Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/plenty-of-options-for-backup-role- 460189143.html

Plenty of options for backup role Hutchinson or Comrie will have big shoes to fill if Mason misses time

By: Jason Bell

There was no update Sunday on the health and well-being of Jets goalie Steve Mason as the NHL club returned to Winnipeg following a relatively successful four-game road trip.

The Jets won a pair of games in regulation, defeating the and , and suffered a pair of regulation losses to the and , and are still in fine shape with a 14-6-3 record.

Winnipeg is tied for second place in the Central Division with Nashville and trailing only the St. Louis Blues, and tied for third in the Western Conference with the surging Predators and the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, whose success is the talk of the NHL.

The Jets host the (11-9-3) tonight at 7 p.m. at Bell MTS Place.

Of great concern, however, is the status of Mason, who took a puck to the mask in the first period againt the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. The Jets might require a replacement from their AHL affiliate, the , and there’s concern about a possible concussion.

Mason gave up goals to Sharks Tim Heed and Logan Couture on Saturday night in San Jose, he joined his teammates in the dressing room for the intermission but did not return to the crease for the middle frame.

Connor Hellebuyck took over and stopped 19 of 20 shots in relief to increase his save percentage on the season to .929. Midway through the game, the Jets announced Mason, a 10- year NHL veteran puckstopper, incurred an upper-body injury.

A hard one-timer from Sharks Jannik Hansen at 8:43 of the first was likely to blame for Mason’s early exit, as the blast struck him squarely in the mask. During the ensuing stoppage of play, he told the bench he was good to continue, but during the break he admitted to feeling unwell.

"He stayed in (after the ) and said he was OK after that. We talked to him at the (TV) time out, but by the time he got off the ice he was not feeling right. For us, that’s enough. He’s got to come out," said Winnipeg head coach Paul Maurice, following the 4-0 loss to the Sharks.

"He wasn’t feeling good. He was sick."

The netminding tandem of Michael Hutchinson and Eric Comrie has been dynamite for the Moose (14-5-2) who have won nine of their last 10 and lead the AHL’s Central Division. Comrie’s latest gem was a 30-save shutout Saturday against the host Milwaukee Admirals to push his personal record to 8-4-1, with a 2.30 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage.

But promoting Hutchinson out of necessity seems most logical. Though he did not figure into their plans following the 2016-17 campaign and was left exposed for the expansion draft, Hutchinson knows the landscape after playing parts of four seasons with Winnipeg and has 41 career NHL victories.

Hutchinson has repeatedly refused interviews this season, demonstrating there’s a level of discontent with the direction his career has gone. However, the recent numbers with Manitoba don’t lie — in a back-up role, he’s 6-1-1 with a 2.14 GAA and .939 SP.

Hellebuyck (12-2-2), off to a brilliant start to his bounce-back season, will still get the bulk of the work moving ahead. But he’ll require some respite during a busy rest of November and a hectic December, meaning either Hutchinson or Comrie will have big shoes to fill if Mason is out for any length of time.

Mason’s Jets career began with significant turbulence after loses in his first three starts to the Maple Leafs, and . Since then, his play has been much improved and he’s officially gone 2-0-1, allowing six goals in 11 periods of hockey.

Hellebuyck, speaking a day before Mason was injured, said he’s a huge fan of his creasemate.

"He’s a great and you can see it in him every day. He works hard, he knows what he’s doing. He’s a veteran. He’s going to give himself the best chance to win every single night. And he shows that every day in practice.

Hellebuyck was asked if observing that approach from a former NHL rookie of the year and now long-established starter serve as motivation?

"Absolutely. And not only (Mason), but the entire team. You see the way they’re working hard at their game and I think it drives everyone," he said. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/chiarot-believes-fine-the-right- punishment-for-butt-end-460196703.html

Chiarot believes fine the right punishment for butt-end

By: Jason Bell

WINNIPEG Jets defenceman Ben Chiarot believes the punishment fit the act.

Chiarot was slapped with a US$3,763.44 fine by the NHL department of player safety Saturday for his butt-end to the chin of Anaheim Ducks Corey Perry on Friday.

The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

The incident occurred in the second period after Perry, a talented offensive player for the Ducks who plays with an edge — making him rather unpopular around the NHL — drove hard to the net occupied by goalie Connor Hellebuyck.

While it was difficult to pick up during live action, video clearly showed Chiarot moving his glove toward Perry’s face, with the butt end of his lumber sticking out. Perry incurred a circular-shaped gash that required 20 stitches to close.

Speaking to reporters following the defeat to the Sharks — more than 24 hours after the incident — Chiarot said there was no malicious intent on his part and a suspension wouldn’t have been appropriate.

"There was no real intent on my part to jab him with the butt end of my stick, and I knew that and I’m pretty sure everyone else knew that," he said. "I was pretty confident it would just be a fine.

"It was a scrum in front of the net and I was just getting my hands up to protect myself.

"I know he caught a butt-end on the chin, you know when guys are getting their hands up there’s going to be sticks flying around. That’s going to happen. Guys are going to get clipped by sticks."

Little heating up Nothing has come easy to Bryan Little when it comes to offence this season.

During his tenure in Winnipeg, the veteran centre has become accustomed to being a key provider, and the Jets have come to rely on his complete game — including the points that come with it.

But Little has struggled to locate his scoring touch this season, and the assists expected from a savvy play-maker between two young, dynamic snipers, Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers, haven’t exactly been piling up, either.

He has three goals and nine helpers while appearing in all 23 games for the Central Division team. During a 14-game block of games between Oct. 17 and Nov. 14, he collected just a and three assists.

But signs on the four-game road trip to Nashville and California to better days ahead for Little, who is very aware a contribution from the second forward unit strengthens the Jets as an upper-tier Western Conference squad.

He scored just once — a laser-beam ripper past Anaheim goalie John Gibson in a 4-1 triumph — but picked up three helpers on the trip as well.

There was a clear indication of relief by Little — he tilted his head back and peered upward — when rubber met mesh.

"The chances have been hard to come by, the goals have been hard to come by this year. But the last three or four games I thought our ’s been picking it up," he said, following the victory over the Ducks. "We’ve been getting more chances. I should have had one earlier when Ehlers made a nice cross-ice pass to me and I kind of whiffed on it a bit.

"You’re going to have stretches where things aren’t going your way. And then there’s games like tonight where it ends up in the back of the net," added the 30-year-old, who signed a six-year, US$31.746-million contract extension in mid-September. "Now, we hope to get something rolling with the three of us."

He said production can’t always come primarily from the trio of centre Mark Scheifele and wingers Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor.

"We realize that we need to be playing better, especially five-on-five. I think we have been getting more chances and more time in their end. That’s what we need. We need all lines going. If one line has an off-night, the other ones pick it up," he said.

Winnipeg Sun http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/jets-nearing-end-of-busy-month

Jets nearing end of busy month

By Ken Wiebe

The finish line for this 14-game November mini-marathon is fast approaching for the .

Fresh off a four-game road trip through Tennessee and California, the Jets don’t exactly have much time to exhale, as they host the Minnesota Wild on Monday at Bell MTS Place and jump back on a plane to Denver on Tuesday to face the Colorado Avalanche for the first time this season on Wednesday.

“This is the grinder for us. Get as much as much rest as we possibly can and get as much sleep as we can,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice, whose club flew home on Sunday. “We’re going to be on an airplane every second day before we come home to play Vegas (on Friday). Keep your shifts short and your game simple.”

The Jets felt like they put together nine pretty good periods out of the 12 on the trip, so a 2-2 record on the swing wasn’t a poor stretch overall.

The worst period of the bunch was the second against the Nashville Predators on Monday, when the wheels essentially came off (partly due to a pair of power-play goals against).

In Saturday’s 4-0 loss against the Sharks, the Jets weren’t lacking in the effort department, though the execution was off – and so was the finish.

It was the first time this season the Jets had been blanked and Sharks goalie Martin Jones had to be sharp at times as he made 38 saves.

“It’s disappointing. We played really well the last two games. We came into a tough building to play in, they’re a veteran squad over there and they took advantage of some mistakes we made,” said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey. “It wasn’t the game that we wanted. We had bigger aspirations for the end of that road trip.”

The Jets have been strong within the Central Division to this point of the season, going 4-1, so seeing familiar opponents should ensure the intensity level is high, even if the bodies are feeling a little worn down.

On several occasions this month, Jets head coach Paul Maurice has mentioned he thought this was the most taxing stretch his team might face this entire season.

Rather than crumble, the Jets found a way to not only survive, but thrive.

By going 8-3-1 this month, the Jets rocketed up the standings in the division, the Western Conference and the entire league.

The Jets had been relatively healthy during the first two months of the season, but during the course of this month, they’ve lost defenceman Toby Enstrom to a long-term injury that is expected to sideline him for at least eight weeks.

There figures to be another injury challenge on the horizon, as goalie Steve Mason left Saturday’s game after the first period with an upper-body injury.

Mason took a slapper off the mask from Sharks forward Jannik Hansen and while he was fine in the immediate aftermath, by the time the Jets were back in the dressing room for the intermission, Mason “wasn’t feeling right” and was removed from the game for precautionary reasons.

If Mason suffered a concussion, he’s out indefinitely and there’s no way of telling when the symptoms will clear and when Mason will be feeling back to normal.

Vegas Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury had an outstanding start to the campaign, but after taking a knee to the mask in a game on Oct. 13, he hasn’t played since.

Connor Hellebuyck had already been staking his claim to the Jets goal, starting 16 of the first 22 games.

Hellebuyck’s workload doesn’t figure to be lightening anytime soon, especially if Mason requires a stint on the injured-reserve list.

The Jets have organizational depth between the pipes, so either Michael Hutchinson or Eric Comrie would be promoted to help fill the void.

Both Hutchinson and Comrie are playing well in the minors.

For Hutchinson, a recall could bring an opportunity some wondered would ever come after he was placed on waivers near the end of training camp.

Comrie got his first taste of the NHL game late last season and picked up a victory in his first game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

While Comrie is the Jets top-goalie prospect, it makes more sense to recall Hutchinson right now, since he has more experience and there won’t likely much game action to be hand – at least in the short term.

Until the status of Mason becomes clearer, expect Hellebuyck to take the ball and run with it, as the Jets don’t face a stretch of games on consecutive days until the middle of December. http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/five-keys-to-jets-and-wild

Five keys to Jets and Wild

By Ken Wiebe

Winnipeg Jets vs Minnesota Wild

7 pm CT, MTS Centre, TV: TSN. Radio: TSN 1290

THE BIG MATCHUP

Connor Hellebuyck vs Devan Dubnyk Hellebuyck has given up two or fewer goals in 12 of his 16 starts. Things haven’t been quite as smooth lately for Dubnyk, who has allowed 16 goals during his past four appearances after posting three consecutive shutouts (two against the and one against the ).

KEYS TO THE GAME

Make them special Special teams were at the root of Saturday night losses for both the Jets (against the San Jose Sharks) and Wild (against the St. Louis Blues). The Jets and Wild feature two of the top six power plays in the NHL, so making the man-advantages count will be a priority for both clubs. The Jets will also look to be a bit more aware on the power play, since they gave up a pair of shorthanded breakaways to Logan Couture on Saturday, one of which led to an important insurance goal when the game was 2-0.

Wheeler leads the way Jets Blake Wheeler does plenty of things that don’t end up on the score sheet on a nightly basis, but he has gone four games without registering a point, his longest stretch of the season. Wheeler has enjoyed a great deal of success against the team from his hometown state of Minnesota over the course of his career. The University of Minnesota Gophers alum has 10 goals (including four game-winners) and 22 points in 28 career games against the Wild.

Back to basics It was a tough road trip for Jets defenceman Jacob Trouba. Bumped off the top pairing for the final 50 minutes against the Los Angeles Kings, something has been off in Trouba’s game. His decision-making wasn’t as sound as it has been and his puck movement wasn’t at the level we’re used to seeing from him. It’s an adjustment playing on the top-minute pairing against the other team’s most skilled offensive talents, but when Trouba is on top of his game, it all starts with his mobility and keeping things simple in the defensive zone.

Staal leading the way Just in case you thought it was just a one-year bounceback for Wild centre Eric Staal, it’s time to readjust your thinking. Staal is once again proving it was a wise decision for GM Chuck Fletcher to bring him on board as an unrestricted free agent. The veteran pivot leads the Wild in scoring with eight goals and 21 points in 23 games.

El Nino warning Wild winger Nino Niederreiter has been on fire lately. Although his eight-game point streak (seven goals, nine points) came to an end on Saturday, the speedy forward has nine goals and 12 points in 14 games since returning from a lower-body injury against the Jets on Oct. 31.

The Athletic https://theathletic.com/166566/2017/11/26/minnesota-wild-bruce-boudreau-devan-dubnyk-alex- stalock-defensemen-kirill-kaprizov/

Boudreau on goalie decision vs. Jets, potential third-pair change; disturbing Kaprizov update

By Michael Russo

WINNIPEG — For the sake of Bruce Boudreau’s health, the Wild better rebound Monday night against the Winnipeg Jets. The Wild coach doesn’t sleep well after losses. That’s well-documented by now.

Remember, this is a guy that watches every second of NHL Network coverage following Wild wins but doesn’t turn it on after losses.

But, on Sunday, Boudreau once again proved his nightly anxiety after losses when he was able to somehow break down every facet of something called … the Vanier Cup.

During a bout with insomnia, Boudreau tossed and turned while watching the Canadian university football championship at four in the morning after his team arrived in Winnipeg following a 6-3 loss to the Blues that included three St. Louis power-play goals, a shorthanded goal, six Devan Dubnyk goals surrendered and more shoddy play from the third defense pair.

Looking tired in the lobby of the team hotel during Sunday’s off-day, Boudreau discussed Dubnyk’s recent play and divulged just how close he is to making a third-pair adjustment.

Boudreau wouldn’t say officially if Dubnyk or Alex Stalock will start Monday night against the Jets, but since recording three consecutive shutouts for the second straight season, Dubnyk has allowed 18 goals in his past four starts.

It would seem probable that Stalock gets the start.

In Stalock’s last outing, he made 28 saves in a shootout win over Colorado. Overall in six career games (four starts) vs. the Jets, he’s 3-1 with a 0.99 goals-against average, .955 save percentage and two shutouts. Conversely, last month in Winnipeg, Dubnyk did not play well and gave up four goals — one of nine times he has allowed at least four goals in 18 starts this season.

Saturday’s loss can hardly be pinned on only Dubnyk, but he needed to be better in a first period where the Wild actually didn’t play that poorly.

The Wild didn’t capitalize on their chances, “but it seemed like whatever they touched went in the net,” Boudreau said.

Boudreau considered pulling Dubnyk for the second time in almost three weeks, but he decided to make Dubnyk fight it out.

“Sometimes you have to battle through these things,” Boudreau said. “Sometimes it’s an easy out just to pull him. I thought in the second he responded by making a couple great saves. He got right into the game, and it got us back into the game. Going into the third, we thought we still had a chance.”

Still, Dubnyk’s inconsistency this season is a concern. Consistency was Dubnyk’s hallmark when he first came to the Wild, but now he’s allowing at least four goals in 50 percent of his starts.

“We’re a team, quite frankly, if we score three, we need to win those games,” Boudreau said. “I was just telling them (in a meeting), we have to play great defensively from the goalie out to be successful. We’re not going to win a lot of 6-5 games if you just look at firepower around the league and what we have. It’s a problem because I think we take pride in … after his third (straight) shutout, we were third in the league defensively and now we’re tumbling near the bottom again.

“So the consistency is not there and we’ve got to get consistent in doing what we do. We practice pretty well the same way all the time.”

Boudreau wouldn’t confirm if Stalock will start Monday, but he said, “We think we’ve got two really good goalies here and when you play eight games in 13 days, you’re going to need both of them. I don’t think it’s any shame or anything if we started Alex or not. Over the course of the year, I think it’s going to end up somewhere between 55 and 60 for Duby and 20 and 25 for Alex. And that’s the way we’re counting on it. Where it comes in, who knows right now.

“I didn’t like (Stalock’s) first period the other day (against Colorado), and he gives up two and then all of a sudden he locks it down and he gets into a groove and you knew nothing else was going to beat him. And Devan gets the same way. Those three shutouts, you knew there were no pucks going by him and all of that stuff gives everyone else confidence to play a little, I wouldn’t say looser, but to do things that are more natural.”

Third pair change coming? Boudreau is clearly growing tired of the struggles with rotating third-pair defensemen Kyle Quincey, Mike Reilly and Gustav Olofsson.

In Buffalo and home against the Colorado Avalanche, Reilly struggled dramatically. In St. Louis, it was Quincey.

Of all NHL defensemen who have played at least 100 even-strength minutes, Reilly and Quincey are among two of the worst possession players in the NHL. Their respective Corsi ratings of 39.52 and 41.6 ranked second- and fifth-worst among their peers. This also isn’t a case of two players being dragged down on a bad team, either, with their relative Corsi ratings of minus-7.23 (Reilly) and minus-6.63 (Quincey) indicative of two players who are performing well below the regular level their teammates achieve.

The Corsi ratings of their teammates take a dramatic turn for the worse when on the ice with either player.

Boudreau admitted he spoke Sunday with coach Derek Lalonde.

“I asked him for recommendations and will tell (GM) Chuck (Fletcher),” Boudreau said. “We’ll see what goes on.”

According to those who have watched the solid-playing Baby Wild recently, the physical Nick Seeler has been their best defenseman. If he were to come up, the Wild would likely move left shot Jonas Brodin to the right side. There’s also Carson Soucy, as well as right-shot defensemen Ryan Murphy, Alex Grant and Brennan Menell.

It's believed the Blues, who have eight defensemen, planned to place former Wild Nate Prosser on waivers Friday until they felt the Wild may put in a waiver claim. Prosser has played one game this season. www.winnipegjets.com https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/exclusive--kompons-cancer-story/t-277437442/c-54942003

EXCLUSIVE | Kompon's Cancer Story

Winnipeg Jets Assistant Coach, Jamie Kompon and his wife Tina, share their personal cancer story