

The Winnipeg Jets skated for one hour at Bell MTS Iceplex today. Dustin Byfuglien was not on the ice, Maurice indicated the defenceman's "picked up something" in the game last night, unrelated to the injury that kept him out of two games last week.

With Byfuglien off the ice, Ben Chiarot was paired with Toby Enstrom, with the rest of the line rushes looking like this:

Connor-Scheifele-Wheeler

Ehlers-Little-Laine

Tanev-Copp-Armia

Matthias-Petan-Dano

Morrissey-Trouba

Poolman-Myers

Enstrom-Chiarot

Maurice said he'll focus on Friday's line-up a bit more on Thursday's practice, but isn't hopeful that any injured players will return against the Minnesota Wild.

"We've got some of these guys that are closer to coming back, but I don't have the answer on if they're going to be available or not," said Maurice. "I expect a big chunk of those guys to be available for Pittsburgh (next Thursday). I just don't know if they're going to be available for Minnesota."

Regardless of who is in the line-up, Bryan Little knows the team has to be better. He believes the challenge is in playing a full 60 minutes, something he knows the team is capable of.

"It's not an easy thing to do, but good teams do it, and we're still trying to find a way," said Little, who played 17:38 last night. "It wasn't a good game for our team. (Steve Mason) had three or four highlight reel saves. It's tough. You don't play a good game, and you kind of hang your goalie out to dry a bit like that. We didn't do him any favours.

"Next time he's in net for us, I think we owe him a bit."

Mason made 34 saves in last night's loss, and if he had it his way, he'd be back between the pipes tonight to try and move forward from the game.

However the Jets schedule doesn't work in Mason's favour. With only one game between today and next Thursday, and Connor Hellebuyck scheduled to start in that one game, the 29-year-old netminder will have to wait a bit longer.

But Maurice's confidence hasn't waivered.

"I really like the way he comes back to the rink the next day. He's not dragging his lip. He gets into that practice and he goes after it, and he works hard at it," said Maurice.

"That's a good pro, and it's a good example for all the guys around you. If you have a night you don't like, you have to come get it out of you at practice the next day."

ICE CHIPS Matt Hendricks (lower-body) met with team doctors last night, and looks to be getting closer to a return. The veteran forward has missed all six games so far, and has been wearing a bright yellow non-contact jersey in practice.

"I don't think I've got him for Minnesota," said Maurice. "But he'll get rid of that ugly sweater pretty soon."