Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/jets-head-off-on-the-longest-road-trip-of- the-season-475743663.html

Jets head off on the longest road trip of the season

By: Mike McIntyre

RALEIGH, North Carolina - They've hit the road for their longest trip of the season, no doubt feeling pretty good about where their game is at and what the future might hold.

Now the for the Jets should be to return home 10 days from now in as good a shape as when they left.

It won't be easy. Winnipeg will face six teams who are either firmly entrenched in a playoff spot and jockeying for position or fighting just to make the spring dance. Of course, the Jets seem at ease in enemy territory this season, collecting points in 21 of 31 games so far (14-10-7). They are 4-0-1 in their last five road games dating back to mid-January.

Up first Sunday night will be the , who have climbed their way into the final Eastern Conference wildcard spot thanks to a 2-0-1 run which just included back-to-back victories on home ice over Philadelphia and New Jersey. The Hurricanes surrendered just two goals combined in those games and look to be hitting their stride at the right time.

Winnipeg is coming off Friday night's 4-3 win over , which leaves them firmly entrenched in second place in the Central Division at 38-17-9 with 18 games left. The Jets are six points back of first-place Nashville, but six points ahead of second-place and Dallas. It's a comfortable position to be in, for sure, but one which should keep them on their toes considering the schedule ahead.

"You've got to be careful about thinking that because you're sitting close to the top that at some any of these games get easy," coach said following the latest game, which wasn't always pretty but got the job done.

After the quick stop here in Raleigh, it's on to the Big Apple. Winnipeg will take on a New York club Tuesday which recently sold off a of key parts as they look to rebuild. However, the Rangers are still within striking distance of a playoff spot, however, remote their chances may seem.

Then they face a squad Thursday, led by emerging Hart Trophy candidate who might just be the hottest player in the NHL these days.

Winnipeg follows that up with a Saturday matinee against Philadelphia, who is in the mix for the top spot in the .

And then the trip ends with a gruelling back-to-back in Washington followed by Nashville.

"Every team now is playing for something," said following Friday's game. "You have to be ready every night in this league. "The teams and the parity...it's too good. If you take a night off or you're not ready to go, you're going to look silly."

The Jets will only have a dozen games left — eight of them on home ice — by the time they return to Bell MTS Place to take on the March 15.

This road trip may also begin to sort out some lineup questions.

Expect to rejoin the team in the coming days as back-up to , provided there are no more bumps in the road as he returns from his second concussion of the year. That may allow Maurice to give Hellebuyck some valuable rest should the situation allow it. Current backup Michael Hutchinson has only played two games since Mason went down almost two months ago, meaning Hellebuyck has been given plenty of work.

As well, forwards , and are also expected to return soon from injury. Lowry has a place in the lineup when he's ready, but where Tanev and Matthias might fit remains to be seen. There is a logjam at the forward position these days, which is certainly a good problem to have from an internal competition perspective.

Injured defenceman is also on the road trip and is expected to continue to skate and work his way back from a serious ankle injury, with a target date of mid-March for his return. He will provide a huge boost on the back end when he returns.

THE TOUGH ROAD AHEAD: (Note: Records and positioning were heading into action Saturday night)

TONIGHT: Carolina Hurricanes: 29-25-11, currently hold final wildcard playoff spot in Eastern Conference. 16-11-6 at home.

TUESDAY: : 29-30-6, currently five points out of final wildcard playoff spot in Eastern Conference. 18-12-4 at home.

THURSDAY: New Jersey Devils: 33-24-8, currently hold first wildcard playoff spot in Eastern Conference. 17-12-3 at home.

SATURDAY: : 34-20-11, currently tied for first in Metropolitan Division. 16- 10-6 at home.

MONDAY: : 36-21-7, currently tied for first in Metropolitan Division. 22-9-2 at home.

TUESDAY: : 41-14-9, currently first in Central Division. 22-7-3 at home.

Winnipeg Sun http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/laine-heating-up-jets-sniper-in- impressive-company

Laine heating up: Jets sniper in impressive company

By Ken Wiebe

Patrik Laine has found another gear and that’s a scary proposition for opponents of the .

By scoring twice in a 4-3 victory over the on Friday, the Jets sniper continued to pile up numbers that are somehow being overlooked.

Laine leads the Jets with 33 goals this season and his 55 points trail only ’s 73.

With the Jets set to open a season-long six-game trip on Sunday against the Carolina Hurricanes, Laine is playing some of his best hockey of the season.

During a seven-game point streak, Laine has eight goals and 13 points.

Impressive numbers on their own, but it’s the historical element of what the Finnish forward is doing that’s somehow stayed under the radar.

Coupled with his 36 goals as a rookie, Laine has moved into a tie for sixth overall with Red Wings legend and Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman for the most goals by a teenager in NHL history, at 69.

With 18 games left in the regular season, Laine is sure to move up the list.

How high can he reach?

That’s tough to predict.

Jimmy Carson’s 92 seems unrealistic and ’s 85 is going to be a tall task, but (75), and Brian Bellows (76) appear well within reach.

Regardless of where Laine finishes up on this list, he’s already put himself in pretty heady company.

It has been said on numerous occasions that when the Jets moved from sixth to second in the NHL draft lottery back in 2016, it was a franchise-altering moment.

From that point forward, the Jets knew they were about to bring a pure sniper into the organization – unless the Maple Leafs shocked the hockey world and passed on franchise .

Laine was going to make an impact, that much was certain, but predicting his level of production was a bit more challenging.

Finding the back of the net on a consistent basis is one of the toughest things for an NHL player to do.

Laine was just 18 years old when he joined the Jets and was about to play his first full season in North America, but that didn’t prevent expectations from running wild.

By putting up 36 goals and 64 points in 73 games last season, Laine showed he wasn’t afraid of the hype. Nor was he interested in providing any fodder for those in the media who were trying to turn Laine and Matthews into a rivalry that resembles Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin.

It didn’t matter that the Jets and Maple Leafs only meet twice a season and the only chance they’d ever meet in the playoffs would be in the final.

By finishing second in the chase for the Calder Trophy, it was natural to wonder what Laine was going to do for an encore.

Could Laine hit 50 goals in his second NHL season?

My own projection had him in the 40-to-45 range and that’s where Laine is currently tracking to reach.

This season has not been without its challenges though for Laine, who added muscle during the off-season and needed some time to find his skating legs on a consistent basis.

Those days appear to be behind him.

While his puck management, especially when exiting the defensive zone, remains a work in progress, Laine has elevated his game when his team needs him most.

Perhaps the biggest development for the Jets is that Laine has increased his production at even strength.

For a good chunk of the campaign, Laine was piling up points on the power play – which is no surprise when you consider his booming and quick release.

With 16 goals and 25 points with the man-advantage, Laine is an obvious weapon that opponents must respect.

And when teams try to take away the Laine one-timer, it opens up other options for the Jets, whose power play is currently ranked second in the NHL.

But adding the point production at even strength makes him – and the Jets – even more dangerous, not to mention tougher to defend.

“He’s a big, strong, powerful man that has other pieces to his game that he can still develop that are going to make him even more dynamic,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice said. “He’s always had the shot – and still does. He’s a very bright man.”

Laine is also a talented player whose first two seasons are going to be discussed for a long time.

WONDER YEARS

Most goals by a teenager in the NHL Jimmy Carson, , 92 Dale Hawerchuk, Winnipeg Jets, 85 Wayne Gretzky, Oilers, 76 Brian Bellows, , 76 Sidney Crosby, , 75 , Winnipeg Jets, 69 (with 18 games left in regular season) Steve Yzerman, Detroit Red Wings, 69 http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/armia-makes-his-case-versatile-jets- -working-to-stay-in-lineup

Armia makes his case: Versatile Jets winger working to stay in lineup

By Ken Wiebe

Who stays in, who comes out?

With forwards Adam Lowry and Brandon Tanev close to returning from injury, there has been plenty of debate over who might have to come out of the Winnipeg Jets lineup when all of the forwards are healthy.

On Friday night, Jets right-winger made a strong case to remain among the regular skaters.

After going 10 games without a point, Armia has picked up assists in consecutive games and his all-around game caught the attention of Jets head coach Paul Maurice.

Armia was promoted to the Jets second line with and with just over a minute to play and his team protecting a one-goal lead.

“He was really strong on the wall and really strong on pucks and that was an area we were kind of light on, so he got the nod toward the end of the game,” said Maurice. “His battle was really good. On 50-50 pucks, (Armia) won more than he lost and that put him further up the lineup for us.”

Armia already tied his career high for goals (10) and has 24 points in 61 games this season and has been used on both the kill and power play at various points, so he brings a lot of versatility – which only enhances his value.

Veteran centre is another player who could come out of the lineup, but he had three shots on goal and five hits in 8:31 of ice time on Friday – after scoring his fifth goal of the season in Tuesday’s 6-5 loss to the Nashville Predators. http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/five-keys-to-jets-vs-hurricanes

So the competition for ice time among the forward group isn’t expected to tail off anytime soon.

Game Day: Jets at Hurricanes

By Ken Wiebe

WINNIPEG JETS at CAROLINA HURRICANES

Sunday, 6 p.m., PNC Arena

TV: . Radio: TSN 1290

THE BIG MATCHUP

Patrik Laine vs These two young Finnish stars combined to win a world junior gold medal and now are leading their respective NHL teams in goals in just their second NHL season. Laine is riding a seven- game point streak and is up to 33 goals and 55 points in 64 games, while Aho has 23 goals and 50 points.

FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME

Depth matters Both of these teams are enjoying success because of spread-out scoring. Although the Hurricanes don’t have quite as much high-end talent up front, they do have nine forwards in double digits in goals – the same number the Jets have.

Morrissey shines Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey is coming off one of his strongest games of the season – and not just because he chipped in two assists for just his second multipoint game (and first since Dec. 1 against the ). Morrissey had another two blocked shots, a hit and was effective at both ends of the ice throughout Friday’s 4-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings.

Chasing history Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck finds himself one win behind for the franchise record for single-season victories. Hellebuyck is 33-11-8 this season with a 2.40 goals-against average and .921 save %, but has given up 11 goals in four games against the Hurricanes during his career, with six of those coming while the Jets are shorthanded. So discipline figures to be a discipline for the Jets as well.

Mr. Shutdown Hurricanes centre is going to be tasked with trying to contain the line on Sunday night. Staal embraces the shutdown role, but he’s found a way to remain productive, chipping in 14 goals and 36 points in 62 games this season. Staal has 14 goals and 23 goals in 31 career games against the Jets.

Fire away Goaltending has been an issue for the Hurricanes this season, as off-season acquisition Scott Darling has gone 10-16-7 with a 3.08 goals-against average and .889 save % in 34 games. Veteran Cam Ward has 19 victories, a 2.60 goals-against average and two shutouts. Although the numbers (2.94 goals-against average, .903 save %) aren’t pretty, Ward has enjoyed some success against the Jets – going 24-12-5 in 42 games against the franchise.