Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/perreault-champing-at-the-bit-frustrated-maurice- had-him-sit-481773833.html

Perreault champing at the bit, frustrated Maurice had him sit Jets head coach, however, has a different take on the situation

By: Mike McIntyre

The difference in tone and message could have not been more striking.

On one hand, veteran forward Mathieu Perreault was clearly frustrated at being held out of Game 4, saying it was not his choice to remain parked in the press box after being injured in the first game of the playoffs against Minnesota. He declared himself fit to play earlier in the week, said the medical staff have given him a clean bill of health and believes he could have been a difference-maker in a 2-1 loss Thursday night.

"I felt like I could have played, yes. But it’s not my call, obviously, so it comes down to coach’s decision so I let them know I felt good, I wanted to play and there’s nothing else I can do," the always-candid Perreault said Friday following a skate at Bell MTS Place before his team jumped on a plane to Nashville for Saturday’s Game 5.

"You know, I feel like a little bit of energy could have maybe helped the team, so hopefully I can come in and do that and try to get in on their D and just do what Mathieu Perreault does," he said.

'It's hard to be watching from the stands, so I definitely want to be out there. I'm just kind of waiting for a chance to get out there' — Mathieu Perreault On the other hand, head coach Paul Maurice insisted Perreault was not the healthy scratch so many believed he was including, it appears, Perreault himself. But he offered little in the way of insight and plenty in the way of humour mixed with a little sarcasm.

"Really bad attitude in the morning skate (Thursday). And that’s it for me, man. We’ll see if he brings a better attitude (Saturday)," Maurice joked when asked why Perreault didn’t dress.

When told Perreault felt he could, and should, have played, Maurice clapped his hands together at the podium.

"Awesome. Love the positive attitude," the coach cracked.

And then when pressed about what Perreault could bring to the lineup, specifically how he could alter the look of Winnipeg’s ability to roll four strong lines that Nashville would be hard-pressed to match up against, Maurice responded in bizarre fashion.

"Wonderful hair," said Maurice.

So what exactly is going on here?

Maurice eventually got around to addressing the issue. Sort of.

"It wasn’t close, fellas. I’m not saying how close it is. He feels he’s ready to play, that’s really, really important. The docs like where he’s at, that’s really important. I’m not putting two guys in my lineup that I’m concerned about coming in off injury on any single given night," Maurice said.

That would be a reference to Joel Armia, who returned Thursday after missing the first three games of the series.

Perreault could certainly alter the look of the Jets. He would likely send Matt Hendricks to the sidelines and reunite with Armia and Bryan Little on what could be a highly-effective bottom-six line.

That could also allow Maurice to reunite his top checking trio of Adam Lowry, Brandon Tanev and Andrew Copp.

With Perreault still out Thursday night, Little skated with Lowry and Tanev while Copp was paired with Hendricks and Armia. Not exactly the same look, and one that essentially made the Jets a three-line team once they fell behind and were pressing for some offence.

"It’s hard to be watching from the stands, so I definitely want to be out there. I’m just kind of waiting for a chance to get out there," Perreault said. "It’s hard to watch. When you win, it’s awesome but a game like (Thursday) night when you end up losing, it’s really hard to watch."

Whether he gets a chance to make an impact in Game 5 or continues to be a frustrated spectator remains to be seen.

"I feel the same way, so it’s coach’s decision. I’m here waiting and I’ll be ready when I get the chance," Perreault said. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/no-ifs-ands-or-especially-butts----that-one-leaves-a- mark-on-the-whiteout-481767793.html

No ifs, ands or, especially, butts — that one leaves a mark on the Whiteout

By: Paul Wiecek

It was a loss, but more than anything it was a monumental lost opportunity.

And if the Winnipeg Jets season comes to an end in the next week, a lot sooner than a city draped in white is hoping, it will be the events of Thursday night at Bell MTS Place — and Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne’s Immaculate Butt-end, in particular — that will haunt fans for years to come.

It is impossible to overstate just how costly the Jets 2-1 loss to Nashville in Game 4 of their best-of-seven series is to this city’s chances of seeing a Stanley Cup hoisted at Portage and Main next month.

Consider the numbers:

The Jets came into Thursday’s game with a 2-1 series lead that — all other things being equal, which they pretty much are in this series — gave Winnipeg a 61-per-cent chance of winning the series, according to one probability study that looked at every NHL playoff series between 1942 and 2015.

Had the Jets gone on to win Thursday night, they would have taken a 3-1 series stranglehold and their odds of winning the series would have jumped to 88 per cent, according to the same study.

With the Jets' loss, the series is tied 2-2 and it is now Nashville — who host two of the final three games of this series, including Game 5 Saturday night — who have a 60 per cent chance to go on to the Western Conference final.

But instead, with the Jets' loss, the series is tied 2-2 and it is now Nashville — who host two of the final three games of this series, including Game 5 Saturday night — who have a 60 per cent chance to go on to the Western Conference final.

And so with that, the difference for the Jets between winning and losing Thursday night wasn’t just about one game in a seven-game series; it was the difference between being an overwhelming favourite to put the best team in the NHL in their rear-view mirror versus being a statistically significant underdog with that same yellow-clad President's Cup-winning obstacle still very much in front of them.

There is no more painful question in all of sports than "what If?" and Winnipeg sports fans, as tortured a bunch as you will find anywhere in North America, have spent a generation of haunted nights pondering that one:

What if Jamie Macoun hadn’t broken Dale Hawerchuk's ribs with that vicious cross-check? What if Kevin Glenn hadn’t broken his arm while leading the Blue Bombers to the Grey Cup? What if Mike O’Shea had simply gone for it on third-and-four?

And now, you can add to that list: What if Rinne’s butt-end hadn’t come to rest — upside-down, no less — in precisely the same path as a puck off the stick of Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey was sliding to an open Nashville net for what would have been the first goal of the game?

I will tell you "what if": it would have been an entirely different game, and one which the Jets — in all likelihood — would have won, given their dominating record — 42-5-6 — when they scored first this season.

Instead, it was the Predators who took the lead Thursday night and then spent the rest of the night clogging the neutral zone with a style of hockey that was both incredibly boring and frighteningly efficient at neutralizing everything the Jets threw at them the rest of the night.

If the Jets are going to reclaim the advantage in this series Saturday in Music City, it is going to have to begin with them figuring out a way to draw first blood again.

I say "frighteningly" because what was on display for much of Thursday night looked a whole lot like the moment someone in the NHL finally figured out how to neutralize all the speed and skill that have made the Jets the offensive juggernaut they have been this season.

And so, little wonder the message out of the Jets dressing room after the game was an almost delusional, "What, me worry?"

I’m not sure whether they were trying to convince us or themselves, but from captain Blake Wheeler, to veteran Bryan Little, to head coach Paul Maurice, the Jets were united behind a message after the game and that message was: "No, there was nothing special about what Nashville did against us, why do you ask?" And also, "No, Nashville didn’t just discover our kryptonite and, also, I have to go now."

All I know is Preds' head coach Peter Laviolette clearly made adjustments after watching his club squander a three-goal lead in Game 3 and those adjustments worked very, very well on a night his club outshot Winnipeg 16-2 from the midway point of the second period to the midway point of the third period when the Preds were nursing a 2-0 lead and the game was still up for grabs.

The bottom line for the Jets heading into Game 5 is this: in a series that is being decided by the thinnest of margins — that Predators' double-overtime goal in Game 2; Filip Forsberg ringing one off the post early in the second period in Game 3 that would have given the Preds a 4-0 lead; that Rinne butt-end — it’s Nashville that’s increasingly on the right side of the margins that matter most.

And that begins with scoring the first goal of the game, which the Predators have done in each of the last three games. The Preds won two of those three and should have won the third. If the Jets are going to reclaim the advantage in this series Saturday in Music City, it is going to have to begin with them figuring out a way to draw first blood again.

Because the alternative is ugly — spending another night staring at five bright yellow defenders lined up across their own blue line.

The road to hoisting a Stanley Cup at Portage and Main was always going to be a long one and it got a lot longer — and a whole lot bumpier — with Thursday's loss. Now, make no mistake, this is all still very doable; the Jets opened the series with a victory in Nashville and took the Predators to double OT in Game 2 there.

Plus, no team has yet won two consecutive games in the series, a trend that would bode well for the Jets if it keeps up.

But just understand that the road to hoisting a Stanley Cup at Portage and Main was always going to be a long one and it got a lot longer — and a whole lot bumpier — with Thursday's loss.

This team has been an incredible gift to this city this season, a party that started way back in October that has reached a feverish pitch in the first week in May.

And you cannot help but get the feeling that if the Jets can somehow overcome the odds over the next few days, the rest of a Stanley Cup-run would be easy, by comparison.

But that’s a big "if" and a big "but" in a series that, when the history is finally written, might yet come down to the butt-end of a goalie's stick.

It is the stuff of nightmares for a city that, until now, has been living a dream. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/predators-learned-from-their-mistakes-will-jets-learn- from-theirs-481793813.html?k=xI7jWm

Winnipeg can learn from Nashville A smarter Predators meant death for Jets in Game 4

By: Scott Campbell

I wasn’t particularly surprised by the Winnipeg Jets’ 2-1 loss to the Nashville Predators Thursday night.

While I laid out the reasons last week why I thought the Jets would win the series, I also said I expected some turbulence along the way.

It’s been a bumpy ride.

Even though the Jets won Game 1, they were dominated on the shot clock and in offensive- zone time. Heading into Game 2, I looked for more from them than just sitting back and depending on their scoring talent to win.

They were certainly better, and because of Nashville dropping into "prevent defence" mode with a one-goal lead in the third period, they tied it up. In the end, it wasn’t quite enough.

Before Game 3 in Winnipeg, I was wondering if the Predators learned a lesson from almost blowing the game by sitting back.

They obviously hadn’t — yielding a 3-0 lead to lose 7-4, with Predators players admitting afterwards that they were too passive after they jumped ahead.

Although it happens to many teams, it boggles the mind as to why it does.

Heading into Thursday night, I was prepared to write about how playing it safe, in the manner Nashville did, meant death.

All it was going to take was another flop from the Predators, and they earned the opportunity to do it, taking a 2-0 lead into the third period.

But they played it excellently, using a combination of clogging up the neutral zone and the odd hard forecheck when they had a chance to retrieve the puck.

We saw a much smarter Predators team overall, while being attentive to line changes and puck placement. They were quicker on pucks and were able to win more battles because of it.

The biggest difference in the Predators laying back in the neutral zone was they were working seamlessly in five-man units. Pushing the Jets into the areas they preferred, they were able to have their defencemen hold their blue line, forcing Winnipeg to make precision passes.

The Jets didn’t have enough speed built up coming up the ice to penetrate Nashville’s defence. When you combine that with them being unable to complete a decent pass, it made for a game that wasn’t in doubt until Patrik Laine drew them within one late in the contest.

This was a much more tactical event for me, as the coaches looked for any edge.

It started before the game, when Predators head coach Peter Laviolette switched out Alexei Emelin for Yannick Weber, but most notably Kevin Fiala for the old, gritty Scott Hartnell. The offensively gifted Fiala had ended Game 2 in double-overtime, so it looked like a plus for the Jets.

Paul Maurice inserted a healthy Joel Armia into the lineup, but the Jets head coach chose not to take slow-footed Matt Hendricks out in exchange for more speed.

Instead, it was Jack Roslovic who was out, as Maurice obviously doesn’t trust him or Armia to play the left side.

The Mathieu Perreault situation sounds like a player saying he’s ready, but the coach not feeling it.

With Hartnell engaging Dustin Byfuglien early and offering to drop the gloves, one could wonder if it got the big man off his game a bit.

Byfuglien absolutely dominated Game 3 and was arguably the star of the series to that point.

It certainly wouldn’t be intimidation, but did it get him to shift his focus a bit? It’s hard to say, as Byfuglien obviously wasn’t the same player, but neither was the whole team.

So, where does this take us from here?

I might as well start with the big defenceman, who had put the Jets on his shoulders by beating the Predators both physically and on the scoreboard.

I expect him to get back to that, although he’s had a lot of help from his defensive brethren, most notably the top pairing of Jacob Trouba and Josh Morrissey.

While the Predators are known for offence from their back end, I was confident last week that the Jets would produce, which has held true.

Conversely, Nashville’s defencemen have shown how good they can be at smothering the attack when they have support.

While checking ice time after the second period Thursday night, some weird numbers showed up. Morrissey had played the least (11:17). He and Trouba (12:27) sandwiched Toby Enstrom (11:46) and Ben Chiarot (12:24). Byfuglien led (16:33) and Tyler Myers (13:45) was next up.

The variances obviously changed in the third with the Jets chasing the game.

While this likely had something to do with matchups, keeping two of the three top Jets defencemen on the bench that much was an interesting development.

In goal, both Pekka Rinne and Connor Hellebuyck have had their moments; it hasn’t had a huge impact on the series being tied.

We know the Jets can score. Mark Scheifele leads the way with four goals in this series. Brandon Tanev has three; Blake Wheeler and Paul Stastny have two each.

Laine notched his first Thursday; the other two young guns — Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers — are still looking for theirs.

It’s not fair to put all the pressure on the youngsters, but the three of them have been an integral part of the team’s success this year.

Winnipeg’s survival doesn’t necessarily depend on them, but some production would be most welcome.

Of course, fans will take that from anybody; it’s all about the win. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/teams-desperation-at-another-level-morrissey-says- 481818923.html

Teams' desperation at 'another level,' Morrissey says

By: Mike McIntyre

Josh Morrissey still has no idea how he didn’t score. But just like his teammates, the Winnipeg Jets defenceman isn’t spending a lot of time wondering "What if" as they get ready to play the biggest game of their season tonight in Nashville.

"Until that puck crosses the line, he’s going to try to keep making a desperation save. Unfortunately... I don’t know if he’d tell you it was on purpose, but it ended up being a great save," Morrissey said Friday of the grand theft Pekka Rinne pulled on him the previous night during Game 4.

The Predators goaltender somehow got the butt-end of his upside-down stick to stop Morrissey’s shot just before it crossed the line. It would have been the crucial opening goal for the Jets in a game they went on to fall behind 2-0 and eventually lose 2-1.

"I just looked skyward; I couldn’t believe it. A number of things happened. It hit square on the knob and coming off like that was something I’ve never seen before. Unfortunately, it didn’t go in. It is what it is, we’ll just go forward," Morrissey said.

The teams have alternated victories through the first four games of this series, with each winning once at home and once on the road. According to the NHL, when a best-of-seven playoff series is tied 2-2, the winner of Game 5 holds an all-time series record of 202-54 (78.9 per cent).

That makes tonight’s game at Bridgestone Arena a pretty big deal, wouldn’t you say?

"Every game you look at is a must-win. It’s going to be important. They’re going to come out strong, and we’re going to want to come out strong so it’s a big game in both our minds. It’ll be a matter of who wants it more," Jets centre Mark Scheifele said Friday.

Whoever wins will have a chance to wrap up the series and advance to the Western Conference finals with another victory in Game 6 Monday night at Bell MTS Place.

The Jets held an optional skate and off-ice workout Friday at home, with only the scratches from Game 4 taking a twirl before they flew to Tennessee.

"I think it goes to another level," Morrissey said Friday of the desperation level.

"Obviously, both teams have had games at home and on the road, an even-up series. The next game is extremely important. I expect it to be definitely at another level for intensity and compete and everything like that. We’re confident going in there that we can have success in their building. It’s a tough building to play in. Their fans are great. But we’ve been able to win there before and that’s our goal going in there in Game 5."

Indeed, the Jets took Game 1 in Nashville by a 4-1 score after Connor Hellebuyck stood on his head for most of the night. Winnipeg then lost a tough 5-4 overtime decision in Game 2. After a wide-open and wild 7-4 comeback win in Game 3 on home ice, the Jets had few answers for a smothering Predators defensive effort in the low-scoring Game 4 loss.

"Our games with Nashville always have different intangibles, whether it’s big hits and offence, up-and-down-the-ice play or great saves from two great goaltenders. We’ve had a bit of everything in this series and I guess I’d just expect more of the same the rest of the way," Morrissey said.

Scheifele said it probably would have been a bigger surprise if this series wasn’t even through four games, considering how close Winnipeg and Nashville are. They were the two best regular- season teams in the NHL and there doesn’t appear to be much separating them at all.

"Every game is up in the air. Home ice or not, it’s going to be an exciting game. We know Nashville fans are going to be loud and energized for it and we’ve got to be at our best to get the win," Scheifele said. "Both teams play hard. Both teams are never out of games until it’s over. It’s fun hockey to be a part of. Hopefully we can bounce back (tonight) in a good way. We’ll go from there."

Coach Paul Maurice said Friday they spent some time doing video work to hopefully address how Nashville was able to stifle Winnipeg’s high-octane offence so well, especially when the Predators made it 2-0 and then held the Jets to just two shots over nearly 20 minutes of play.

"They didn’t change anything, they had a 2-0 lead, they played the exact same way, probably, that they played with a 3-0 lead (in Game 3). But we were much more efficient in how we moved (in Game 3). We dealt with that today, back at it tomorrow," Maurice said.

His team has passed plenty of tests so far during this post-season as they gain valuable experience along the way. But a crucial Game 5 on the road in a deadlocked series will be the toughest yet.

"On the road, normally you get a real good chance to play your game. You’re not getting too wound up, you’re not forcing a lot of things. I think they played a real good road game in here (Thursday) night and we’re going to have to do the same," Maurice said.

Winnipeg Sun http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/jets-have-responded-well-to-adversity- all-year-and-they-need-to-do-it-again-now

Jets have responded well to adversity all year and they need to do it again now

By Ted Wyman

Toss them out on their ears one night and they return with more resilience than ever the next.

Kick them down with an epic comeback in Game 3 and get a taste of their most stifling defensive performance in Game 4.

That is how you get to a Stanley Cup final. That’s how you win a Presidents’ Trophy.

Winnipeg Jets captain Blake Wheeler knows this well and understands it will be the team that best handles adversity that emerges from this epic second-round NHL playoff series between the top two teams in the league.

The Predators broke serve on Thursday night, handing the Jets their first home loss in 14 games to regain a slight upper hand in a series that’s now tied 2-2.

They have an edge because two of the next three games are in Nashville and the onus is now back on the Jets to win in the opposition’s building in order to move on to the next round.

The good news for the Jets is they’ve handled these types of situations all season long. It’s one of the things that took them from also-ran to contender.

It’s one of the many things they have in common with the Preds.

The stats back up the notion that just when you think the Jets are at their worst, they respond with some of their best performances.

Their record after a regulation or overtime loss this season was 21-5-4. After suffering two straight regulation or overtime losses it was 6-1-1.

They never did lose three games in a row outright, but twice went 0-2-1 in three-game stretches.

This is not an easy team to go on a run against.

“Our group has responded all year long,” Wheeler said in the aftermath of a 2-1 loss at Bell MTS Place Thursday night.

“Not for a second did we think coming into this series we were going to breeze through it. We expected it to be a battle and throughout this whole thing, there’s going to be learning experiences and ups and downs. It’s how you respond to it. We’ve responded incredibly well all year. It has not been an easy year — a lot of adversity all year — and we’ve answered the bell every single time,”

It’s one thing to do that during the regular season, where the Jets put up a 52-20-10 record, and another entirely in the second round of the playoffs against the best team in the league.

The Predators threw down the gauntlet in Game 4 with a strong defensive effort in response to a loose performance in Game 3. They played a 1-3-1 style, slowed the game down, took a lot of the life out of Bell MTS Place and stifled the Jets with good sticks and physical defending.

Let’s face it, Game 4 was a pretty huge letdown for everybody in Winnipeg after the thrilling Game 3 comeback on Tuesday. It was downright dull, just the way the Preds wanted it.

Can the Jets find a counter-punch that will get the job done Saturday night in Nashville? Can they impose their will and re-establish the pace they set in the first three games?

Jets centre Bryan Little said it was like skating into a wall on Thursday night as the Predators gummed up the neutral zone and stood five men up at the line. The Jets couldn’t get their passes to connect with anything but skates, couldn’t get enough on their shots and couldn’t get pucks to settle down.

The Predators escaped with a greasy road win and the confidence that comes with knowing they can indeed shut down Winnipeg’s high-powered attack.

One way or another, for the Jets to bounce back, they’re going to need to find ways bring up their speed and the crispness of their puck movement.

“I think we were a little slow moving the puck through the neutral zone,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said. “Trying to do things a little more individually than you need.

“I don’t think we moved the puck the way we need to build that speed that we need to through the neutral zone. We were digging an awful lot of them out of our feet.”

You get the sense that a minute difference in sharpness for one team could be the difference in this series. Both teams are so good and neither can afford to fail to capitalize on chances.

While Maurice may tinker with the lines and the lineup as he gets more bodies healthy, the most important thing is to keep doing what they’ve done all year.

“Nothing, we don’t change anything,” Wheeler said.

It brought them this far.

Why would they change anything now? http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/time-for-jets-optimal-lineup-return-of- perreault-would-create-match-up-problem-for-preds

Time for Jets optimal lineup: Return of Perreault would create match-up problem for Preds

By Ken Wiebe

It’s time for Paul Maurice to put all of his cards on the table.

The Stanley Cup playoffs are generally a battle of attrition, with many players banged up and playing through pain.

And while you can understand the head coach of the Winnipeg Jets wasn’t ready to make anything close to wholesale changes after watching his team rally from three goals down to earn a 7-4 victory in Game 3, the margin for error in the series with the Nashville Predators is now razor thin.

For both teams, that’s a simple fact of life when it’s tied 2-2 and it’s down to a best-of-three, with two of those games on the road if it goes the distance.

And that’s why Maurice needs to dress as close to an optimal lineup as he can for Game 5 on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena.

Right-winger Joel Armia had some early flashes in Thursday’s 2-1 loss, but his ice time was limited (7:58 total) especially after the Jets fell behind 2-0 in the game and essentially made it a three-line game during the third period.

Now that Armia has his feet back under him after missing three games with an undisclosed upper-body injury, look for Mathieu Perreault to be called into duty.

Although Perreault declared himself ready on Wednesday, one would think the Jets were simply erring on the side of caution and giving him a few more days to recover from a suspected shoulder injury he sustained in the opening game of the playoffs against the Minnesota Wild.

“I don’t know yet because it hasn’t been told to me yet. But yeah, it’s hard to be watching from the stands, so I definitely want to be out there,” Perreault said on Friday. “It’s coach’s decision. I’m here waiting and I’ll be ready when I get the chance.”

Maurice was quick to pour cold water on the theory that Perreault could be considered a healthy scratch for Game 4 after declaring himself ready to go.

“It wasn’t close, fellas,” Maurice said before the Jets departed for Tennessee. “I’m not saying how close it is. He feels he’s ready to play, that’s really, really important. The docs like where he’s at, that’s really important. I’m not putting two guys in my lineup that I’m concerned about coming in off injury on any single given night.”

The return of Perreault could have a big impact on the Jets.

By replacing veteran Matt Hendricks, Perreault would provide some additional offensive punch for a group that could use a little more balance in its attack.

Perreault is a proven point producer and a guy who moved around the lineup earlier in the season whenever another guy needed to get going.

Even though he went through a late-season dry spell and missed 11 games due to injury, Perreault still managed to record 17 goals (one shy of his career) high and 39 points.

Perreault would give the Jets second power-play unit a shot in the arm and he has the ability to play up and down the lineup, depending on the situation.

That move would also provide Maurice with the opportunity to reunite his top checking line of Adam Lowry between Andrew Copp and Brandon Tanev.

Although Maurice was liked the way Little is playing on the wing with Lowry and Tanev, the versatile forward might be even more effective moving back to his natural position of centre between Perreault and Armia.

Through four games, the Jets have scored 16 goals, averaging four per game.

Against most teams, that would be plenty, but the Predators have a potent offence of their own.

That’s why reuniting Lowry, Copp and Tanev makes perfect sense.

Even if Maurice wants to keep Little on the wing with Lowry, the return of Perreault means the Jets don’t need to shelter the fourth unit or limit them to six-to-eight minutes of ice time in a game – which would also keep others fresher.

On the back end, Dmitry Kulikov (back) probably needs more time to heal.

Kulikov has been out since Mar. 10 and to thrust him into this series would bring ample risk.

Joe Morrow scored the game-winning goal in Game 1 against the Wild and could be a consideration to replace Ben Chiarot if Maurice was looking for a bit more offence.

But Chiarot was physical and assertive in Game 3 and that’s when he’s at his best.

With the intensity of the series heating up, Chiarot is expected to remain on the third pairing with Tyler Myers.

Now is not the time for Maurice to panic.

He’s used a steady hand throughout the course of the season and there’s no reason to think that will change now.

Ultimately, the final two or three games (if necessary) are going to come down to execution, but a subtle tweak to the lineup and the line combinations could end up being the difference between the Jets moving on to the third round or bowing out against the Presidents’ Trophy winners. http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/perreault-was-ready-but-was-his-hair- jets-face-gut-check-in-game-5-preds-think-theyve-found-the-formula-late-start-no-big-deal

Perreault was ready, but was his hair?... Jets face gut check in Game 5... Preds think they've found the formula... late start no big deal

By Paul Friesen

So Mathieu Perreault thought he was ready to go, and his coach didn’t.

What gives?

The Winnipeg Jets forward told anyone who’d listen going into Game 4 that he’d been medically cleared to play Thursday’s critical playoff game against Nashville.

Yet, Perreault and his beard watched the 2-1 Jets loss from high in the press box.

And now the Jets are in a gnarly best-of-three without home-ice advantage.

Having your coach pull rank in the regular season is one thing.

In the playoffs, another entirely.

“Yeah, it’s a bit more frustrating, for sure,” Perreault said, Friday. “It’s hard to watch. When you win, it’s awesome, but a game like (Friday) night when you end up losing — it’s really hard to watch. Yeah, playoffs it definitely makes a bit of a difference.

“I felt like I could have played, yes. But it’s not my call obviously, so it comes down to coach’s decision. So I let them know I felt good, I wanted to play, and there’s nothing else I can do.”

Now, Perreault’s been colder than Winnipeg in January since, well, February, with just one goal in his last 24 games.

That includes the first game of the playoffs against Minnesota, when he got cranked and suffered a shoulder injury. He hasn’t played, since.

But whether he’s scoring or not, every Jets fan and their dog know what No. 85 would have brought to Thursday’s game.

Something they sorely lacked for the last half of the contest.

“Energy, I guess,” Perreault said, whacking the nail right where it counts. “A little bit of energy could have maybe helped the team, so hopefully I can come in and do that and try to get in on their D and just do what Mathieu Perreault does.”

Maurice didn’t want any part of the debate (controversy?), using humour to attempt to defuse it.

“Really bad attitude in the morning skate,” Maurice said of the reason for scratching Perreault. “And that’s it for me, man. We’ll see if he brings a better attitude tomorrow.”

Being asked how Perreault would make his team a tougher matchup for the Predators only pushed Maurice from comedy to absurdity.

“Wonderful hair,” he said.

The reporter, not missing a beat, asked how Perreault’s hair might allow him to force turnovers in the Preds’ zone.

“Only if he loses them in his hair,” the coach said.

Now, this isn’t the first time a player says he’s ready and his coach says he isn’t.

Nevertheless, given the importance of the last game, it’s a bit of a head-scratcher, you could say.

FINAL EXAMS STILL AHEAD These young Jets have passed their early post-season exams, but they haven’t had one quite like what’s coming in Game 5, Saturday – series tied, 2-2, two losses from elimination, in an enemy barn.

You might be surprised what Maurice says matters the most, the deeper you go into the playoffs.

“Simplicity,” he said. “The game becomes simpler. So that’s the whole 82-game idea: define your game, define your game, define your game. So that you can get the very basics of the game.

“The hockey doesn’t necessarily get better as you go. Fatigue sets in, pressure mounts. Simplicity is the key.”

Defenceman Josh Morrissey expects more intensity, for one thing.

“It goes to another level,” he predicted. “The next game is extremely important. I expect it to be definitely at another level for intensity and compete and everything like that. It’s a tough building to play in. Their fans are great. But we’ve been able to win there before.”

RINSE AND REPEAT From the Preds room comes the feeling they figured something out in Winnipeg, Game 4.

“(Thursday) was good for us to see the way we have to play if we want to beat this team,” defenceman Yannick Weber said. “Finally we’re able to have a consistent effort, the way we want to play. We know what works now, and it’s going to be awesome to be at home in front of our fans… so have the same mindset.”

Being at home has to help the Preds, just like it helps the Jets. Nashville rode the momentum from its home crowd all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, last season.

“We saw last year how important home-ice was,” Weber said. “There’s a reason why we wanted to finish first in the league so we would have home-ice through the whole playoffs.”

SET YOUR BODY-CLOCKS Game 5 marks the same late start as Game 4, but Maurice didn’t think his team was thrown off by the 8:30 p.m. start on Thursday.

“We’ve checked with players,” he said. “We do a kind of monitoring, daily, on where they think their bodies are at, their energy levels, some other things we try to track. Felt good. There wasn’t that fatigued feeling.”

THE LAST WORD “It felt like a basketball game, the last two minutes.” –Nashville’s Ryan Johansen on the nail- biting finish to Thursday’s game. http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/morrissey-moves-forward-jets- defenceman-was-robbed-by-knob-save

Morrissey moves forward Jets defenceman was robbed by knob save

By Ken Wiebe

Josh Morrissey could hardly believe his eyes and he was far from the only one.

The Winnipeg Jets defenceman thought he had scored a sure goal when he cruised around the net and pounced on a loose puck after Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne had made a save off Bryan Little.

What came next can only be described as a highlight for the ages.

As Rinne rushed to push across his crease, his stick came out of his hands and the knob landed on the ice to prevent the puck from crossing the goal line.

“Until that puck crosses the line he’s going to try to keep making a desperation save,” Morrissey said on Friday. “Unfortunately … I don’t know if he’d tell you it was on purpose but it ended up being a great save. I just looked skyward; I couldn’t believe it. A number of things happened. It hit square on the knob and coming off like that was something I’ve never seen before. Unfortunately, it didn’t go in. It is what it is, we’ll just go forward.”

Morrissey was on his backhand, which was a factor, but even getting a bit more on the shot might not have made a difference.

“It was scrambly and it was spinning after (Little) shot it and I probably didn’t get as much on it as I wanted to, but I think there was still enough there to go in,” said Morrissey. “But (Rinne) really battles in the net and until that puck crosses the line, there’s a chance that he stops it and he made a desperation play and it worked.”

It was a 0-0 game at the time and led to an obvious what-if moment.

“I think every night there are plays like a goal that could go in, a goal that does go in, a bouncing puck here or there, posts, everything,” said Morrissey. “You just have to move forward. Looking at last game, I thought we played well enough to put ourselves in a chance to be in the hockey game. A couple of breaks go the other way and it might have a different outcome. We’re going to look at things we can do to get better and be more ready to go to another level in Game 5.”

Jets head coach Paul Maurice had little interest revisiting the glorious save from Rinne or predicting what it might have meant to the game if the puck had gone in instead of being stopped.

“Yeah, those are questions you don’t want to spend a whole lot of time answering,” said Maurice. “The game played out the way it did.”

Canadian Press http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-jets-fans-superstitions-1.4645914

Based on online activity, it’s not the Winnipeg Jets who are ‘Canada’s team’

By John Chidley-Hill The Canadian Press

Are Canadian sports fans uniting behind the Toronto Raptors for their second round NBA postseason series against the Cleveland Cavaliers? Are they putting aside NHL rivalries to support the Winnipeg Jets, the only Canadian team remaining in the Stanley Cup playoffs?

According to data from Google and Twitter, the answer on both counts is no. Instead, it’s the Toronto Blue Jays that have piqued the curiosity of most Canadian sports fans.

In the past 30 days the Raptors have had the most searches on Google, the internet’s most popular search engine. But the Toronto-based team had the majority of those searches coming from Ontario. Similarly, fans searching for information on the Jets have been predominantly based in Manitoba and Nunavut.

The Blue Jays, who started their season on March 29 and got off to a hot start in the American League East, have had fewer searches in total than the Raptors, but draw on a broader geographic base. The Jays – currently third in the division with a 18-14 record – are the most- searched team in Nova Scotia, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon.

Stats from Twitter back that up. Although the Raptors were the most tweeted about sports team in Canada between April 1 and May 2, 86 per cent were from users in Ontario. Alberta accounted for four per cent, British Columbia three per cent and the rest of the country accounted for seven per cent.

The Jets garnered broader interest across Canada than the Raptors on Twitter, with 57 per cent of tweets emanating from Manitoba, 22 per cent from Ontario, 11 per cent from Alberta and five per cent from B.C. But in terms of cumulative numbers, the Maple Leafs and Blue Jays had more people tweeting than Winnipeg’s NHL team.

It’s also worth noting that just because someone tweets about a team or searches for them online, it doesn’t mean they’re supporting them.

Despite a disappointing first-round exit from the NHL playoffs at the hands of the Boston Bruins, the Maple Leafs still had Canadians talking in the past month. Between the Raptors, the Jets, and the Blue Jays, the Maple Leafs were still the most Googled team in New Brunswick as well as Newfoundland and Labrador since April 1.

They were also the most tweeted about team in Canada during that span, although 83 per cent of those tweets came from users in Ontario, four per cent from Alberta, three per cent from B.C. and 10 per cent from the other provinces and territories.

The Tennessean https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/nhl/predators/2018/05/04/scott-hartnell-predators-vs- jets-nashville-lineup-kevin-fiala-winnipeg-nhl-playoffs/579961002/

Why Predators turned to Scott Hartnell over Kevin Fiala against Winnipeg Jets

By Adam Vingan, USA TODAY NETWORK

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Peter Laviolette had a decision to make.

The Predators’ Game 4 lineup against the Winnipeg Jets needed adjusting. But what to do?

Laviolette wasn’t touching his top forward line of Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen and Viktor Arvidsson. Same went for Colton Sissons, Nick Bonino and Austin Watson, his go-to shutdown unit. Miikka Salomaki, Mike Fisher and Ryan Hartman had found chemistry as an effective fourth line, too.

"I didn't know where I was going last game, but I had mentioned to the other coaches that I was putting Scott Hartnell in the lineup," Laviolette said. "And then I had to figure it out from there."

More: Predators fan heckles Byfuglien only to find out Jets defender's parents sitting behind him

When news of Laviolette's lineup decision reached Nashville on Thursday from across the border, social media erupted in disbelief. You almost expected incredulous Predators fans to ready torches and march on Manitoba.

How could Laviolette possibly justify scratching Kevin Fiala, a 23-goal scorer who just delivered his second career playoff overtime winner, for Hartnell, a no-frills grinder who had played once this postseason? And in a series brimming with offense?

"In this building against the opponent that we were playing," Laviolette said, "I saw somebody that had a little bit of experience, had more size, more weight, more physicality, still be able to score a goal if given the opportunity and maybe a different look to that line as well."

Rexrode: Predators coach Peter Laviolette is running a clinic on all of us

Linked through their shared time with the Philadelphia Flyers, Laviolette always feels he can count on Hartnell to bring energy, which is exactly what he did Thursday.

On one of his first shifts, he stepped right up to monstrous Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien, tussling with him near the boards. His tireless work ethic, contagious to his teammates, meshed well with Kyle Turris and Craig Smith.

"You're out of sync a little bit," said Hartnell, who dispensed a team-high four hits. "That first period, I felt like I was doing the Wingate (conditioning) test in training camp. I was dying a couple times, but the second and third (periods), I felt a lot better and just tried to keep things simple. My game is simple to begin with, and I just wanted to do a great job of that."

Hartnell's biggest contribution, however, was less tangible. The Predators revere him for his calming presence, which they needed Thursday in a critical situation and will need moving forward.

"He brings so much to our team, especially in grit," Predators defenseman P.K. Subban said. "I know playing against him in the East when he played for Philly was always a tough battle. Playoff hockey is his type of hockey. ... I respect him so much as a player, but as a person as well. I think all the guys in the room respect him that way." https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/nhl/predators/2018/05/04/predators-vs-jets-game-5- nhl-playoffs-round-2-nashville-winnipeg-pk-subban-scott-hartnell/579005002/

Predators vs. Jets: 3 things to watch in Game 5 of NHL second-round playoff series

By Adam Vingan, USA TODAY NETWORK

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Here are three things to watch as the Predators prepare for Game 5 of their second-round playoff series against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday (8:30 p.m., NBC SN/102.5-FM):

Best 2 out of 3 The Predators reclaimed home-ice advantage from the Jets on Thursday, whittling this best-of- seven series to a best of three.

When a series is tied through four games, the winner of Game 5 has an all-time series record of 202-54. The Predators have punctured the Jets' invincibility at Bell MTS Place, which bodes well for a potential clincher there Monday if the Predators win Saturday.

Subban's scoring spree In the words of Predators coach Peter Laviolette, defenseman P.K. Subban was a "beast" Thursday, and it'd be hard to find a better descriptor.

Aside from another late penalty that led to a Jets power-play goal, Subban starred on both ends.

On offense, Subban scored his third goal of the series, uncorking his patented slap shot on the power play. His 16 career playoff goals are third-most among NHL defensemen since he debuted in 2009-10, only trailing Chicago Blackhawks teammates Brent Seabrook (19) and Duncan Keith (18).

Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis, who have zero combined goals this postseason, need to follow Subban's lead.

Predators' lineup shakeup Laviolette successfully adjusted his forward lineup in Game 4, swapping out Kevin Fiala for Scott Hartnell and his more physical presence.

Based on Laviolette's postgame comments Thursday, removing Fiala really was the only option. He didn't want to mess with his other lines, and Hartnell validated his decision with a solid performance.

The return of defenseman Yannick Weber, who missed more than a month because of injury, added extra mobility to the Predators' back end to counteract the Jets' aggressive forecheck.

NHL.com https://www.nhl.com/news/winnipeg-jets-look-to-recapture-identity-vs-nashville-predators-game- 5/c-298454354

Jets strive for simplicity against Predators in Game 5 Winnipeg seeks to recapture identity, solve neutral zone issues in hopes of gaining edge in second round by Tim Campbell @TimNHL / NHL.com Staff Writer

WINNIPEG -- The further the Winnipeg Jets get into the Western Conference Second Round against the Nashville Predators, the greater the need to keep things simple, coach Paul Maurice said Friday.

The Jets and Predators are tied 2-2 in the best-of-7 series that resumes with Game 5 at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday (9:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVAS). Game 6 will be in Winnipeg on Monday.

The Predators won 2-1 in Game 4 at Bell MTS Place on Thursday, buckling down in the neutral zone for much of the game and causing the Jets to stray from their speed game and start going in all directions - sometimes, it appeared, at once.

"Simplicity," Maurice said, asked what matters most for games ahead. "The game becomes simpler. Which would be a good view of what happened to us in the neutral zone last night. It was a very complex set of routes that we ran, hard to read."

The Jets are not heavy on Stanley Cup Playoff experience; 10 players on their roster had never played a postseason game in the League before this season. Not so for their coach, however.

Maurice coached the Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup Final in 2002, winning three six- game series before losing to the Detroit Red Wings in the Final. In 2009, the Hurricanes reached the Eastern Conference Final with two seven-game-series victories before losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Learning how to handle the marathons is the point of the 82-game regular season, he said.

"Define your game, define your game, define your game, so that you can get to the very basics of the game," Maurice said. "The hockey doesn't necessarily get better as you go. Fatigue sets in, pressure mounts. Simplicity is the key."

Winnipeg's trouble in the neutral zone in Game 4 was labeled "stubborn" by forward Blake Wheeler. The Jets seemed determined to carry the puck into the offensive zone instead of dumping it in and trying to forecheck a turnover.

"Why? I have no idea," center Mark Scheifele said Friday. "It's just the way it happened. It's not the way we wanted it to go but that's something we can look at and fix, and we'll be better in the future because of it."

Maurice was quizzed extensively Friday about what the Predators may have changed that allowed them to protect a 2-0 lead they established in the second period of Game 4, when in Game 3, Nashville was unable to defend a 3-0 first-period lead that eventually turned into a 7-4 Winnipeg win.

"They didn't change anything, they had a 2-0 lead, they played the exact same way, probably, the way they played with a 3-0 lead," he said. "But we weren't efficient with how we moved. We dealt with that today, back at it tomorrow."

While Maurice's call to get back to basics will be a priority, so will urgency, Scheifele said.

"Every game you look at is a must-win," said Scheifele, who has seven points (four goals, three assists) in the series. "It's going to be important. They're going to come out strong and we're going to want to come out strong so it's a big game in both our minds. It'll be a matter of who wants it more."

The Jets know Bridgestone Arena won't be a friendly environment Saturday, but they already have won there in the series, a 4-1 victory in Game 1.

"Obviously both teams have had games at home and on the road, an even-up series," defenseman Josh Morrissey said. "The next game is extremely important. I expect it to be definitely at another level for intensity and compete and everything like that.

"We're confident going in there that we can have success in their building. It's a tough building to play in. Their fans are great. But we've been able to win there before and that's our goal going in there in Game 5."

Despite the Jets' troubles in Game 4, Maurice sees the road game Saturday as an opportunity.

"Exciting, really," he said. "On the road, normally you get a real good chance to play your game. You're not getting too wound up, you're not forcing a lot of things. I think they played a real good road game in here last night and we're going to have to do the same."

The first three games of the series had a combined 25 goals; there were three in Game 4. Have we seen the last of high-offense, many-chance games?

"Our games with Nashville always have different intangibles, whether it's big hits and offense, up-and-down-the-ice play or great saves from two great goaltenders," Morrissey said. "I can't say for sure. We've had a bit of everything in this series, and I guess I'd just expect more of the same the rest of the way." https://www.nhl.com/news/nashville-hopes-to-frustrate-winnipeg-in-game-5/c- 298457696?tid=297171692

Predators defense won't rest against Jets in Game 5 Nashville aims to frustrate Winnipeg in neutral zone again, take series lead by Robby Stanley / NHL.com Correspondent

NASHVILLE -- For the Nashville Predators to have success defensively, some of it just boils down to commitment.

After allowing at least four goals in each of the first three games of the Western Conference Second Round against the Winnipeg Jets, the Predators made sure to shore up their defensive- zone coverage in Game 4 on Thursday, and the result was a 2-1 win at Bell MTS Place that evened the best-of-7 series 2-2.

"There's a commitment to detail but there's a commitment to effort too, and I thought our effort was good," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. "I had stated that last night after the game was over. You could just tell that the guys were sharp, right from the morning skate and in the meetings. There was a focus there, and that carried through to the game."

Nashville felt it did a better job of limiting Winnipeg's high-quality scoring opportunities in front of goaltender Pekka Rinne, who made 32 saves in Game 4.

The Predators may have found a formula for success the rest of the way, beginning in Game 5 at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday (9:30 p.m ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVAS).

"They're a dangerous team," Nashville defenseman Yannick Weber said. "They have a lot of depth up front. They have four lines that can score. They have some really dangerous forwards that are capable of winning a game. For us, it was key to help out [Rinne] a little bit more.

"We know he's going to make the key saves that are needed, but we knew we had to clean up our D-zone a lot from the games before. I think we did a good job with that. We didn't give them much, and when we had a couple breakdowns, we had [Rinne] that we trust, and we know will make those key saves."

The Predators stifled the Jets in the neutral zone and tried to disrupt their offensive-zone entries and prevent them from entering with speed.

"It seemed like they sat back and clogged up the neutral zone a bit more," Jets forward Bryan Little said after Game 4. "They played a really simple, good defensive game. Everything they touched … they were working that high flipper pretty good and then we're just skating into a wall again. We've got to find a way to beat that."

Nashville forward Ryan Hartman has seen the exasperation of facing the Predators from the other side, when he played against them for the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2017 Western Conference First Round.

"It makes it hard when you're constantly having to dump it in," Hartman said. "You get the puck and someone's hitting you right away. It makes it hard. I've experienced that. It does get frustrating, kind of, as the game goes on. You kind of get more and more frustrated. We did a really good job of it."

The Predators will try to be strong defensively again in Game 5 and attempt to take a 3-2 series lead.

"I think it's more about us and taking a great step there with a big road win in Winnipeg," Nashville forward Ryan Johansen said. "Just coming out and doing our thing, playing the same way and use our crowd, use our atmosphere and our energy in the building to gain a lead in the series." https://www.nhl.com/news/behind-the-numbers-show-undervalued-playoff-contributors/c- 298448014?tid=297171692

Hidden gems unearthed by analytics for remaining playoff teams Deeper numbers shine light on undervalued players who contribute to success by Rob Vollman / NHL.com Correspondent

One of the key elements of success in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is having the right mix of unheralded players who will block shots, draw penalties, win face-offs and do everything else that's required to buttress the stars and help their team advance.

Hockey analytics can help identify these players who don't dominate the scoresheet or the highlight reels but are vital to success.

Here are one player from each of the eight remaining playoff teams who's been invaluable in performing the details that lead to team success:

Adam Lowry, Winnipeg Jets Lowry, a center, has found many ways to contribute to Winnipeg's success. He has won 53.6 percent of his face-offs, is tied for second on the Jets with four drawn penalties, ranks fourth with 23 hits, and has an SAT of plus-23 despite their lowest zone-start percentage, 42.86 percent (minimum three games).

Sportsnet.ca https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/predators-change-tactics-stanley-cup-playoffs-tradition/

Predators’ change in tactics a Stanley Cup Playoffs tradition

By Mark Spector

NASHVILLE — A few days ago, as a high-flying, lightning-fast series shifted to Winnipeg, Nashville coach Peter Laviolette was asked about how times have changed for coaches in these playoffs.

The questioner wondered if, compared to old-time coaches whose systems mandated those 2-1 playoff snoozers, he and Jets coach Paul Maurice had teams so fast and creative that the coaches lost some measure of control over these high-scoring, wide-open affairs.

“I can tell you that we want to put the pedal down. We want to play in the offensive zone … and forecheck as hard as we can,” Laviolette promised. “When the (two clubs’) identities are the same, you either switch your identity, or you play to your identity. Both of us are trying to play to our identity right now.”

The two most important words in that quote, as it turned out, were the last two: “right now.”

Because, when it turned out that playing hyper-aggressive hockey against the younger, bigger and perhaps faster Jets was a bad idea, Laviolette pulled a 180. Jets captain Blake Wheeler put it best: “They were really committed to clogging things up and playing a greasy road game.”

In Game 4 Nashville won 2-1, ironically, by limiting the forecheck, clogging the neutral zone, and exiting its zone using high flips and banging the puck off the glass. It was masterfully opposite to the way it had played thus far, and the Preds won — so it worked.

As for the “put the pedal down,” statement, well, like every coach, there is fine print below every one of Laviolette’s promises: “Valid only until we lose a game or two.”

Like the first time we met Laviolette, at the 2006 Stanley Cup Final, where his Carolina Hurricanes would best the Edmonton Oilers in seven games. That spring, one of Laviolette’s best veterans, hard-charging winger Erik Cole, had not played a game since breaking a vertebrae in his neck on a hit from behind by Brooks Orpik on March 4.

As the rounds wore on, and April turned to May, and then to June, media would periodically ask about the possibility of Cole returning. Three games into that Final when Laviolette was asked again, he was positively indignant that a soulless sports writer would even have such a thought.

“If it’s only a .01 per cent of a fraction that he can reinjure it, that’s enough for me,” Laviolette scolded. “His life with his family and his future and his career is far too valuable.

“It is about his future. It’s not worth the risk.”

Two games later, veteran Doug Weight injured a shoulder, the Canes were one game from closing out the Cup, and guess who skated out for Game 6?

“Well,” Laviolette explained post-game, “after further examinations from the doctors that have been looking at him, the healing process has probably gone as far as it’s going to go.”

It’s a rite of spring that coaches concoct alternative facts.

Remember the time Marty McSorley pitch-forked Mike Bullard in that Battle of Alberta tilt? Speared him so hard he left the ice on a gurney. Glen Sather told McSorley to plead amnesia when the media came around, and McSorley followed orders.

And Bullard? He was lyin’ too. Turns out he jumped right off the stretcher as soon as it got underneath the stands.

This week, Winnipeg’s Mathieu Perreault swapped out his yellow (inactive) jersey at practice, sending the local scribes into a tizzy. “That was me messing with you (media) guys,” he laughed. “And then the next day (coaches) said, ‘No, you have to wear yellow.’ I was just having some fun.”

Laviolette gets paid to win. Talking truthfully to the media is simply a small part of his job. If he is going to stray a tad, we’ll let you guess which of those two areas gets compromised.

In fact, let’s go back to ’06 for one last whopper. Three rounds before meeting the Hurricanes in the Final, the eighth-seeded Oilers went up against No. 1 Detroit out West.

Head coach Craig MacTavish knew the only way to beat the mighty Red Wings was to employ the trap. The problem was, so-called “Oilers hockey” was all about skating, pressure and speed.

Playing the trap in Edmonton was like playing Augusta in cut-offs, but even MacTavish’s players knew that trying to live up to the Oilers history was a farce.

“We don’t have Mess and Gretz anymore, do we? Andy? Kurri? Coffey on defence?” asked fun- loving winger Todd Harvey. “We’ve got Harvey, man. It ain’t the same thing.”

MacTavish was sheepish, dragging that Oilers logo through the same muddy neighbourhood that teams like New Jersey and Minnesota had once inhabited.

“The Trap.” It was like a swear word in Edmonton, and MacTavish knew he had to slip one past the goalie when speaking with the media.

“We would never call it that. We won’t call it a trap. We’ll call it a press, we’ll call it a whatever,” he said.

Groused Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock, “Edmonton Oiler hockey in the ‘80s was all flow and go. That was trap, trap, trap, trap, trap. Stand back and wait for you.”

The Red Wings lost that series, and two months later Laviolette and Cole were both drinking from the Stanley Cup.

Today, the Predators have their home-ice advantage back, and the Jets are scratching their heads.

Those, dear friends, are the only facts that truly matter, at this time of year. https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/steve-masons-new-mask-portrait-hardest-season/

Steve Mason’s new mask a portrait of his hardest season

By Luke Fox

NASHVILLE – The faces Steve Mason wears over his own tell you all you need to know about the type of season he’s endured.

Repeatedly injured and seldom called upon, the Winnipeg Jets’ No. 2 goaltender needed a new backup mask and a fresh paint job when he switched bucket models.

"I came up with this neat idea to throw the trainers on there, to give them a little thanks for all the work they do," Mason says in an interview. "The amount of hours they put in and the little recognition they get is nowhere near enough. The guys we have taking care of us are unbelievable. First class, all the way."

The faces of the six-man crew dedicated to keeping Mason’s muscles and gear intact over a gruelling seven months are airbrushed on the Bauer helmet as CF-18 fighter jet pilots, two per jaw.

On the left side of the plane sit head equipment manager Jason McMaster and assistant equipment manager Mark Grehan. The right side features head athletic therapist Rob Milette and assistant athletic therapist Brad Shaw.

Assistant equipment manager Mike Flaman and massage therapist Al Pritchard can be spotted on the backplate. A silhouette of Emma, Mason’s young daughter, floats skyward gripping a helium balloon. Credit Sylvie Marsolais of Sylabrush for the design.

Steve Mason’s new mask honours the trainers and staff who helped him get through what he called the hardest season of all (Luke Fox/Sportsnet)

A 2017 free agent insurance policy hired for two years and $8.2 million to buffer 24-year-old Connor Hellebuyck’s development, Mason is cashing cheques like the starter he’s not.

The Toronto Maple Leafs shelled him on opening night to the tune of 7-2. The Flames and Blue Jackets did him in on his second and third outings. It didn’t matter much that Mason, 29, would settle down to a .906 save percentage. He’d already given up 16 goals in his first three starts.

A concussion, a knee injury and some undisclosed ailments conspired to limit Mason to a not- so-lucky 13 appearances.

"A bit of a rocky start, like our team, in the first two games. And if you look at just his numbers after you take those first two out — he played exceptionally well for us. But the injuries are tough on players. He’s handled it great. He’s been a great pro. He’d like to be in the nets," coach Paul Maurice says.

"His mood around the group, he’s had quiet days. It’s been frustrating for him."

Hellebuyck, wobbly himself for long stretches in 2016-17, snatched the reins as soon as Mason stumbled and never let go. He was named to the All-Star Game. He’s been nominated for the Vezina. And now, the kid has taken a slow-grow franchise deeper than it’s ever been.

What’s Hellebuyck going to rake this summer as an RFA? Double Mason’s salary?

Maurice tries stuffing himself in the position of Mason, a 2008 world junior gold medallist and 2009 Calder champ who was once that young stud goalie Helleybuck is now.

"It’s easier to deal with when you’re watching the game and you see Connor playing the way he is," Maurice says. "There’s not a whole lot of heavy decisions for me over the course of the regular season as to who should start in goal. So that made it easier for him."

Mason represents the flip side to the feel-good tale of the breakout hotshot goalie. After 10 years of NHL highs and lows, trades and demotions, Mason admits 2017-18 has been the hardest of all.

"From playing so few games to being hurt basically half the season with some significant injuries, it’s been a long go. It’s also been a lot of fun at the same time, being around a team that’s been so successful," Mason says.

He has no interest in hosting a pity party.

"Honestly, some days are much harder than others. You’ve got a job to do, and you try to do it to the best of your ability, regardless of the situation. This year I think I’ve done a good job handling a tough go."

Twice this postseason we’ve seen Mason tweak or pull something at a morning skate, requiring extra attention from the trainers. Once he left early, and the Jets recalled AHLer Michael Hutchinson. ("I feel pretty good now," he says, and he has stopped all seven shots he’s seen in relief this postseason.)

Most telling is that even when Hellebuyck’s angles were askew and his five-hole leaked in Game 4 versus Nashville — he allowed three goals in the first period and wanted them all back — Maurice said he never considered starting Mason in the second.

It’s refreshing, then, when Mason says Hellebuyck is as good a net partnership as he’s had. The first day at training camp, the tandem took time to hang out off the ice, to know each other as people.

Mason lets loose a laugh when we ask if he’s seen the clip gone viral of Hellebuyck staring down the NBC cameras before Game 1.

"I sit right next to him, so I wonder what the hell he’s doing sometimes, but it’s part of who he is," Mason says. "He’s well aware the cameras are zoned in on him, so he’s just having some fun."

During stoppages in play and TV timeouts, Mason provides water bottles for the starter. Hellebuyck will ask the veteran what he’s seeing on certain plays. He wants Mason’s opinions and reminders.

"He can take it into consideration, or if he feels something else, that’s his decision. He’s out there playing the game," Mason says.

"I like to think that if he needs me, I’m there for him."

Just as the Jets’ training staff has been there for Mason.

"They’ve earned their overtime pay if there was such a thing," says Mason, mask off. "It’s been a frustrating year, but at least I’ve got to spend time with some good guys."

TSN.ca https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/where-has-the-offence-been-from-laine-connor-and- ehlers~1387139 (VIDEO LINK)

Where has the offence been from Laine, Connor and Ehlers?

The Jets have gotten very little offence from Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers, getting just one goal from the trio in the series against the Predators, after they combined for 104 in the regular season. Dave Poulin discusses why their offensive production has dried up. https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/the-panel-the-predators-apply-the-pressure~1387135 (VIDEO LINK)

The Panel: The Predators apply the pressure

In the first three games, the Jets had no trouble entering the Predators' zone, but in Game 4 Nashville slowed things down and made it difficult for Winnipeg to get into their zone. The TH panel weighs in on changes the Predators made. https://www.tsn.ca/laine-hopes-late-goal-leads-to-scoring-spree-1.1076441

Laine hopes late goal leads to scoring spree

By Frank Seravalli TSN Senior Hockey Reporter

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Patrik Laine skated off the ice Thursday night spewing a string of expletives.

Deep down, Laine said he had a feeling his slump-busting strike was “just a little too late” when he finally got on the board with 51 seconds left in Game 4. That goal wiped away any pent-up frustration.

He was hungry for more. Laine was furious about the missed call on Auston Watson in the closing seconds that prevented a glorious opportunity in the high slot for a man who doesn’t miss much – even from that distance.

Watson got a stick on Laine’s glove at the precise moment of his release, potentially preventing a game-tying goal in waning seconds of regulation and changing the topic of conversation as the series shifts back to Smashville.

Laine called Game 4 a “turning point” in the series. The Jets are hoping his inconsequential late- game goal will be the turning point for their 44-goal scorer.

“It’s always nice to score,” Laine said. “At least that goal gave us a chance to tie the game. But we just couldn’t capitalize. Hopefully, it gives me more confidence for next game and hopefully I can maybe score a couple more.”

Laine, 20, was 51 seconds away from tying what would have been the longest goal drought of his career at seven games.

Even without a goal this series, there had been little room for criticism in Laine’s game.

He now has eight points – including three goals – in his first nine career Stanley Cup playoff games. More than that, he has played like a man possessed at times, on an unmistakable hunt for goal-horn glory. Laine put 17 shots on Pekka Rinne in a span of eight periods before finally breaking through.

It’s just that a young man who defines himself by goals, not points, shall ultimately be judged by them.

He setup Dustin Byfuglien with one of the best assists of the season for the go-ahead goal in Game 3, yet shrugged it off.

“They don’t count, not the assists anyway,” Laine told reporters in his native Finnish.

Laine’s words, more blunt than what he would say in English, reflect not just his hunger to score but also provide a peek into his view on how he best helps his team.

Not every player is wired that way. It’s why Jets coach Paul Maurice said he wasn’t concerned about any potential frustration shown by Laine between goals.

“Sometimes, frustration is a really good thing,” Maurice said after Game 4. “It can drive you. Not all negative emotions are bad. He’s had some really good looks. The seam pass from Kyle Connor is one he makes good on most times.

“I would expect him to have some frustration. We have lots of confidence he’s going to break through.”

The numbers bore that out. Laine, a career 18 per cent shooter, went 25 consecutive shots without scoring. That many would typically result in four goals.

Laine is one of the NHL’s streakiest scorers. Could that late goal spark a spree? Between his two seven-game droughts this season he had a stretch of 13 goals in nine games.

That type of run may be a little more difficult now that the Predators pursued a more buttoned- down approach in Game 4, a successful tact designed to slow down the track meet seen in the first three games of the series, and one that they could well employ again on Saturday night.

“Just defence,” Laine said was the difference. “They were playing tighter defence than they were in the past couple games. That was just hard to get into their zone.”

From Blake Wheeler to Connor Hellebuyck, the Jets vowed to not change their identity for Game 5, to take the same approach they had all season.

“We can’t let this affect our game,” Hellebuyck said. “You know, we’ve just got to continue building, play the way we want to play.”

Wheeler said before Game 4 that it was a “good thing” that the Jets’ young stars – Laine and two 30-goal scorers in rookie Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers – hadn’t gotten on the board yet. It spoke to Winnipeg’s depth. Ehlers and Connor have not scored all playoffs, let alone this series.

Ehlers joked this week he was “saving them for later.”

Clearly, the Jets have proven that they can win without those players producing goals. The climb will undoubtedly be steeper if they don’t ultimately get them.

They are hoping Laine is the catalyst for the rest of them. No one, maybe not even Alex Ovechkin, likes scoring as much as he does.

SI.com https://www.si.com/nhl/2018/05/02/brandon-tanev-winnipeg-jets-stanley-cup-playoffs

Despite a Lengthy Hockey Hiatus, Brandon Tanev Has Developed Nicely for the Jets

By ALEX PREWITT

A few hours before Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals, Mike Tanev made the quick walk from his downtown Winnipeg hotel and visited the team store inside Bell MTS Place. He was busy perusing the T-shirt and hoodie racks among fellow Jets fans, scouting out garb as gifts for various relatives, when he overheard a woman whose own souvenir search had stalled. “I want to buy a jersey,” the woman lamented, “but they don’t have any with TANEV on them.”

“I’ll be the only one in the arena wearing one,” Mike replied.

That rare memorabilia item came straight from the source, of course—the pearl-white and navy threads worn by middle son Brandon at the outdoor Heritage Classic in Oct. 2016 during his rookie NHL season. A year and a half later, though, the Jets' marketing department might want to think about stocking those shelves with No. 13 apparel pronto. Capped by an empty-netter during Tuesday’s 7-4 win over Nashville, which helped lift the Jets to a 2-1 series lead, Tanev has now scored goals in four straight Stanley Cup Playoff games, endearing himself to a delirious fan base and proving his worth on the biggest stage in franchise history.

That the 26-year-old left winger has found a home in the Winnipeg lineup, flanking third-liners Adam Lowry and Bryan Little for most of this postseason, should surprise exactly no one.

An undrafted free agent who signed with the Jets in March ‘16, he is a shifty puck hound and snappy checker whose father dubs “a bundle of fire.” It probably helps that Tanev also possesses seemingly limitless energy, at least to the extent that former Providence College teammates joked about him requiring toys on the bench to stay occupied between shifts. “He’d always be standing up, alway ready to go,” Friars coach Nate Leaman says. “He never stops.”

Well … not quite never.

“It’s funny,” Mike Tanev says. “People don’t understand that he was out of hockey for four and a half years.”

The system does not tend to reward those who take breaks. It is increasingly specialized, month after month, packed with pressurized travel team tryouts and obsessive helicopter parents and draft rankings that might as well start with defensemen still wearing diapers. And yet Brandon Tanev—future NHLer, future sought-after Winnipeg Jets sweater—barely played competitive hockey as a teenager growing up in the Toronto suburbs. “Just waiting for the day that I would mature and get the size I needed to put myself back into hockey,” he says.

That was the biggest—or smallest, rather—issue. Entering high school at East York Collegiate, Brandon stood several inches short of five feet tall and weighed significantly less than 100 pounds. Naturally this did not prove appealing to local coaches, like the group whom Mike overheard at one Christmas tournament, laughing and wondering why a fifth-grader was allowed on the ice with much older skaters. (Brandon was around 14 then, same age as everyone else.) “Everybody in Toronto are all geniuses, right?” Mike Tanev says. “If you’re not big enough, they don’t want you.” And when no one wanted Brandon during his minor bantam year, Mike pulled him out of the system.

“Obviously, you’re upset,” Brandon says. “You never want to step away from something you love. Being in a hockey-crazy town like Toronto, it was difficult. But looking back now, I think it was the right play. You’re watching your friends play, you’re thinking I should be out there alongside them. When you get that chance to get back into it, you love it even more.”

Don’t get the wrong idea: He wasn’t some sedentary basement-dweller while away from the sport, staying active with cross country, track and soccer at school. He also played around 10 games each year for the East York boys ice hockey team, but quickly characterizes the competition there as “very low level.” Mostly Brandon passed time whizzing around local outdoor rinks—shinny in the winter, roller hockey in the summer—and staying fresh by working with a Czech skills coach that Mike knew named Dusan Kralik, whose list of clientele also includes John Tavares and P.K. Subban. All the while, he held onto a promise from Mike: “When you grow, you’ll play junior.”

The spurt mercifully arrived during his final year of high school, though even then Brandon only climbed to roughly 5-foot-7. Fortunately that was enough to earn a spot with the OJHL’s Markham Waxers in Ontario, where he turned heads as a point-per-game playmaker before migrating westward to join the Surrey Eagles of the BCHL, another junior A league located in British Columbia. One year later, Tanev found himself matriculating at Providence, the proud recipient of a full ride to a rebuilding Division I college program. Reached over the phone recently, Leaman chuckles at the memory of that “stringbean” of a recruit who arrived on campus in late 2012.

“Tanny,” he says, almost wistfully. “I’d take him on any team, any time, anywhere.”

As it stands today, the Friars were plenty lucky to have him. Goodness knows they might not have captured their first-ever NCAA title if it weren’t for Tanev, then a junior marketing major, dashing across the slot and whipping the game-winning goal against Boston University in the third period of the 2015 title game at TD Garden. “That will never be forgotten,” Leaman says. “The thing is, after you coach someone like Tanny, you’re always looking for the next one. That's what an impact he had on us as a program and me as a coach. He’s one of a kind.”

Well … not quite one of a kind.

See, there was a reason Tanev remained so steadfastly confident that one day he would return to the game he loved, no matter how long he stayed away: His older brother had blazed the exact same trail. Like Brandon, Christopher Tanev was forced to step back from competitive hockey as a teenager due to size constraints. Like Brandon, he eventually joined the Waxers, reached the Frozen Four—for Rochester Institute of Technology in 2010—parlayed that notoriety into signing an undrafted free agent NHL contract that spring. Now he is a defenseman for the Vancouver Canucks, earning $4.5 million per year and enjoying the job security of a no- trade contract.

“Understanding how he dealt with that situation, it made me want to do the exact same thing,” says Brandon, who also spends each summer training with Chris at former NHLer Gary Roberts’s renowned facility in Toronto. “If I hadn’t seen him go through that process, coming back to play hockey would’ve been more difficult. He paved the path for me.”

The players exited Bell MTS Place, turned right onto Portage Avenue, and headed eastbound through a sea of white-clad Jets fans cheering and cheersing every stride. This was three weeks ago, not long after Winnipeg beat Minnesota in Game 1 of the first round, a 3-2 triumph that gave the city its first playoff victory since the franchise migrated from Atlanta. And since Tanev lives within walking distance of the arena, he experienced all the revelry from ground zero. “I didn’t know what to expect with our fans and our crowd [before Game 1],” Tanev says. “It’s been so crazy and surreal how every night the crowd and the atmosphere gets better and better.”

Amid the high-fives and hell-yeahs, Tanev was reminded of why he chose Winnipeg in the first place. Upwards of a dozen other NHL teams courted his services after his final year at Providence, but there he saw an enticing combination of a hockey-mad market and an up-and- coming roster, featuring burgeoning superstars like top-liners Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. “You can see the pieces they had on their team,” he says. “It was only a matter of time. You want to be a part of that. It was definitely the right choice.”

No doubt that Winnipeg would agree. Partway through his son’s rookie season in ‘16-17, Mike ran into Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff on the team’s annual father’s trip. At the time Brandon was playing on the one-year, two-way contract that he had signed out of college, meaning that he earned significantly less whenever Winnipeg demoted him to its AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose. “I told Kevin, if he gets a one-way contract, you’re going to see a totally different Brandon,” Mike recalls. “When you’re a borderline guy, your main focus is to not go down to the minors. So you have a different mentality. You play to stay in the lineup. You play cautious.”

And cautious is not Brandon’s nature. Mike remembers opposing collegiate defensemen shying away from pucks in the corner because they caught sight of Brandon, barreling down the ice, looking to check them through the glass. “My game is fast and physical,” Brandon says. “I’ve always been taught to work hard and be tenacious. Then, once you have the confidence to hold onto the puck and make plays, it can all come together and work.” True to Mike’s promise, Brandon indeed rounded a corner this season, finishing with 18 points in 61 games, including his first career hat trick against the Bruins on March 27 and this recent four-goal postseason binge.

Maybe it’s not enough for his jersey to hang inside the team store quite yet, but Tanev is at least turning heads among hockey royalty. Around the family home in East York, Mike occasionally runs into Hall of Fame defenseman Paul Coffey, who once inquired about Brandon's story. So Mike told Coffey about the four-and-a-half-year hiatus, about the national championship at Providence, about what he likens to winning the Powerball lottery by having two sons make the NHL via the same winding road.

“That’s impossible,” an awestruck Coffey replied. “No one takes time off in those crucial years and turns into a hockey player.”

The Hockey News http://www.thehockeynews.com/news/article/byfuglien-s-dominant-game-3-shows-why-he-s-the- great-equalizer-for-the-jets

BYFUGLIEN’S DOMINANT GAME 3 SHOWS WHY HE’S ‘THE GREAT EQUALIZER’ FOR THE JETS

By: Jared Clinton

Dustin Byfuglien helped spark and spur on one of the most impressive comebacks of the post- season Wednesday by making an impact all over the scoresheet in Winnipeg’s 7-4 victory over Nashville in Game 3.

Winnipeggers waking up Wednesday might very well find the city engulfed in a new dance craze. No, we’re not talking about the Fortnite jigs that have stemmed from the eponymous video game. We’re speaking instead about what we’ll affectionately refer to as the ‘Buffle Shuffle.’

The name, of course, is in reference to the dance’s creator, Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien, who broke out the jubilant celebration following what was at the time a second period go-ahead goal in one of the most unlikely comebacks the NHL has seen this post-season. “I don’t know where some of this stuff comes from,” Byfuglien laughed post-game.

Following an uninspired opening 20 minutes that saw the Jets trailing 3-0 — and it could have been 4-0 if not for the skinny red friend Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck calls his right goalpost — Winnipeg went on the offensive in the second frame.

They struck first when Paul Stastny got a shin on a shot from the back end, and then sent the Bell MTS Place crowd into an absolute frenzy with two goals in 18 seconds, both coming at 4- on-4 following a scuffle between the Jets’ Mark Scheifele and Nashville Predators’ Austin Watson. It was a Byfuglien bomb that brought Winnipeg within one, and Jacob Trouba who tied the game before the prior tally had even been announced. That set the stage for Byfuglien’s second of the game — another laser, this one a one-timer off of a picture-perfect cross-ice feed from Patrik Laine — and the ‘Big Buff’ boogie that followed. “It’s nice to see him get a little excited,” Jets captain Blake Wheeler quipped of Byfuglien’s moves. “Tough to get him to smile.”

Undoubtedly, Byfuglien’s celebration will be the lasting image of the Jets’ 7-4 Game 3 victory, a piece of footage readymade for a career retrospective whenever his time in Manitoba’s capital comes to an end, but his stat line speaks more to his impact on Winnipeg’s come-from-behind win than any shimmy or shake could ever dream. Byfuglien finished the contest with two goals, three points, four shots on goal, three hits and two blocks. “He’s the great equalizer,” Wheeler said. “There’s nobody like him. Having him on our team gives us an advantage no matter who we play. That’s the type of player he is. From Game 1 of the playoffs, he has just dominated. You can’t stop it.”

What’s funny, though, is that Byfuglien’s tidy 27 minutes of work on the evening, including roughly five minutes on the power play and more than 1:30 on the penalty kill, somehow feels as though it was miscalculated. Not because it’s just slightly higher than his post-season average, mind you, but because you had the feeling watching Game 3 as though the Jets’ 6- foot-5, 260-pound powerhouse rarely left the ice, as if he was somehow omnipresent.

At even strength, he skated and shut down the Predators’ top players, controlling play and tilting the ice heavily in Winnipeg’s favor. The Jets had nearly 66 percent of the shot attempts at evens when Byfuglien was on the ice. And where it counts most, on the scoreboard, Winnipeg was 3-0 when big No. 33 was on the ice at even strength and outscored Nashville 4-1 on the night with Byfuglien over the boards at all strengths. “What makes him unique is that he can, I don’t know if take over are the right words, but he can make an impact in the game in just about every single way that’s possible other than playing goal,” said Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice. “He can defend, he can be real physical, nobody wants to drop the gloves with him. And then there’s an offensive side that’s a perfectly placed shot, quick hands, all the other things that he can do offensively.”

That he’s come to play in the post-season and made this great an impact at this time of year certainly brings back some memories, too. Byfuglien was part of the beginning of the somewhat dynastic era in Chicago, a fixture as a top-six forward on the 2009-10 Blackhawks that won the Stanley Cup. Byfuglien contributed 11 goals and 16 points in 22 games that spring, not to mention five game-winning goals. This, however, marks Byfuglien’s first return to the second round of the post-season. “Anytime you get in the playoffs, you can look back at what you’ve done and what you’ve gone through,” Byfuglien said.

To hear Maurice tell it, however, a game like this was seemingly inevitable for Byfuglien, post- season or otherwise. “The goals now will draw the camera to him, but he went a long stretch in the first half of the year where he was really, really good,” Maurice said. “He wasn’t scoring and there were questions about the quality of his play, but it was right and he’s built his game this year. And now, for me, he’s got both sides of it. He’s got the right reads, the real good defensive play, but now you’re also seeing a guy who loves the more energy, the more excitement there is in a game. It’s not that he’s not interested, but he can take his game to another level.”

And given the way he played in Game 3, Byfuglien taking his game to that level is a frightening thought for the Predators, who now trail the second round series 2-1, or whoever may come next should the Jets advance to the Western Conference final and beyond. http://www.thehockeynews.com/news/article/predators-build-yellow-brick-wall-stifle-jets-to-turn- round-2-into-best-of-three

Predators build yellow brick wall, stifle Jets to turn Round 2 into best-of-three

By: Jared Clinton

The Predators smothered the Jets' offense through the neutral zone and the commitment to team defense saw Nashville recapture home-ice advantage in what has now become a best-of- three between the West's best.

It was ugly, it was disjointed and it was a battle of will over skill. It was also exactly the game the Nashville Predators wanted to play, getting out to a lead before clogging up the neutral zone and choking off the Winnipeg Jets’ attack in a crucial Game 4 of the second round series between the Western Conference’s top two teams. And after the Jets’ Bryan Little compared it to skating into a wall, well, it’s hard to come up with a description much more fitting.

In a 2-1 victory that drew the best-of-seven series level at two games apiece, the collective defensive effort by the Predators was what dictated the pace of play for the better part of half the contest. Coming off of a track meet Game 3 in which Winnipeg battled back from a 3-0 first period hole to earn a 7-4 victory, Nashville could be seen tightening up almost immediately after Ryan Hartman’s late first period goal Thursday night. And when P.K. Subban capitalized on a power play to give the Predators a 2-0 lead — a goal that temporarily silenced the boo birds at Bell MTS Place for the second consecutive game — Nashville battened down the hatches and suffocated the Jets through the middle of the ice.

“We just did a better job of pressing and in every zone we played in we were five guys,” said Predators captain Roman Josi. “Five guys in the O-zone, five guys in the neutral zone, five guys in the D-zone. It’s a huge part of our game, because they’ve got a lot of speed and I thought we did a great job with that.”

And to hear the Predators tell it, that commitment and buy-in up and down the lineup were the biggest differences between the Jets’ ability to come back from what seemed an insurmountable three-goal deficit in Tuesday’s game and their inability to get anything that even closely resembled flow to their play in Thursday’s contest. “In our zone, when bounces didn’t go our way, we worked the puck out of our zone, got it into the neutral zone, got pucks deep and forechecked when we needed to,” said P.K. Subban, whose third goal of the series stood as the game-winning goal. “We paid attention to the details. Last game, details are kind of what cost us. This game, we paid attention to all of them for a full 60.”

That’s not to say Winnipeg was completely bereft of chances, but their opportunities did dwindle as the outing progressed and Nashville began to park the bus. In each successive period, the Jets managed one fewer shot, and their high-danger opportunities at all strengths went from seven in the first frame to five in the second and just two in the final 20 minutes. A big part of that was the play of the Predators’ vaunted defense corps, including Josi and Subban, who Nashville coach praised highly post-game, saying he had “a monster game” and “was a beast out there.”

But Subban heaped as much praise on the forward group for making life on the blueline that much easier. “I remember a few times taking on the rush and we didn’t really have to do anything because they’re lifting sticks on the way back and turning pucks over,” said Subban. “That’s really, really important…It makes a huge difference.”

Of course, it helps that even when there was a crack in the yellow brick wall the Predators constructed over the back half of the outing, netminder Pekka Rinne stared down everything that came his way. After a rough Game 3 in which he surrendered five goals on 43 shots, good for a .884 save percentage, Rinne stopped all but one of the 33 shots fired his way in Game 4. It was his second-best outing of the post-season thus far. He was all of 51 seconds short of a shutout, but a Patrik Laine wrist shot squeaked through Rinne’s wickets in the final minute, giving the Jets a sliver of hope that Nashville then joyously snuffed out.

The contest did have the distinct feeling that it would be a good one for the Predators keeper, however, particularly after he turned in a miracle save with the butt-end of his stick that robbed Winnipeg of a sure goal. The stop, which needs to be seen to be believed, came eight minutes into the opening frame on a Josh Morrissey attempt. “So lucky,” Rinne laughed post-game. “I’ll take that any day. But it was so lucky. I wish I could say I did that on purpose.”

The task now for the Predators is to replicate their Game 4 effort when the series shifts back to Nashville for Game 5 on Saturday evening. Doing so, though, is going to be a tall task against a Jets team that hasn’t lost consecutive games in nearly two months. The Predators are expecting the challenge, though, especially with the series now boiling down to a best-of-three affair.

“We’ll take this, but we know they’re going to be better as the series goes on,” said Subban. “So I think in this position, this is exactly what both teams expected: for it to be a long series. And now we have home ice back.”

The Athletic https://theathletic.com/342013/2018/05/04/lebrun-after-predators-put-the-clamps-down-to-even- series-jets-will-need-to-respond-and-raise-their-game-again/

LeBrun vs. Burnside: How will Jets respond to Predators’ adjustments? What would Perreault’s return mean?

By Scott Burnside

To the surprise of no one, the epic slugfest that is the Nashville Predators-Winnipeg Jets second-round playoff series is all knotted at two wins apiece, meaning the pressure is just going to amp up as the series returns to Bridgestone Arena for Game 5 on Saturday night. Scott Burnside and Pierre LeBrun knock heads on stolen nachos, the Predators’ bold lineup moves and assorted other series tidbits.

BURNSIDE: As it turns out, you and I are at the airport in Minneapolis/St. Paul awaiting a connecting flight to Nashville. Think it’s fair to point out that you boarded outside your zone when we left Winnipeg earlier in the day. Not me. I follow the rules. Also, along two very different games in Winnipeg, one of the best moments might have been when you checked into the hotel downtown only to find a special gift of nachos in your room. Sadly they were meant for Nashville’s assistant GM Paul Fenton. No truth to the rumor he checked into his room and found a magnum of Baby Duck sparkling wine with your name on it.

I have to say, I was a bit surprised at the about-face that we saw in Game 4, as the Nashville Predators won 2-1. In fact, I think our pal Mark Spector asked Jets coach Paul Maurice in the wake of the Jets’ 7-4 win in Game 3 if we would see such a low-scoring game. Maurice speculated that the only way it would happen would be if the goalies stood on their heads. But that wasn’t really the story of Game 4; rather it was the fact that the Predators were so much better in their own zone and frankly refused to let the Jets play with the puck for any length of time. Not to say Pekka Rinne wasn’t good. His stop with the knob of his stick in the first period is a keeper, that’s for sure. But he was never under siege in the manner he was at times in the first three games of the series. Kudos to the Preds for doing what seemed unlikely if not downright impossible 48 hours ago, but I must admit I feel a bit saddened that we might have seen the last of the run-and-gun, pants on fire hockey that made this series so much fun earlier.

LEBRUN: First off, let it be known that I did not partake in the Paul Fenton nachos and immediately informed the front desk that either somebody’s nachos were in my hotel room or I was indeed in the wrong hotel room. But I do now feel like I owe the Predators assistant GM some nachos at some point in time.

Speaking of our first flight, it amazes me once again how easily you fall asleep on planes. We were still on the tarmac and already you were drooling on my shoulder. You’re getting old man, I’m not sure it’s safe for you to drive a car anymore for fear you’ll fall asleep backing out of your driveway. Anyway, I digress.

I had two major objections to what transpired Thursday night in Game 4. First, we drew Ryan Hartman in the game-winning goal media pool, so when Patrik Laine scored late, it robbed us of a nice little bonanza. But I’m over it today. Kind of. Second, that the game itself, as you suggested, lacked the entertainment value of the previous three. I mean, we were spoiled. That was some of the best hockey I’ve ever covered in Games 2 and 3, especially. Credit to Predators coach Peter Laviolette for adjusting his tactics and lineup ahead of Game 4. The reality is, as deep and talented a roster as the President’s Trophy winners are, they’re likely not wise to keep up with the run-and-gun fun we’ve seen all year long between these clubs. It benefits the Jets, who have more high-end, natural finishers, to play in that environment. Nashville’s trap approach Thursday wasn’t its normal, aggressive game, but it was mighty smart. The Jets were as frustrated as I’ve seen them; trying to stickhandle through four Predators in the neutral zone isn’t a recipe for success. They need to chip pucks behind Nashville’s D and try to produce zone time and puck retrievals that way. Easier said than done, of course.

BURNSIDE: As Clint Eastwood once opined as “Dirty Harry” Callahan, a man’s got to know his limitations. I know mine. That’s why no rental car this time. And I sleep the sleep of the dead and make no apologies for it.

You mentioned Laine and his goal in the final minute of Game 4. I hesitated in calling it a ‘meaningless’ goal even though it came with the Predators up 2-0 at the time and the Preds were easily able to kill off the remaining seconds after it — a goal that with all due respect to Rinne probably shouldn’t have gone in. But Laine has been an interesting figure in this series. The late goal was his first of the series and ended a six-game drought, but it’s not like he’s been silent, as he’s credited with 34 shot attempts in four games, including 14 in Game 2 and 11 in Game 3. As you know, the sophomore sniper is a streaky sort, so do you imagine that this is a harbinger of things to come because, if it is, the Predators might have a much more difficult task ahead of them in playing the conservative style we saw in Game 4. And I would go so far as to say that, unless Laine does use the Game 4 marker as a springboard to more offense, the Jets are going to have difficulty winning this series. Right now it feels like unless Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele are getting it done, it’s not happening for the Jets, and that’s not a recipe for success against a Predators team that is getting consistent production from up and down the lineup.

LEBRUN: I thought Adam Lowry’s line with Brandon Tanev and Bryan Little was Winnipeg’s best in Game 4; they at least got a forecheck going at times, and the Tanev-Lowry pairing has been pretty consistent all playoff long, as witnessed by Tanev’s four goals. But yes, Laine getting going would be a nice cover for the Scheifele/Wheeler duo. The Jets have shown tremendous bounce-back ability all season long, so I think we’ll see their best Saturday. They haven’t lost two straight games since dropping three straight back on March 10, 12 and 13. That’s almost two months ago. But scoring the opening goal might be a good thing for them Saturday. They’ve allowed Nashville to do that three straight games, and we saw last night what the Predators probably intend to do if they get the opening goal again Saturday. Sit back and hunker down in the neutral zone. So scoring first, as strange as it sounds to put such an emphasis on it, would allow the Jets to dictate the flow of the game, quiet the crowd down at Bridgestone Arena and perhaps restore the little confidence that seeped out after being shut down. But as we saw in the wild, 7-4 win Tuesday night by the Jets, this is a team that can beat you in many ways. I hate to even say this given the 8:30 p.m. local start Saturday — which absolutely stinks by the way — but I believe we’re getting some overtime in Game 5.

BURNSIDE: Yes, it seems such a waste to be starting a game in Nashville at 8:30 p.m. local time. What about noon? Or even 10 a.m.? Just saying. So let’s wrap this up, as I feel the need for a nap coming on. We saw Laviolette roll the dice and come up with a winner in putting veteran Scott Hartnell in the lineup in place of overtime hero Kevin Fiala, and Yannick Weber replacing Alexei Emelin on the blueline. Paul Maurice had Joel Armia in the lineup for Game 4 in place of Jack Roslovic, but the real wild card would be veteran forward Mathieu Perreault, who was injured in Game 1 of the first round but told reporters Friday he’s ready to go. In fact, he felt he was ready for Game 4. Maurice said he didn’t want to put two guys in the lineup coming off injury at the same time, but if Perreault does go into the lineup, can the Jets expect the same kind of result the Predators enjoyed in Game 4?

LEBRUN: Perreault is a real Swiss army knife for that team. He can play up and down the lineup and has had some big moments for that team. What it really does for me is that, if he returns, the Jets might go back to really being a four-line team, because they really haven’t been so far in this series. The trust hasn’t been there in the fourth unit and, of course, in Game 4 their minutes really dwindled because they were chasing the game all night trying to get the big guys to score. Getting Perreault back would make the Jets about as healthy as they’ve been all year long, the only regular left injured being Dmitry Kulikov. Having a more balanced four-line attack should bode well for the Jets. But again, it’s all going to come down to having the patience to deal with Nashville’s adjusted, defensive approach. Really looking forward to Game 5. Not so much our flight to Nashville now with you sleeping on my shoulder yet again. https://theathletic.com/343358/2018/05/05/if-mathieu-perreault-is-ready-to-play-winnipeg-needs- to-play-him/

If Mathieu Perreault is ready to play, Winnipeg needs to play him

By Murat Ates

After Winnipeg’s exhilarating comeback win in Game 3, colleague Pierre LeBrun wrote, “There is an unmistakable feeling you get when you start to hang around a team at this time of year, that moment when you start to see a championship squad burgeoning before your eyes, flexing its muscles and finding its path.”

Talk about meeting the moment.

The Jets comeback that night was incredible – a top flight team firing on all cylinders and earning the opportunity to put the NHL’s best team in a 3-1 chokehold. But when that opportunity presented itself in the form of Thursday night’s Game 4 in Winnipeg, the Jets failed to seize it.

It is my opinion that, for LeBrun’s inspiring prose to ring true deep into spring, the Winnipeg Jets are going to need to ice a better effort – and a better roster – than what we saw on Thursday night.

Readers familiar with my work will know that few players affect possession stats more meaningfully than the hard forechecking Mathieu Perreault, a healthy scratch from Thursday night’s roster.

Recall that, when Mark Scheifele was injured in December and Blake Wheeler moved admirably to centre, it was a line made up of Perreault, Bryan Little, and Nik Ehlers that drove Winnipeg’s success.

“One of the few lies I tell up here is that I wasn’t overly surprised at how well we played when (Scheifele) was out when Blake went into the middle,” Paul Maurice said earlier this week. “We were hoping to hold water there.”

To be clear, the success Wheeler had while playing out of position (and without the luxury of a Wheeler clone to play right wing for him) was truly remarkable. It’s just that Perreault, Little, and Ehlers played more at 5-on-5 than Wheeler or any other Jets forward, splitting tough match-ups with Adam Lowry’s line until Lowry too got hurt.

Their results were dominant.

The makeshift top line was well above 60 per cent in all of shot attempts, high danger scoring chances, and expected goals while maintaining a 10-5 lead in actual goals scored at 5-on-5. It was a scintillating run at a critical time in Winnipeg’s season, one that is often overlooked when discussing the Jets resilience in the face of adversity.

Heading into Game 5 tonight in Nashville, Winnipeg faces adversity in a different way.

The Jets second round series against the Predators has now been cut down to a best of three. Two of those three games (if necessary, of course) will be played in Nashville. Winnipeg must win at least one of those games to win the series.

On Friday, moments after Perreault reiterated that he is feeling 100 per cent and ready to step into game action as soon as he is called upon, I asked Maurice a longwinded question about how Perreault could help with match-ups on the road:

MA: Heading out onto the road now, you’ve been kind of clear that you don’t hard match – that you like flow – does a guy like Mathieu Perreault give you the opportunity to be a match-up proof team four lines deep?

PM: Wonderful hair.

There was a long pause for laughter, and then:

MA: How do you feel his hair allows him to turn over pucks in the offensive zone?

PM: Only if he loses them in his hair.

It was a humorous exchange. Listening to my question now, I see how the word “flow” probably incited Maurice’s joke about Perreault’s hair.

That said, I rate Perreault’s value very highly and I do – quite seriously – believe that Perreault’s addition to the Jets lineup would make it essentially match-up proof.

One reason I feel this way is Perreault’s with-or-without-you, via HockeyViz.com:

You’re looking at shots for and against the Winnipeg Jets when Perreault was on the ice this season. Winnipeg’s shots are represented horizontally and its shots against are represented vertically – in short, the further towards the top right of this graph, the better the results. Perreault’s results with any given player are represented by that player’s number in black and his results without that player are represented in blue. In every single case, those results are excellent.

It’s when you look at each player’s results without Perreault on the ice – shown in red – that his impact stands out on this chart. Every single one of Perreault’s teammates does worse in shots for and against without Perreault than with him. It’s hard to imagine a player with a more consistently positive impact when it comes to possession.

After he took part in Friday’s optional skate, Perreault was asked what he could bring to the table against Nashville in the best-of-three series that starts tonight.

“Energy, I guess,” he responded. “You know, I feel like a little bit of energy could have maybe helped the team so hopefully I can come in and do that and try to get in on their D and just do what Mathieu Perreault does.”

We’ll get back to “what Mathieu Perreault does” in a moment. First, I want to discuss Thursday night’s Game 4 in terms of two distinct chapters.

The first chapter begins at puck drop and is marked by the dominance of Winnipeg’s top three lines and the failure of its fourth. The second begins with 5:24 to go in the second period when P.K. Subban scores on the power play and Nashville starts executing its 1-3-1 neutral zone trap to perfection.

Consider this 5-on-5 heat map heading into Thursday’s third period:

Scheifele opened the game with a ten bell chance, Kyle Connor found Patrik Laine for a one- timer from his office, and Josh Morrissey was stymied by the fortuitous butt end of Pekka Rinne’s stick on a play that sent Morrissey’s eyes skyward. Buzzing all game, Little found Lowry in the slot for a chance which beat Rinne but was stopped by Ryan Hartman.

Other than a goal conceded by Winnipeg’s fourth line of Matt Hendricks, Andrew Copp, and Joel Armia while backed up by Ben Chiarot and Tyler Myers, most of the game had gone Winnipeg’s way. It was not until Subban’s 2-0 goal that the game flow turned precipitously in favour of the Predators.

This is where doing “what Mathieu Perreault does” comes back into play.

When I asked Perreault how a team generates zone time against a 1-3-1 like Nashville ran in the latter stages of Game 4, the tireless forechecker gave an insightful answer.

“It’s tough,” Perreault conceded. “You need a lot of energy to be able to put it behind their D and get on the forecheck and go get it back because that’s all they want. I felt like last night we were getting in there and then their D would grab it and then just flip it out and you’d have to do that all over again. It tires you to do that and I feel that’s what they did to us. They tired us out.”

Given that Winnipeg played the second half of Thursday night’s game as essentially a three line team, I wouldn’t be surprised if he is right about the fatigue.

In my opinion, that’s one more argument in favour of dressing four match-up proof lines – a Perreault/Little/Armia line, for example, could certainly be trusted to play more at even strength than the six minutes and change that Hendricks’ line got.

In addition to outlining good strategy, Perreault was speaking to his own strengths.

There are few Jets who close in on defenders with as much tenacity as Perreault does. Between making sure he gets body contact and an extremely active stick, he generates a tremendous amount of turnovers for his teammates.

Also, if you recall that a big part of Winnipeg’s forecheck is forcing a first pass to the wall where a Jets defenseman can pinch – if he has backpressure from a forward – Perreault does an excellent job of applying that pressure.

Asked about applying that pressure in Game 5 tonight, Perreault responded, “We need to get on them,” and then reiterated the importance of playing a high energy game.

“I think today’s going to be a rest day for all the guys that played which is good. Get that rest so tomorrow when we get out there, we have our legs so we can get on those guys and don’t let them grab it and flip it out.”

Certainly when a team is executing its 1-3-1 as well as Nashville did on Thursday, beating it is easier said than done. Still, it took the Predators a lead to start their trap and their lead came on a shift where Hendricks’ line with Chiarot and Myers were hemmed in their own zone.

If Perreault is as healthy as he says, I believe this set of forwards is Winnipeg’s best:

Connor – Scheifele – Wheeler Ehlers – Stastny – Laine Copp – Lowry – Tanev Perreault – Little – Armia

In my opinion, it’s as match-up proof as an NHL team can get. Lowry’s line is a known entity now – impressive by eye and possession stats alike – and Perreault is a boost to any line which will have him.

From the beginning of the season to now, the Winnipeg Jets have handled all of the adversity that has come their way. If this is, as LeBrun so eloquently put it, “A championship squad burgeoning before your eyes, flexing its muscles and finding its path,” the Jets flight path will include at least one more win in Nashville.

If Perreault plays, it will be an important boost to an already powerful team.

TSN 1290 (AUDIO LINKS) https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/mckenzie-don-t-expect-low-scoring-game-5-in- nashville-1.1076258

McKenzie: Don't expect low scoring Game 5 in Nashville

TSN's Bob McKenzie joined the Big Show to talk the passing of longtime GM Bill Torrey, Tom Wilson's three game suspension and the Preds Game 4 win in Winnipeg and why more goals are likely en route as the series winds down. www.winnipegjets.com https://www.nhl.com/jets/news/battle-tested-jets-bringing-excitement-confidence-into-pivotal- game-5/c-298455662

Battle-tested Jets bringing excitement, confidence into pivotal Game 5 Best-of-seven series tied 2-2; Game 5 goes Saturday in Nashville by Ryan Dittrick @ryandittrick / WinnipegJets.com

WINNIPEG - Game on. Series on.

It's a best of three now.

The Winnipeg Jets are heading back to the Music City on the heels of a tight, 2-1 loss in Game 4 Thursday, but are a confident bunch and aren't at all fazed after handing home ice back to their Central Division counterparts.

The fact is, there's no time to dwell on it. Next up is the most pivotal game of the series - and the most important one in franchise history.

In a 2-2 series like this, the winner of Game 5 has gone on to win the series an incredible 79.4 per cent of the time, all time, in Stanley Cup Playoff history.

"Exciting, really," said Head Coach Paul Maurice on what lies ahead. "On the road, normally, you get a real good chance to play your game. You're not getting too wound up, you're not chasing a lot of things. I thought they played a real good road game in here last night and we're going to have to do the same."

Indeed.

In order for the Jets to come up on top, they'll have to win at least more game away from the Whiteout, amid the bedlam at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena.

"We're confident going in there, that we can have success in their building," defenceman Josh Morrissey said following a team meeting on Friday at Bell MTS Place. "It's a tough building, their fans are great, but we've won there before and that's obviously our goal for Game 5.

"Both teams have had games at home and on the road now, and it's an evened-up series. The next game is extremely important, so I expect it to be at another level in terms of intensity and compete."

The Jets had the opportunity to grab a 3-1 series lead with a victory in Game 4, and Morrissey came oh-so close to opening the scoring early in the first period with an open-net wraparound try, but Predators goalie Pekka Rinne came up with a remarkable, and possibly accidental, stick save to keep the game scoreless.

Rinne slid back into his net after saving a Bryan Little shot in tight, and as the puck found its way to Morrissey on the opposite side, his goal stick tumbled out of his hands, flipped upside down and landed perfectly in time with the blueliner's backhand bid.

Morrissey and the rest of the 15,321 on hand couldn't believe it. It was a moment that, had the puck gone in, could have changed the complexion of the game (and series) entirely.

"It was sort of a scramble around the net, and he's a goalie that battles really hard in the crease. Until that puck crosses the line, he's going to make that desperation move or save, and unfortunately - I don't know if he'd tell you it was on purpose - but it ended up being a great save and I just looked skyward. I couldn't believe," Morrissey said.

"For it to hit square on the knob and stay out, it's something I've never seen before. It's unfortunate that it didn't go in, but it is what it is.

"Every night there are plays - goals that could have gone in, goals that do go in, a bouncing puck here and there - and you just have to move forward. I thought we played well enough to put ourselves in a hockey game, but a couple breaks go our way and we might have had a different outcome, but we'll look at things we could do better and be ready to go and go to another level for Game 5."

The Jets outshot the Predators 33-29 and had the majority (13-8) of the high-danger scoring chances, but trailed by a pair after 40 minutes and found it tough to manufacture offence when their opponent protected its two-goal lead with a suffocating style throughout the third period.

Bryan Little said "it was like skating into a wall."

Content to sit back, the Preds clogged up the neutral zone so effectively, the Jets were unable to use their speed to gain entry, and their dumps lacked the force needed to create retrieval opportunities down low.

"They played the exact same way that they played with a 3-0 lead (in Game 3) but we were much more efficient with how we moved," Maurice said. "We didn't do things as well, and they didn't push back as hard, so there was more neutral zone time. There was nothing going on the rush for us, pretty much all game. … We're usually pretty good in those games."

While the Presidents' Trophy winners have certainly done that to many with great success this year, Morrissey believes the Jets fed into it as well. With a strong, puck-handling goalie like Rinne, and a D core as mobile as Nashville's can be, dump ins and rims have to be hard so the wingers on the opposite side can chase down the loose puck, gain possession and set things up offensively.

Instead, the Preds choked up at the blue line, forced turnovers and just flipped it back into the neutral zone, killing time and forcing the Jets to expend energy trying to do it all over again.

"They were trying to create a hard stand in the neutral zone, especially at their blue line," the defenceman said. "I thought we tried to navigate our way through that a bit too much as opposed to getting the puck behind them and creating a battle down low in their end where we could get a retrieval, get possession and get some o-zone time going. You've got to tip your hat to them as well. They played a hard, greasy road game. We'll watch videos and figure out some ways that we can handle that again if we're ever in that situation going forward in the series."

- Ryan Dittrick, WinnipegJets.com https://www.nhl.com/jets/news/perreault-could-return-provide-energy-for-game-5/c-298451684

Perreault could return, provide energy for Game 5 Forward has been out with injury since Game 1 of the Minnesota series by Jamie Thomas @JamieThomasTV / WinnipegJets.com

WINNIPEG - The Winnipeg Jets have been getting healthier as the playoffs have gone on, which is an odd thing to say at this time of year.

On Thursday Joel Armia returned from an upper-body injury and played his first game of the series against the Nashville Predators. Armia played just under eight minutes, chipping in with three shots on goal and a few hits in the 2-1 loss in Game 4.

It appears that Head Coach Paul Maurice has another option for Game 5 with the scrappy Mathieu Perreault making his case to play for the first time since the second period of the opening game of the Minnesota series.

"Very exciting," Perreault said when asked about his availability for Saturday's game. "I don't know yet (if I'm playing); it hasn't been told to me yet, but it's hard to be watching from the stands. I definitely want to be out there. I'm just kind of waiting for a chance to get out there."

In Game 4, the Jets had a tough time getting through a clogged neutral zone once they were down 2-0. Perreault doesn't feel like the Predators did anything different than they have all series, but did say it takes a big commitment to break through.

"You need a lot of energy to put it behind their D, get in on the forecheck and get in on their D and go get it back." Perreault said. "I felt last night we were getting in there and their D would just grab it and flip it out, and then we would have to do that all over again. It tires you (out) and that's what they did to us."

Energy and Perreault go hand in hand, and that's what he promises to bring should his name be called on Saturday. The forward said he could have played on Thursday, but Maurice shot that idea down, especially with Armia being put back in already.

"It wasn't close, fellas," Maurice said. "If he feels he's ready to play, that's really, really important. The docs like where he's at and that's really important. But I'm not putting two guys in my lineup that I'm concerned about coming in off an injury."

- Jamie Thomas, WinnipegJets.com