Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/jets-forward-depth-gives-maurice- options-other-coaches-dont-have-475880163.html

Jets' forward depth gives Maurice options other coaches don't have

By: Mike McIntyre

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Paul Maurice must feel like a kid in a candy store these days. After all, he's surrounded by tantalizing treats — the kind that would have many other head coaches absolutely drooling.

The addition of , the MVP-type year of Blake Wheeler, the continued growth of , the steady veteran presence of Bryan Little and , the explosive raw talent of Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers and the emergence of rookies and Jack Roslovic, have all combined to give him three forward lines right now that might just be the deepest in the NHL.

Just how the heck do you try to match up?

Carolina coach Bill Peters, who got the last change as home team, put his best checking line in Jordan Staal, Justin Williams and Brock McGinn against Winnipeg's trio of Scheifele, Wheeler and Connor Sunday night. And, for the most part, it worked out quite well. The so-called No. 1 line had a fairly quiet night at the office, combining for just three shots and one assist for Wheeler on the power play.

But it was a small victory in the grand scheme of things, as Winnipeg came away with the most important thing — two points in the form of a 3-2 victory to kick off a six-game road trip. The Jets will try to keep the momentum rolling when they play the on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.

Stastny's line was absolutely dominant against the Hurricanes, with that trio combining for six points and 11 shots on . And while the Little line didn't hit the scoresheet, it looked its most dangerous in several games.

Talk about having to pick your poison.

Maurice was asked whether Stastny's line might ultimately start getting the best checkers, considering Laine (35 goals) and Ehlers (25 goals) are the top two snipers on the team.

"I think Mark and Blake are going to pull the heavy fire. What may change is you'll start to split your forwards and your D a little bit. So you may have your dominant shut-down line, and that second pair of defence come out," Maurice said of how opponents may try to counter what the Jets can now roll.

"And then it'll be more style. There's a real difference in style of play between Stastny's line and Scheifele's line. So you would maybe match your D pairings, maybe with a less physical group against Stastny and some size with Blake and those guys," he said.

Maurice can certainly play that game, too. And he did Sunday night, despite not having last change. For example, the top defence pair of Dustin Byfuglien and spent most of the game going out at the same time as the Stastny and Little lines — and not the Scheifele trio, as they usually do.

That was by design, said Maurice. Tyler Myers and Dmitry Kulikov were linked with the Scheifele line. With Peters putting his checkers out against that group, that meant his top scorers in Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen spent much of the night matched up against Byfuglien and Morrissey — just the way Maurice wanted it.

"(Morrissey) closes that gap, and he's got such a great stick. Dustin also can make you change your mind about going to get pucks," Maurice explained. "And Tyler was really good (against Carolina). We like sometimes what Dustin can do with his presence, and what (Morrissey) can do with his stick."

Following Monday's practice, Little said having three strong scoring lines along with a shut-down fourth line gives the Jets so many juicy options.

"I think we're comfortable with any one of our lines playing against the other team's best," he said. "That's the sign of a good team, when you can spread guys out and interchange guys and still have four lines that you can put on the ice to do a job. Right now we just have that confidence."

Little said it also helps takes pressure off the team as a whole, as the Jets aren't just reliant on one or two lines to perform for the team to have a chance at success.

"The depth is so deep. You have good players out of your lineup, you have good players fighting for ice time," he said. "It's a good problem to have, especially when you get into injury trouble like we have this year."

Maurice said the matchup game can be overrated at times, as it ultimately boils down to performance.

"It never is nearly as much about matchups as some people talk about. Because we both have a plan going into the game and what matters is the performance of the players. So your matchups are right when your players are performing well, and your matchups are lousy when they're not," he said.

And that's where having a pure scorer like Laine can really shift the balance, as he ultimately did in Carolina with two goals. Little said the team is in awe of what the 19-year-old can do.

"It’s pretty crazy. It’s almost getting funny now. Like on the bench when he shoots and scores, we just kind of look at each other and smile," said Little. "Unbelievable... It seems like everything that comes off his stick it’s going to go in. If he misses a couple in a row, you know the next one’s going in. It just seems like everything that comes off his stick is magic." https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/jets-forward-depth-gives-maurice- options-other-coaches-dont-have-475880163.html

BIG FINN HAS BIG WEEK Patrik Laine's big week has netted him some more NHL hardware.

Laine, 19, was named the league's Second Star of the Week Monday after scoring four goals and adding three assists over three games. Overall, Laine has points in eight straight games (10 goals, six assists).

Laine is also just the third player in the last 25 years to have seven multi- games over a stretch of eight team games. He has six two-point games, one three-point game and one one- point game in that span.

He's also up to 71 goals in his career, which puts him sixth-best in NHL history for goals scored by a teenager.

Laine was previously selected First Star of the Week in February 2016.

Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, Nikolaj Ehlers and Connor Hellebuyck have previously been honoured earlier this season.

***

It came as no surprise, but goalie Michael Hutchinson's time with the Jets is over. At least for now.

Hutchinson was re-assigned to the Manitoba Moose Monday to make way for the return of backup goalie Steve Mason.

Hutchinson made two starts with the Jets, winning both. He posted a 2.00 GAA and .933 SV%. He was on an emergency recall and doesn't require waivers to be returned to the club, where he previously made 21 starts going 15-2-4 with a 1.95 GAA and .942 SV%.

Mason has been sidelined since Jan. 12, when he suffered his second concussion of the year. He made a start with the Moose last Saturday on a conditioning assignment, stopping 18 of 22 shots in a 5-4 overtime win.

Mason (3-6-1, 3.52 GAA, .897 SV% with the Jets this season) is expected to get at least one start on this current road trip with the Jets -- possibly as early as t against the New York Rangers. Coach Paul Maurice wouldn't name his starter following practice Monday.

"I'm really excited. Looking forward to getting back in some real game action here. This is a really important stretch of games for ourselves. Important games, and looking forward to be a part of it," said Mason.

- McIntyre https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/healthy-tanev-waiting-for-chance-to-get-back-into- jets-lineup-475869603.html

Healthy Tanev waiting for chance to get back into Jets lineup

By: Mike McIntyre

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Brandon Tanev fights for every inch of ice he gets, displaying the kind of fearless tenacity that has made him a favourite among the coaching staff.

But these days, Tanev finds himself fighting just to see the ice. He has yet to get back into the lineup despite fully recovering more than a week ago from an upper-body injury suffered in a Feb. 3 game against Colorado. Tanev was playing, perhaps, the best hockey of his career as part of an effective checking and shutdown line, in addition to killing penalties and drawing penalties. And then he got hurt.

"The team's playing good right now. Rolling. Guys are playing well. I'm just waiting for my opportunity," he said following Monday's practice.

He said there's no frustration on his part, even though he essentially lost his spot because of something out of his control. In this case, a relatively healthy Jets roster which continues to string together wins, a big trade-deadline acquisition in Paul Stastny and the continued strong play of rookies Kyle Connor and Jack Roslovic.

"Team matters first. You're not frustrated, you go out there every day with a smile on your face and you work hard and wait for that opportunity," said the second-year pro, who has a career- best four goals and eight assists in 46 games this season.

He's been stuck at 100 career NHL games for more than a month now, and has no idea when game No. 101 will come.

"It's been a while for me, coming off injury. But at the end of the day you go out there, you do your job, you play your role and play to your strengths and help your team win," said Tanev. "I'm feeling healthy and ready to get into the lineup when I have the opportunity.

Tanev said he took a shot in the upper-body late in the Colorado game and "kind of felt something." It resulted in more than three weeks spent on injured reserve until he was activated on Feb. 28.

"It ended up being something bigger then we expected," he said. "Injuries are part of the game. You've just go to roll with it. The team's playing really well right now. At the time before I was injured I was very happy with my game. I was confident and playing well, definitely using my speed and playing physical."

Coach Paul Maurice said Monday he hasn't lost sight of what Tanev can bring, but hasn't wanted to shake things up with the team going so well. It poses a wee bit of a dilemma.

"I'm working on that. We've got, fairly soon... if everything plays out, four extra healthy forwards who will all have played for us. We're still in the win now, win today mode," said Maurice.

Back-to-back games at the end of this road trip — next Monday and Tuesday in Washington and Nashville — may provide a good opportunity to inject some fresh legs into the mix, he said.

"We can take all the time that we need with our injuries right now," he said.

The end result is plenty of ongoing, healthy competition.

"It started to come once you could see the team kind of getting healthier, getting better. My sense from behind the bench is they don't want to let their teammates down with average play," Maurice said.

"It's not so much a fear that they're coming out. We have fairly defined roles here in terms of who you're competing with. And it's not where, if you have one off night, that's not usually going to cost you your job or your opportunity in the lineup. But I have felt that our drivers go pretty hard here. Our veteran guys drive pretty hard, and everybody else seems to feel, and they do, that they need to follow along."

Tanev said there's no sulking from anyone these days, himself included, as players keep their eyes on the ultimate goal.

"We have great leadership in this room. It starts with our captain. Everyone understands what we need to do. We're pushing for the playoffs here," Tanev said.

Winnipeg Sun http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/global-series-dates-announced-jets- and-panthers-to-play-in--nov-1-2

Global series dates announced: Jets and Panthers to play in Helsinki Nov. 1-2

By Ken Wiebe

NEW YORK – The Winnipeg Jets and Florida Panthers will square off at Hartwell Arena in Helsinki, on Nov. 1-2 as part of the 2018 Global Series games.

The official announcement about the games was made in late January, but the dates for the games have just been released.

It’s a homecoming of sorts for Finnish forwards Patrik Laine and Joel Armia and it will be interesting to see if the Jets roster might also include 2017 first-rounder Kristian Vesalainen or 2015 seventh-rounder Sami Niku.

Tickets for the Global Series games go on sale on March 12 at 2 a.m. CT (9 a.m. in Finland) at http://www.livenation.fi.

This is the seventh season the NHL had teams travel to Europe as the league looks to expand its international interest.

There have been five previous NHL regular season games played at Hartwell Arena, dating back to Oct. 2, 2009 when the Panthers defeated the .

The Jets, 39-17-9, continue a six-game road trip tonight at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers. http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/mason-activated-hutchinson-returned- to-moose-jets-backup-goalie-returning-from-second-concussion

Mason activated, Hutchinson returned to Moose; Jets backup goalie returning from second concussion

By Ken Wiebe

NEWARK — Steve Mason has cleared the final hurdle and is ready to get back into game action with the Winnipeg Jets.

On Monday afternoon, Mason was officially activated by the Jets and he could start in goal against the New York Rangers on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden as the Jets continue a six-game road trip.

Mason, who suited up for the Manitoba Moose on Saturday on a conditioning stint and allowed four goals on 22 shots on goal in a 5-4 overtime win over the Iowa Wild, hasn’t played for the Jets since Jan. 5.

Mason suffered his second concussion of the season of Jan. 13 when he took a shot in the mask during the morning skate prior to a game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

“I wasn’t overly busy, so after being off for such a long stretch, it took me a while to get going but as the game went on I started feeling more comfortable,” said Mason. “At the end of the day, it was good to get out there in game action.”

When asked if he knew when his next start would come, Mason made it clear he’d be ready.

“I’m sure it’s going to be in the next couple of games here. I don’t know anything yet, but whenever it is, I’m looking forward to it,” said Mason. “This is an important stretch of games here for ourselves and basically every team that’s in the playoff picture here.”

Mason has overcome some challenges he faced with flinching when he got back into the net after the second concussion.

“Just getting the reps in and facing as many shots as you can,” said Mason. “You work through it and now I’m back to feeling normal again.”

Jets head coach Paul Maurice wouldn’t commit to when Mason would be starting, though Tuesday sounded like a strong possibility.

With Mason being activated, Michael Hutchinson was returned to the Moose.

Hutchinson went 2-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average and .933 save % in two starts during Mason’s absence. http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/competition-for-ice-time-jobs-heating- up-jets-depth-means-capable-players-are-sitting-out

Competition for ice time, jobs heating up Jets depth means capable players are sitting out

By Ken Wiebe

NEWARK – Filling out his Winnipeg Jets lineup card has probably never been tougher for head coach Paul Maurice than it is right now.

That job only figures to become more challenging later this month with the expected return of defenceman Jacob Trouba and centre Adam Lowry from injury.

As the Jets get face to face the New York Rangers on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, Maurice isn’t planning to make any lineup changes after his team has posted consecutive victories to improve to 39-17-9 on the season.

Jets forward Brandon Tanev missed 10 consecutive games with an upper-body injury, but is expected to be a healthy scratch for the second contest in a row.

Just how does Maurice strike the balance between not wanting to change things up and finding room for a player that was an effective player for the Jets prior to the injury?

“That is a really good question and I’m working on that,” Maurice said after the Jets skated at the New Jersey Devils practice rink on Monday afternoon. “Fairly soon, if everything plays out, we’re going to have four extra healthy forwards that have all played for us.

“We’re in a win now, win today mode.”

Starting with training camp, the competition to both stay in the lineup and earn more ice time began in earnest.

But as injuries and opportunities occurred over the course of the season, youngsters like Kyle Connor and later Jack Roslovic have not just established themselves as regulars – they’re making an important contribution on the top two lines.

Connor is actually third on the Jets in goals (22) and sixth in points (41), which is even more impressive when you consider he started in the AHL and missed the first six games.

The addition of veteran centre Paul Stastny gave the Jets even more strength down the middle.

And after starting the campaign with what was basically a top-six and bottom-six forward group, the Jets have evolved into a team that features three scoring lines and a checking line, albeit one that can also chip in offensively.

“The lines are interchangeable and it’s a lot easier because you don’t have to worry about match-ups as much,” said Jets centre Bryan Little. “We can put any line out there and we’re confident.”

Having that type of depth is a luxury the Jets haven’t really enjoyed during the six previous seasons.

It makes them a dangerous group to contend with and opposition coaches are being forced to make tough choices when it comes to which line to play the top defence pairing against.

Do you load up and try to contain Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler or do you send the shutdown group out against Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers?

And don’t forget about veterans like Little and Mathieu Perreault.

It essentially becomes a bit of a pick your poison situation.

Internal competition can be a driving force and bring out the best in players.

It can also make life difficult for those on the outside looking in – especially for guys who had been carving out a role like Tanev, as a killer who uses his speed to create havoc on the forecheck.

“The competition is there for sure,” said Maurice. “My sense from behind the bench is that (guys) don’t want to let their teammates down with average play. It’s not so much a fear that they’re coming out (of the lineup). We have fairly defined roles here, in terms of who you’re competing with (for ice time) and it’s not like if you have one off night, it’s not going to cost you your job or your opportunity in the lineup.”

The goal for every team is to win, but those clubs who are often the most successful find a way to make the necessary personal sacrifices while working hard enough to be ready whenever their number is called.

Winning often makes being a healthy scratch a bit more palatable, even though it’s never easy to accept.

“If you’re out of the lineup, obviously you want to be and be playing and be a part of it but for a team, it’s a good thing to have,” said Little. “The depth is so deep that you have good players out of your lineup and good players that are fighting for ice time and trying to get in. We can someone up and they’re NHL ready right off the bat and we’ve got guys fighting for spots in the lineup. We still have guys on the (Manitoba) Moose right now that aren’t even here that can probably step in pretty soon and be a player on this team.

“It’s a good problem to have, that’s for sure. Especially if you get into injury trouble, like we have this year.” http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/five-keys-to-jets-vs-rangers

Five keys to Jets vs Rangers

By Ken Wiebe

Winnipeg Jets at New York Rangers

6 pm CT, Madison Square Garden. TV: TSN3. Radio: TSN 1290

THE BIG MATCHUP

Steve Mason vs Henrik Lundqvist The Jets backup is expected to make his first NHL start since Jan. 5 as he works his way back from his second concussion of the season. Mason could be called upon to make four or five starts during the stretch run, so he’s looking to get into a rhythm. Lundqvist has been a workhorse and is set to make his 54th start and 56th appearance of the season.

KEYS TO THE GAME

Laine on fire Jets sniper Patrik Laine is riding an eight-game point streak and he’s produced 10 goals and 16 points during that stretch. With 35 goals, Laine has moved into a tie for third place in the chase with Las Vegas’ William Karlsson for the Rocket Richard Trophy behind Alex Ovechkin of Washington (40) and Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin (36). Laine was named the NHL’s second star of the week on Monday after recording four goals and seven points in three games.

Helpers galore By chipping in an assist on Sunday, Blake Wheeler is up to 56 assists on the season, leaving him in second place in the NHL (behind Flyers forward Jakub Voracek) going into Monday’s action. Wheeler has chipped in 28 of those helpers on the power play and leads the Jets with 74 points in 65 games. Wheeler already has a career high in assists and is closing on his mark for points (78, set in 2015-16).

Fitting right in Jets centre Paul Stastny hasn’t needed much time to fit in since being acquired in a deadline- deal with the St. Louis Blues. Stastny had the game-winning goal in Sunday’s 3-2 win over the and has two goals and four points in three games. He’s also made a seamless transition onto the Jets’ top power-play unit and saw his first time on the penalty kill on Sunday.

Points parade continues? The Jets improved their road record to 15-10-7 on Sunday and they’ve picked up at least a point in six consecutive games outside of Bell MTS Place, going 5-0-0-1 since a Jan. 20 victory over the Calgary Flames. With nine of the final 17 games on the road, the Jets are looking to embrace the road warrior mentality as the jockeying for playoff position heats up.

Zuccarello keeps producing Rangers winger Mats Zuccarello was one of the few Rangers core pieces that stuck around after the trade deadline and continues to lead his team in scoring with 10 goals and 44 points in 65 games. Zuccarello has five goals and seven points in 12 career games against the Jets — including a goal and an assist in the prior match-up this season at Bell MTS Place.

The Hockey News http://www.thehockeynews.com/news/article/patrik-laine-s-still-a-rocket-long-shot-but-he-s- blasting-his-way-into-elite-company

PATRIK LAINE’S STILL A ROCKET LONG SHOT, BUT HE’S BLASTING HIS WAY INTO ELITE COMPANY

By: Jared Clinton

Patrik Laine is the hottest goal-scorer in the NHL right now with 10 tallies in his past eight games. It's enough to vault him into the Rocket Richard conversation -- but even if he doesn't take home the hardware, he’s set to join a rare club.

Patrik Laine was tied for 10th place in the Rocket Richard Trophy race at the beginning of February – with 23 goals, he was seven back of NHL leader Alex Ovechkin. By mid-month, Laine's chances of entering the Rocket conversation appeared slim. He’d fired home two goals in six games and had fallen into a tie for 13th in the league, eight back of Ovechkin.

But anyone who has watched the way Laine can score, watched the way he can strike at a moment’s notice, should have known that he always had the potential to make a late charge at the hardware. And that’s exactly what he’s done.

On Feb. 16, Laine scored against the . The next time out, this time against the Florida Panthers, Laine scored again. And he followed that with a goal against Los Angeles Kings, another against the St. Louis Blues and then a pair against the Dallas Stars. Then, for a brief moment, Laine’s goal streak was halted, but he got back on track with two tallies in a meeting with the Detroit Red Wings and continued his remarkable run with another pair against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. Add it all up and Laine has scored 10 goals and 16 points during what is now an eight-game point streak.

The white-hot streak has done wonders for Laine in terms of the Rocket race, too. Over the past two-plus weeks, he has surpassed Auston Matthews, Brock Boeser, John Tavares, Tyler Seguin, Anders Lee and Nikita Kucherov, among others, to move into a tie with William Karlsson for third in goal-scoring. Meanwhile, he’s one goal back of Evgeni Malkin for second spot in the Rocket race, and even Ovechkin, who leads the league with 40 goals, has had his lead over Laine trimmed to five. So, can Winnipeg’s wunderkind do the unthinkable and go on a run that wins him the Rocket?

Well, let’s look into that. At their current paces, Ovechkin, Malkin, Karlsson and Laine are projected to finish first through third in the goal-scoring race with totals of 50 goals, 45 goals and a matching total of 44 goals, respectively. Thus, in order for Laine to win the Rocket, 50 goals could very well be the low-water mark. And given Laine has 17 games remaining in his campaign, he would have to go on a near goal-per-game tear and register 15 goals to end the season. That's not entirely out of the realm of possibility — Malkin and Patrice Bergeron both scored 15-plus goals in 17-game spans in recent weeks — but there are a few hurdles facing Laine.

First, Laine has had the benefit of a Midas-like touch. He’s scoring on everything from everywhere, shooting at 45.5-percent efficiency since mid-February. That's ridiculously high and unsustainable – it's nearly three times his season and career average. We could reasonably expect his shooting percentage to come back down to earth over the next 17 games. So, for argument’s sake, let’s say Laine’s goals-to-shots rate dives down to 20 percent over the final month of the season. Scoring 15 goals would require Laine to take about 75 shots over the final 17 games of the season, or about four shots per game.

For the game’s high-volume shooters such as Ovechkin, that kind of number isn’t out of the question. In fact, Ovechkin, Seguin, Nathan MacKinnon and even Laine’s teammates Nikolaj Ehlers and Blake Wheeler are in the four-shot range over their past eight games. But Laine’s shot volume isn’t all that close to that level. Across the eight-game streak that has him in the Rocket conversation, Laine has averaged less than three shots on goal per outing — 2.75, to be exact. At that volume, the lowest Laine’s shooting percentage could fall over the final 17 games it is roughly 32 percent. That’s a Herculean task even by the standards of the high-flying 1980s NHL.

Realistically, that would suggest Laine is at best a long shot for that Rocket despite his recent run. But even if Laine falls short of catching or surpassing Ovechkin, the Jets sniper will likely have achieved something remarkable. As noted earlier, at his current rate of scoring, he will score nine more times before season’s end and finish the campaign with 44 goals. That's significant for two reasons.

At present, Laine has scored 71 goals as a teenager in the NHL and, as he's not set to turn 20 until mid-April, he stands to finish with 80 regular season goals before he leaves his teens. Doing so would make Laine the third-best teenaged goal-scorer in league history, as he has only recently surpassed Steve Yzerman’s mark of 69 goals as a teen and is on pace to eclipse the 75 goals scored by a teenaged Sidney Crosby and the 76-goal marks reached by Brian Bellows and Wayne Gretzky during their teens. At that point, only Dale Hawerchuk (85) and Jimmy Carson (92) would have scored more goals as a teenager than Laine.

Beyond that, though, Laine would enter a truly special club by firing home his 80th goal by the time he completes his sophomore season. In the post-lockout era, only two sophomores have finished their second season with 80 goals in their young careers: Ovechkin, who had 98 after the 2006-07 season, and Malkin, who completed his second year with exactly 80 tallies. Maybe more impressive is that Laine would join a group that, since 1990, has welcomed just five members. Besides Ovechkin and Malkin, Pavel Bure, Eric Lindros and Teemu Selanne are the only players to score 80 goals in the first two seasons since the 1990-91 campaign. Additionally, only 18 players in NHL history have managed to reach the mark, including Hall of Famers such as Gretzky, Hawerchuk, Mike Bossy, Mike Gartner, Mario Lemieux and Luc Robitaille.

So, while the Rocket may have to wait, Laine’s entrance into incredibly elite company seems to be on the horizon, and that would make for one heck of a consolation prize.

The Athletic Winnipeg https://theathletic.com//263122/2018/03/06/how-the-jets-can-get-the-most-out-of-matt- hendricks/?redirected=1

How the Jets can get the most out of Matt Hendricks

By Murat Ates

“Now that the bad weather had come, we could leave Paris for a while for a place where this rain would be snow coming down through the pines and covering the road and the high hillsides and at an altitude where we would hear it creak as we walked home at night. Below Les Avants there was a chalet where the pension was wonderful and where we would be together and have our books and at night be warm in bed together with the windows open and the stars bright. That was where we would go. Traveling third class on the train was not expensive. The pension cost very little more than we spent in Paris.

I would give up the room in the hotel where I wrote and there was only the rent of 74 rue Cardinal Lemoine which was nominal. I had written journalism for Toronto and the checks for that were due. I could write that anywhere under any circumstances and we had money to make the trip.

Maybe away from Paris I could write about Paris as in Paris I could write about Michigan.”

===

I’ve chopped Hemingway off mid-paragraph there and if, like him, you care about the rhythm of language then you will have to hunt down a copy of A Moveable Feast to discover the point he’s building toward with this passage.

The point I’m making by citing him is that, when it comes to providing mental clarity, travel has a long and well-established track record.

On Tuesday, the Winnipeg Jets face off in New York against the Rangers – a team without any of Ryan McDonagh, J.T. Miller, Rick Nash, Michael Grabner, or a reasonable chance of making the post-season. The Jets play in Philadelphia and Washington later this week before closing off their road trip with a difficult back-to-back against Washington and Nashville.

By the end of that important divisional game against the Predators, Winnipeg will have gained clarity in regards to its place in the NHL standings and Paul Maurice will have gained clarity in regards to his post-season roster.

Toby Enstrom could play in New York. Brandon Tanev has been removed from IR but, according to Ken Wiebe, Monday's forward roster remains intact. Jacob Trouba and Adam Lowry, who will displace current roster players when they return to full health, are traveling with the team.

A blizzard has come to Winnipeg, the Jets have left the city for a while, and when they come back we may finally get to see this:

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

Morrissey – Trouba Enstrom – Byfuglien Kulikov – Myers

Hellebuyck Mason

Notice the absence of Matt Hendricks.

At the beginning of this season, I compiled a long and detailed study of Winnipeg’s depth forwards. In it, I wrote, “I came into this study assuming (Hendricks) was a spent force at even strength – (he) may yet have a story to tell this season.”

The Matt Hendricks story Hendricks has played 7:05 per game at 5-on-5, the lowest ice time per game among regularly used Jets this season. Hendricks’ 5-on-5 scoring has been terrific – his 1.96 5-on-5 points per 60 minutes is ninth among Jets forwards, placing Hendricks’ rate above Bryan Little, Adam Lowry, Marko Dano, Brandon Tanev, Andrew Copp, Nic Petan, Brendan Lemieux, and Shawn Matthias.

I know. I’m shocked too. But, as we all know, Hendricks has played with very good linemates – notably Mathieu Perreault and Joel Armia. He must certainly be riding their coattails, yes?

Here’s the thing. If you use primary points (just goals and primary assists), cutting out the “also in picture” points gained from secondary assists, Hendricks gets even better.

At 5-on-5, Winnipeg’s leaders in primary points per 60 minutes are: Paul Stastny (in just 38 minutes), Jack Roslovic, Nikolaj Ehlers, Kyle Connor, and Hendricks.

That’s impossible, right? Or, if it’s possible, it must certainly be because something crazy is happening percentage-wise when Hendricks is on the ice.

Of the 24 Jets who have played at least 100 minutes at 5-on-5, Hendricks’ on-ice shooting percentage is 18th. At 8.0 per cent, Hendricks’ on-ice number is crazy only in that it is almost perfectly average.

Here’s what Hendricks’ with-or-without-you-looks like:

There are a lot of stories here. First, most players do better in terms of creating shots without Hendricks than he does without them. In terms of shots allowed, it’s 50/50 – a few players give up fewer with Hendricks than he does without them but a few players also give up more.

Do you know what I think the most striking thing about this chart is?

It’s that every single “player with 15” box is in the positive half of the chart.

If Hendricks is the terrible drag on possession that he’s supposed to be, it’s not showing in these numbers.

Let’s be clear – I’m absolutely not saying Hendricks is a better player than Perreault or Armia is. I am saying that, at 5-on-5, the results and the underlying numbers with Hendricks on the ice have been good no matter which other Jets were on the ice at the same time.

Here is where Winnipeg’s shots come from when Hendricks is on the ice and without him:

Once again, if Hendricks is indeed the offence-suffocating fire blanket that we’ve heard about, it’s not showing in the charts. Winnipeg has been doing an excellent job of getting to the front of the net with Hendricks on the ice.

Whether that’s him, whether that was Armia and Perreault earlier this season, whether it’s Armia and Copp now, the point is the same: good things have happened in the offensive zone when Hendricks has been on the ice.

Here’s what Winnipeg allows:

These aren’t the heat maps of a player you’d cite as a defensive liability. There’s a little extra patch of red close to the goal with Hendricks on the ice but it’s nothing close to what Winnipeg has created offensively.

Via Corsica.Hockey, here are Hendricks’ on-ice percentages at 5-on-5:

Shot attempts: 51.1% Unblocked shot attempts: 52.4% Expected goals: 53.2% Actual goals: 50.0%

Hendricks has been just fine in his 7:05 per game at 5-on-5 this season.

If he plays those same 7:05 per game for Winnipeg in this season’s post-season, I will make arguments for Armia and any other players who I feel are superior options. But it won’t be the end of the world – and we have no reason to believe it will even be bad.

The penalty kill is a different story

Here is a chart showing unblocked shots, shots on goal, expected goals, and actual goals against per 60 minutes of ice time at 4-vs-5:

Hendricks has predominantly been a first unit penalty killer, averaging 2:03 shorthanded per game. To me, that’s a problem.

I chose to use unblocked shots instead of all shot attempts because I wanted to treat shot blocking as a repeatable skill. I thought it would help Hendricks (and Tanev) look a little better. I was wrong about that – opposing power plays take more unblocked shots with Hendricks on the ice than anyone not named Tanev.

Unfortunately, when compared to other forwards in the NHL, it gets worse. Opposing power plays take more unblocked shots with Hendricks on the ice than anyone else in the league (other than Tanev.)

Expected goals are a bit more flattering – Hendricks passes Mark Scheifele and Little but remains ranked 41st out of 175 forwards with at least 50 minutes of 4-vs-5 action.

If you ask me, Winnipeg’s top four penalty killers are Lowry, Copp, Paul Stastny, and Armia. Scheifele and Blake Wheeler play too many other roles for me to consider them for the top jobs but they are a capable third unit.

It’s funny – Hendricks was supposed to be finished at 5-on-5 but effective at killing penalties. His results on the ice have been the exact opposite.

There’s a temptation at the end of an article like this one to make summaries that overstate the facts or repackage arguments into their most easily digestible pieces. The problem with that temptation is that it erases both context and nuance.

I want to believe in a world where we can hold competing ideas in our minds at the same time. One aspect of a player’s game can impress us while another disappoints. A player may be excellently suited to a depth role while miserable when pushed up the roster.

Or, in Hendricks’ case, he may be just fine at even strength while giving up the second most unblocked shot attempts per hour in the NHL while killing penalties.

Winnipeg could return from their last long road trip of the season with a completely healthy roster. If Maurice and his coaching staff find clarity in their travels, they will see that Hendricks can help at 5-on-5 but is not helping shorthanded.

This might not have been the narrative when this season began, but it's true today.

TSN 1290 (AUDIO LINKS) https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/lebrun-laine-s-shot-reminds-me-of-ovechkin-1.1018564

LeBrun: Laine’s shot reminds me of Ovechkin

TSN Insider Pierre LeBrun discusses Patrick Laine’s incredible shot, the Jets acquisition of Paul Stastny, how the Jets stack up with Nashville following the trade deadline, the surging Florida Panthers and John Tavares’ future with the Islanders. https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/ates-laine-s-scoring-locations-significant-to-success- 1.1018216

Ates: Laine's scoring locations significant to success

Murat Ates from The Athletic joined host Kevin Olszewski to break down the recent success of Winnipeg Jets winger Patrik Laine and the addition of Paul Stastny. https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/mckenzie-salary-range-is-4-6-million-for-josh-morrissey- 1.1017963

McKenzie: Salary range is $4-6 million for Josh Morrissey

TSN's Bob McKenzie joined the Big Show after the weekend to talk NHL including if the league has run it's course with outdoor games, the Jets honouring Thrasher franchise records, as well as what a Josh Morrissey contract could look like for the pending RFA.

NHL,com

NHL announces 2018 Global Series dates, locations, ticket information Oilers, Devils open regular season in Gothenburg Oct. 6; Panthers, Jets to play in Helsinki Nov 1-2

By NHL.com @NHL

The and New Jersey Devils will play their 2018-19 season-opening game at the in Gothenburg, Sweden, on Oct. 6 (7 p.m. CET / 1 p.m. ET) as part of the 2018 NHL Global Series.

The Florida Panthers and Winnipeg Jets will play two games at in Helsinki, Finland, on Nov. 1 and 2 (8 p.m. EET/ 1 p.m. ET).

The Devils and Oilers each will complete their training camp in Europe -- the Devils in , and the Oilers in Germany -- and play an exhibition game as part of the 2018 NHL Global Series Challenge. New Jersey will play SC of the National League at PostFinance Arena in Bern, Switzerland, on Oct. 1 (7:30 p.m. CET / 1:30 p.m. ET). Edmonton will play Kölner Haie of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga at in Cologne, Germany, on Oct. 3 (4 p.m. CET / 10 a.m. ET).

"I don't think something like this will happen that often so I'll really enjoy this," said Devils rookie center Nico Hischier, who grew up an hour from Bern. "To be able to do something like this is going to be a lot of fun, for sure. To have the opportunity to do this is pretty amazing and I'm happy that the NHL does this."

It was announced in January that the Oilers, Panthers, Devils and Jets would play regular- season games in Europe as part of the Global Series.

"I think it will receive a lot of attention," said Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl, a Cologne native. "It's a pretty sport-fanatic city. They love their soccer and they love their sports teams. It's pretty special for me personally to get to play against [Kölner Haie]. My dad actually coaches the team, so that will be pretty funny to play against them."

There have been 22 NHL regular-season games played in Europe, including last season when the and Colorado Avalanche played two games in Stockholm, Sweden. The Devils and Oilers will play the ninth regular-season game in Sweden, first in Gothenburg. The Jets and Panthers will play the fifth and sixth games in Finland, all of which have taken place in Helsinki.

"It's going to be an unbelievable experience for the team and the whole Finnish crowd," said Jets forward Patrik Laine, a native of , Finland. "Most of the people haven't seen NHL hockey live so it's a nice opportunity for them to see all of the best players in the world. It's going to be unreal for sure."

Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov, also from Tampere, said playing in his home country will be a dream come true.

"I was dreaming, but not never thought it would it be possible to play in Finland with my own NHL team," Barkov told the Panthers website. "(Finland is) where it all started. Where I started watching the NHL and playing hockey. Now, I get a chance to go there with my teammates and play an NHL game. It's going to be pretty special."

Tickets to all games will be available for purchase next week. Ticket opportunities are available on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last.

Tickets to the Oct. 1 game between the Devils and SC Bern at PostFinance Arena in Bern, Switzerland, will go on sale Monday at 10 a.m. CET (4 a.m. ET) at http://www.ticketcorner.ch.

Tickets to the Oct. 3 game between the Oilers and Kölner Haie at Lanxess Arena Cologne, Germany, will go on sale March 14 at 10 a.m. CET (4 a.m. ET) at eventimsports.de and Haie.de.

Tickets to the Oct. 6 game between the Devils and Oilers at the Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden, will go on sale Monday at 9 a.m. CET (3 a.m. ET) at https://www.livenation.se.

Tickets to the Nov. 1 and Nov. 2 games between the Panthers and Jets at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland, will go on sale Monday at 9 a.m. EET (2 a.m. ET) at https://www.livenation.fi.

In addition, VIP hospitality packages will be available for purchase at a later date.

More information, including broadcast details, will be announced at a later date. As part of the League's six international sites, NHL.com/sv, NHL.com/fi and NHL.com/de will serve as the official home for all of the latest news and information about the 2018 NHL Global Series as well as other features from around the NHL www.winnipegjets.com https://www.nhl.com/jets/news/new-york-notes-jets-hit-the-ice-prior-to-tuesdays-rangers-match- up/c-296647692

New York Notes: Jets hit the ice prior to Tuesday's Rangers match-up Laine earns NHL recognition, Maurice talks line match-ups and injuries by Mitchell Clinton @MitchellClinton / WinnipegJets.com

NEWARK, New Jersey - Following last night's 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, the Winnipeg Jets were back on the ice Monday afternoon for a quick practice at the AmeriHealth Pavilion.

For the second straight day, Jacob Trouba, Adam Lowry, and Shawn Matthias participated in non-contact jerseys, and continue to progress toward a return from injury.

While the majority of those who played last night took part in the 25-minute session, five from Sunday's line-up did not: Mathieu Perreault, Matt Hendricks, Connor Hellebuyck, Dustin Byfuglien, and Tyler Myers.

Head coach Paul Maurice says all five players missed practice for maintenance purposes, and expects them all to be available for the second game of the six-game road trip against the New York Rangers tomorrow night.

Along with that bit of good news, Toby Enstrom - who has missed the last three games due to a lower-body injury - was also a full participant on Monday, and could return soon.

"We want to see how he comes off the ice, and then we want to see what 24 hours does to his injury. We just want to be sure," said Maurice.

"Toby is a really tough player. He's played with significant injuries over the past three years. He'll walk in and say he's fine. But he skated today, and he skated non-contact today. He'll get consideration."

The head coach has yet to name who will start in goal against the Rangers tomorrow, but the team has activated Steve Mason from injured reserve, and in a corresponding roster move, assigned Michael Hutchinson to the Manitoba Moose.

"I've got a plan, but there are some logistics that have to take place, and I have to talk to them before," he said. "I won't do that until we get back to the hotel."

MATCH-UP SMASH UP Look no further than Sunday's win over Carolina to show how the depth of the Jets can provide problems for some opponents.

The line of Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, and Kyle Connor features three of the team's top five players in points, but Maurice had them sacrificing some of that offence to contain Jordan Staal's line Sunday night.

"We needed Mark Scheifele to play against Staal. We needed a certain amount of size on that line. (Carolina's Justin) Williams isn't a big guy, but hyper competitive, and such a great stick that he plays almost like a big guy. He can control the puck like a big guy," said Maurice.

"The Staal line can change the feel and the flow of the game. Frustrate your best players, be strong down low, he's a dominant centre iceman. It's the match-up we wanted, because we weren't sure our other lines were structured to handle that size."

While Staal did get on the score sheet late in the game, the real damage was done by Laine, Paul Stastny, and Nikolaj Ehlers.

The trio combined for six points in the win, and Bryan Little - whose line with Jack Roslovic and Mathieu Perreault is another dangerous unit the Jets can deploy - says that depth is important as the regular season winds down.

"That's the sign of a good team when you can spread guys out and interchange guys and still have four lines that you can put on the ice to do a job. Right now we have that confidence," said Little.

"There's advantages and disadvantages to playing against the other team's top lines. Sometimes that creates more offence. The other team might be cheating or looking for the easy out or offensive play, and that's when you catch them. Right now we're at a point that we can put any line out there, and we're confident."

While Little hasn't noticed teams matching against the Jets any differently on home ice or on the road, he likes how his line has continued to improve as they spend more time together.

"It's just getting to know each other as a line and getting that chemistry," said Little. "We've played a lot better the last couple games. We're getting chances. I think it's just a matter of time before we start chipping in a bit offensively."

SECOND STAR For the second time in his career, Patrik Laine has been recognized as one of the NHL's Three Stars of the Week.

His four goals and seven points in three games earned him the Second Star honours for the week ending Mar. 4.

"His five-on-five play, and Nik Ehlers included, prior to Paul (Stastny) showing up and since Paul has been here, has been really good," said Maurice. "It looks like he's gotten himself to another level. We see it on the score sheet, but when you're watching the simple things - running routes, finishing plays, being hard on pucks, and making clean outs - he's been really improved in that area as well."

With Laine's selection, Jets players have been named to the NHL Three Stars of the Week list a total of six times this season. Connor Hellebuyck, Blake Wheeler, and Nikolaj Ehlers have been named First Stars, Laine and Hellebuyck Second Stars, and Mark Scheifele was rewarded Third Star honours on Feb. 18.