Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/lowrys-wait-almost-over-454605623.html

Lowry's wait almost over Jets centre itching for return to lineup following injury

By: Mike McIntyre

With his teammates on a red-hot run, Adam Lowry is itching to get in on the action.

The big centre won’t have to wait much longer. Lowry was a full participant in Wednesday’s optional Jets practice, shedding his yellow no-contact jersey for nearly an hour of hard skating and battle drills.

Lowry has been out of the lineup since aggravating a nagging upper-body injury Oct. 12 in Vancouver. While he’ll miss an eighth-straight game tonight when Winnipeg hosts the Dallas Stars, he’s targeting Saturday night against the for his return.

"I felt good. I think that any time you’re hurt you want to be out there. Sometimes it takes a little longer than you expected. But it’s nice to finally get some contact again, get battling. I’m starting to feel good. I feel like I’m getting close," Lowry said following Wednesday’s skate. "I’m excited. It’s nice that the team’s playing well. It makes it a little bit easier. Hopefully they’re going to continue that, and I’ll be able to jump in and we’ll just keep going from where we’re at right now."

Therein lies the problem for Jets head coach , albeit a good one to have. With a key player such as Lowry set to return, who comes out of the lineup for a team that has just one regulation loss in its past nine games (6-1-2)?

Andrew Copp has been centring the Jets’ third line, but Lowry’s return to that spot will likely move Copp to a bottom-six wing position, where he’ll be competing for ice time with the likes of Shawn Matthias, , Joel Armia, Brendan Lemieux and Marko Dano.

Lowry has had a birds-eye view of his team from the press box, and believes strong goaltending and attention to defensive detail have been the big improvements.

"I think the biggest thing you notice from up top is just how well we’re defending right now. We’re giving up some shots, but a lot of them are from the outside. If they’re getting good chances, we’re getting sticks on their sticks or sticks on pucks and causing them to miss the net. And when they do get their chances, our goalies have been there," he said.

Lowry remains on injured reserve. Once he’s activated, the Jets will have to make a roster move to remain at the 23-player limit.

The logical choice would be to send rookie defenceman to the Moose, to give him some playing time. He’s only dressed for three of the team’s 11 games this season, with his last action coming Oct. 17. He’s currently one of eight healthy defencemen on the roster. Poolman doesn’t have to pass through waivers.

"He’s an older player but he’s waiverable, and that tells you that he doesn’t have a lot of pro experience yet. But I would say that about any of the players that are waiverable. We won’t let them sit too, too long before they got to get some games," Maurice said Wednesday, when asked about Poolman’s status.

"He’s the first guy on the right side (as an injury replacement) for sure. I’ll just leave it at that. I don’t think it needs to go too, too much longer. We’ve got to get him into a hockey game."

Lowry wouldn’t reveal specifics about his injury, only to say it wasn’t a concussion.

"It kind of happened almost on a practice day. I was able to get through the game in Vancouver, and it just didn’t settle down like we thought it would. It kind of just lingered. It was just one of those things where it didn’t progress as quickly as we hoped," said Lowry. "It kind of lingered on. Initially, we thought it was only going to be a couple days, a couple games, and here we are at seven games going on eight (Thursday). But I’m happy with the way it’s coming along. I don’t think there’s going to be any long-term effects or anything like that."

Only 11 skaters, and goalie Steve Mason, participated in Wednesday’s practice, which took place less than 12 hours after the Jets returned on a late-night flight after beating the 2-1. Winnipeg is in the midst of a stretch of playing seven games in 12 days, so Maurice said it’s important to monitor energy levels.

Winnipeg will face a tough challenge in the Stars, who come into town at 7-5-0, and with plenty of firepower from the likes of Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov. They’ve also been getting terrific goaltending from free-agent signing Ben Bishop, as new coach Ken Hitchcock looks to tap into their potential.

"They’re trying to play a better defensive hockey game, and I think they’re dialed into that. They got some good, high-end skill and speed up front. They got some good size, and now they got some real good goaltending. Pretty similar," Maurice said.

"It’s always (got) the potential for a real exciting game. I think, probably, both teams are hopeful it can be real exciting and played well at the same time, which would be a change from last year."

Winnipeg is off to a 2-0-0 start within their division this season, with both wins coming against Minnesota. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/hellebuyck-staking-his-claim-to-blue- paint-454605003.html

Hellebuyck staking his claim to blue paint

By: Mike McIntyre

It appears to be Connor’s crease to lose.

Connor Hellebuyck will get the start in net tonight for Winnipeg, his eighth of the young season. He is 6-0-1 this season with a sparkling 1.91 GAA and .940 save percentage, which puts him among the league’s best so far.

Jets coach Paul Maurice said he wants to get Steve Mason (0-3-1, 4.84 GAA and .872 SV%) into another game soon, following a strong performance last week against the Blue Jackets in Columbus, and has a plan mapped out.

"I got a flow chart, mental flow chart, of how this goes if it goes well (Thursday) or not, with each goalie, where you would end up putting guys in," Maurice said Wednesday, without tipping his hand. "Thought it was important Steve got back in and got a good game under his belt. I think the schedule now sets itself up, so there’s less concern about that. We got practice time coming up, and Connor is going well right now."

Keeping strange company

The Jets were two points behind the Vegas Golden Knights, tied with the and two points ahead of the prior to Wednesday night’s NHL action.

Now just imagine, if you will, the panic that would have ensued around these parts if you had told fans a month ago they’d be sharing company in the standings with those teams as of Nov. 1. The natural assumption would the Jets had just experienced an absolutely dreadful October that had them near the basement of the league, given where many had predicted Colorado, Vancouver and Vegas to finish.

But the numbers don’t lie. And there are the Jets, currently tied for second in the Central Division and fourth in the Western Conference, while the Avalanche, Canucks and Golden Knights also enjoy surprisingly strong starts to their seasons.

Perreault back on ice

Jets forward Mathieu Perreault skated on his own Wednesday for the first time since being injured Oct. 14 while blocking a shot. He is expected to rejoin the team for practices after the Montreal game, and will come on next week’s road trip through Dallas, Vegas and Arizona, with the possibility of playing by the end.

He remains on injured reserve. Like centre Adam Lowry, activating him would require a roster move be made.

"All these questions (about roster decisions), and they’re good ones, we got two more guys potentially coming back in.

"So many times, you don’t need an answer because something else creeps up and all the decisions you think you’re going to have to make five days from now never materialize, so we’ll play it as it comes," Maurice said.

Jets all-in to fight cancer

The annual "Hockey Fights Cancer" night has been set for Nov. 27 at Bell MTS Place. Players will wear special jerseys during the pre-game warmup prior to taking on the Minnesota Wild, while players and coaches will sport lavender-coloured ties.

Raffle tickets will be sold for $5 at all Jets Gear locations and in the concourse at upcoming home games for a chance to win the jerseys. Fans can buy autographed mystery pucks and mini sticks on the concourse on Nov. 27. An online auction following the game will also give fans a chance to bid on Hockey Fights Cancer painted goalie masks worn by Hellebuyck and Mason, along with player-worn ties, game-used lavender-taped sticks and more.All proceeds will be directed to CancerCare Manitoba’s pediatric clinical trials.

Winnipeg Sun http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/jets-off-to-second-best-start-since- relocation

Jets off to second best start since relocation

By Ken Wiebe

The are off to one of the best starts in their history, but are wary of getting too far ahead of themselves so early in the season

It’s been said many times before that you can’t nail down your spot in the pecking order with a strong first month.

But as the Winnipeg Jets have witnessed first-hand on more than one occasion, a rough start can put you in a hole that’s difficult to dig out from.

After earning a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday at the Xcel Energy Center, the Jets essentially wrapped up the month of October in style, collecting 14 out of a possible 18 available points following an 0-2 start.

“It was a tough month,” said Jets captain Blake Wheeler. “We weren’t necessarily put through the grinder with the amount of games played, but we just played four (games) in six (days) against a pretty heavy competition and did pretty good. You’re not going to ensure you’re going to make the playoffs, but you can really put yourself behind and we’ve seen that a number of years, where we’ve been so far behind that, no matter what we do, it’s tough to make up ground.

“You want to get off to a good start and bank as many points as you can. We’re learning a lot about our team and how we need to play every night to have success.”

By going 6-3-2 in a month that featured nine of 11 games against teams that qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs last spring, the Jets did more than just keep their collective heads above water.

They’ve produced the second best start for the franchise since it relocated from Atlanta.

The best start was in 2015-16, when the Jets went 7-3-1. But things quickly went south in November of that season, including a six-game losing skid that knocked the season right off the rails.

During 2014-15, when the Jets actually made the playoffs, they were 5-5-1 in October, but picked up the pace during November.

“There’s lots of really good areas to improve on. What I like is the general theme,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “Since the Columbus game (a 5-2 loss and the Jets’ only regulation defeat since Oct. 7), we’re playing faster. That’s the style of game we have to play. We’re moving the puck a little bit quicker, we’re a little simpler through the neutral zone. I still think we can generate more shots and put pucks to the net.

“Twenty games is the start for me. We’ve been fortunate to have good goaltending, so we’re on the right side of the ledger.”

Going into the campaign, the main focus for the Jets was on tightening up defensively. Through 11 games, they have surrendered 32 goals. That’s not an ideal number for them, but it’s important to remember they allowed 13 of those markers during the first two games — when poor puck management and numerous odd-man rushes allowed — were far more prevalent.

There are times when the Jets lose men in coverage and have been under siege, but they’ve received top-shelf goaltending from Connor Hellebuyck — who has started seven of the past nine games and is among the league leaders in goals-against average and save percentage.

The commitment to team defence is improving, but is something that wasn’t going to be fixed overnight. It’s going to require constant attention throughout the course of this season, but there have been signs that show the Jets are chipping away at the process.

“We’re considerably better,” said Maurice. “Our low position in our end of the ice is clearly better and I don’t think we’ve turned as many pucks over in the neutral zone during the last four or five (games). Being casual in the neutral zone with the puck has been out of our game, for the most part. It’s a start.”

Even after the 0-2 start, the Jets were saying all the right things about it not being a time to panic. They knew what areas needed cleaning up and figured that, eventually, the offence would come around. Having the right mentality was also a factor in the recent turnaround.

“It was a great learning experience right off the bat,” Wheeler said. “We talked about it right after the first couple of games that it could go two ways. You could learn from it and get better or it could deflate your team. Never for a second did I feel like our group was deflated or feeling sorry for themselves.

“We were confident in what we had, confident in the faces in the room and it was just a matter of figuring it out. We figured it out in and, for the most part, we’ve been playing good hockey.” http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/lowry-closing-in-on-return

Lowry closing in on return

By Ken Wiebe

Adam Lowry wasn’t ready to reveal what has kept him out of the lineup for seven games and counting.

But the Winnipeg Jets centre did say what it wasn’t after shedding the non-contact jersey for the first time since heading to the sidelines because of an upper-body injury.

“It wasn’t a concussion, so you guys can know that,” Lowry told reporters after the optional workout. “Sometimes it takes a little longer than you expected. But it’s nice to finally get some contact again, get battling. It kind of happened on a practice day. I was able to get through the game in Vancouver and it just didn’t settle down like we thought it would. It kind of just lingered.

“It’s kind of a day-to-day thing. We’ve just got to see how it responds every day to getting hit and things like that.”

Lowry isn’t ready to face the Dallas Stars when the Jets open a two-game homestand on Thursday, but there’s still an outside chance he could suit up on Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens.

“The earliest we would consider is Montreal, but (I’m) certainly not committing to that,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice told reporters on Wednesday.

Lowry had no points, nine shots on and was averaging 16 minutes and 27 seconds of ice time in four games before finding himself on the injured reserve list.

Lowry posted career highs in goals (15), assists (14) and points (29) while appearing in all 82 games last season. “He’s definitely going in the right direction now.”

Pro Hockey Talk http://nhl.nbcsports.com/2017/11/01/connor-hellebuyck-is-on-a-roll-for-the-jets/

Connor Hellebuyck is on a roll for the Jets

By Cam Tucker

The Winnipeg Jets went out this summer to make a move that would solidify their goaltending, signing free agent Steve Mason.

One of Winnipeg’s most pressing concerns over the years has been goaltending. So far this season, the potential solution to that issue has come from within the organization.

Mason, on a two-year deal worth a total of $8.2 million, began the season as the starting goalie in the opener but struggled right away, which has opened up the opportunity to Connor Hellebuyck. And so far he has made the most of it, with only one loss in eight games and the Jets still earned a single point in that defeat.

He has six wins so far, posting an early save percentage of .940. Head coach Paul Maurice told reporters today that Hellebuyck will get the start Thursday against the Dallas Stars, acknowledging that his 24-year-old netminder is “going well right now.”

On three occasions over his last five starts, Hellebuyck has held the opposition to just a single goal, including last night’s 28-save performance — and 2-1 Jets win — against the Minnesota Wild.

“I think the big games bring out the best in him and he’s playing with a lot of confidence right now,” said Jets captain Blake Wheeler, per CBC. “We’re trying to do a good job in front of him, letting him see pucks, and he’s making some big saves so that keeps you in games.”

Mason’s most recent start was last Friday. It was a promising one for the Jets, as he stopped 35 of 37 shots faced, although Winnipeg lost to Columbus in overtime.

The Jets, second in the Central Division with a 6-3-2 record, host the Stars on Thursday and the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, before setting off on a three-game road trip that includes games against Dallas, Vegas and Arizona. They’ll play the Golden Knights and Coyotes in a back-to-back situation next Friday and Saturday, which could give Mason an opportunity to get back in the net for at least one of those games.

But for now, Hellebuyck has provided the Jets with the type of performances you’d expect from a No. 1 goalie, which bodes well for a team that certainly isn’t lacking in top-end talent in other parts of its lineup.

ESPN.com http://www.espn.com/nhl/insider/story/_/id/21253053/nhl-ranking-all-15-western-conference- coaching-staffs-tiers

Ranking all 15 Western Conference coaching staffs in tiers

By Rob Vollman

As projected, an experienced and accomplished new coaching staff helped the Minnesota Wild vault up the standings from 87 points in 2015-16 to a franchise record 106 points in 2016-17. And, so far in 2017-18, the Vegas Golden Knights are demonstrating the wisdom of filling coaching vacancies with proven names.

Using a methodology introduced for the 2009-10 season, and explained in more detail in our 2015-16 edition, it is possible to objectively measure the experience and past success of each team's coaching staff at a high level.

How do things shape up for the 2017-18 season in the Western Conference? We'll examine those 15 teams here and place each staff into a specific tier:

Tier 1: Accomplished

Tier 2: Experienced

Tier 3: Balanced

Tier 4: Inexperienced or underachieving

Plotting every Western staff Overall, the results of our analysis are easiest to observe on the following chart, which features a weighted average of each coaching staff's combined experience on the horizontal axis and an estimate of the success their teams have enjoyed on the vertical axis. The most accomplished coaching staffs will therefore be at the top, the most experienced will be on the right, while those with the shortest lists of credentials are toward the bottom-left corner.

To briefly recap the formula, experience is the combined games of NHL head-coaching experience by anyone on the staff plus half-credit for experience in the AHL, ECHL, Canadian Major Junior Leagues (OHL, WHL and QMJHL) and NCAA Division I. There's also a 25-game bonus for each season as an assistant coach.

As for the vertical axis, the success metric is based on how a head coach's team fared in the standings, compared to the previous season. To be fair to those coaching particularly good or bad teams, the previous season's results are regressed 35 percent toward league average before the comparison is made, so a head coach must keep a good team good or help improve a bad team by more than it would have improved without him at the helm.

Tier 4: The inexperienced or underachieving

Winnipeg Jets Staff: Paul Maurice (head), Charlie Huddy, Jamie Kompon, Todd Woodcroft, Wade Flaherty (goalie) Adjusted games coached: 2,417 games Standings points added: -37 points

With so many organizations quick to pull the trigger after a disappointing season, it was quite remarkable to see Winnipeg's coaching staff extended. In particular, Paul Maurice is a highly respected coach with 19 seasons of NHL head coaching experience, but his teams have made the playoffs only five times. Whether it's Winnipeg, Carolina, Toronto, or the old Hartford Whalers, Maurice-coached teams have usually slipped in the standings. There's unquestionably a wealth of experience and reputation on Winnipeg's bench, but there isn't a lot of data that suggests a breakout season.

TSN.ca http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/7-in-70-grading-the-canadian-teams~1247658 (VIDEO LINK)

7 in 70: Grading the Canadian teams

With one month all wrapped up in the NHL season, Dave Poulin and Jamie McLennan unveil their first month report cards with grades for all seven Canadian clubs.

TSN 1290 (AUDIO LINKS) http://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/dreger-jets-developing-confidence-in-goal-1.903051

Dreger: Jets developing confidence in goal

TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger discusses the trade market for Evander Kane, the Canucks surprising start to the season, and Connor Hellebuyck's play. http://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/kidd-jets-are-playing-better-defensively-1.903090

Kidd: Jets are playing better defensively

TSN 1290 Winnipeg Jets Analyst Trevor Kidd joins the Afternoon Ride. They recap the Jets win vs. Minnesota and discuss Connor Hellebuyck's success early this season. www.winnipegjets.com https://www.nhl.com/jets/news/lowry-inches-closer-to-return-from-lower-body-injury/c- 292501228 (INTERVIEWS INCLUDED)

Lowry inches closer to return from lower-body injury Practices in non-contact jersey for the first time on Wednesday by Mitchell Clinton @MitchellClinton / WinnipegJets.com

WINNIPEG - Fans at Bell MTS Iceplex saw the usual blue and red practice jerseys as 12 Winnipeg Jets players took to the ice for practice today. But it's what they didn't see that was important.

The yellow non-contact jersey was nowhere to be seen, as Adam Lowry practiced in a regular sweater for the first time since suffering his upper-body injury on Oct. 14.

At least, that was the first game he missed. The 24-year-old had been dealing with the injury for a few days leading up to that.

"It kind of happened almost on the practice day (in Vancouver). I was able to get through the game in Vancouver, but it just didn't settle down like we thought it would, and it just lingered," said Lowry. "It wasn't a concussion, so you guys can know that. It was just one of those things that it didn't progress as quickly as we hoped. It kind of lingered on. Initially we thought it was only going to be a couple days, and here we're at seven games, going on eight tomorrow."

Lowry was a full participant in the 45-minute skate, and then did some battle drills and conditioning skating to round out his on-ice workday.

"It was nice to finally get some contact again, and get battling. I'm starting to feel good. I feel like I'm getting close. I'm just excited," said Lowry. "It's nice that the team is playing well, it makes sitting out a little bit easier, and hopefully they're going to continue that, and I'll be able to jump in and we'll be able to keep going from where we're at right now."

As far as a return to action, both Lowry and head coach Paul Maurice are hopeful for Saturday's game against Montreal, but couldn't set a date in stone. It all depends on how Lowry's body responds following full-contact practices.

"He skated well for the past couple days. He'll get through a couple days of banging here," said Maurice. "He's definitely going in the right direction now."

But before the Jets can look ahead to Saturday, they first have to focus on Thursday's opponent, the Dallas Stars, who roll into town with a 7-5-0 record.

"I thought their season last year almost mirrored ours. It's similar again. They've added four important pieces, and we did too. Tyler Myers was one of them," said Maurice. "They're trying to play a better defensive hockey game, and I think they're dialled into that. They've got some good high-end skill and speed up front, some good size, and some real good goaltending.

"There's always potential for a real exciting game. I think probably both teams are hopeful it can be exciting and played well at the same time, which would be a change from last year."

The Jets have points in eight of their last nine games, going 6-1-2 in that span. While Lowry was part of the first two match-ups (wins over Edmonton and Vancouver), he's liked what he's seen from his teammates in the other seven.

"The biggest thing you notice from up top is just how well we're defending right now," said Lowry. "We're giving up some shots, but a lot of them are from the outside. If they're getting some good chances, we're getting sticks on their sticks, or sticks on pucks. You're causing them to miss the net, and when they do get those chances, our goalies have been there."

ICE CHIPS Mathieu Perreault also continues to progress from a lower-body injury that has kept him out of the line-up for six games. The 29-year-old forward skated on his own today for the first time since his injury on Oct. 17.

"He'll stay on his own probably until after Montreal, maybe even after Dallas," said Maurice. "We'll put him back on the ice on that road trip (next week)."

Maurice also confirmed that Connor Hellebuyck, who made 28 saves on 29 shots in the win over the Minnesota Wild Tuesday night, will get the start against the Stars tomorrow.

Hellebuyck is 6-0-1 with a 1.91 goals against average so far this season.