Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/jets-proving-tough-to-beat-when-they- open-the-scoring-470568723.html

Jets proving tough to beat when they open the scoring

By: Mike McIntyre

SAN JOSE — They scored two goals in 125 minutes of game action over the weekend, and came away with four points.

Is that the sign of a very lucky team or a squad that knows how to grind out victories and protect even the slimmest of leads?

It would appear the Jets are the latter, given how well they've performed this year in tight games.

Winnipeg has now played 17 games this season that have been decided by one , and have managed to collect points in 16 of those contests, going 9-1-7.

"You get results doing it. The more success you have doing it, the more comfortable and confident you get doing it. It's OK to win 1-0 or 2-1. I think that’s growth," told reporters following Sunday's 1-0 win over Vancouver on the heels of Saturday's 2-1 shootout victory over .

The Jets are also 22-1-4 when they open the scoring in a game, which shows just how solid they are in protecting a lead regardless of when it happens. They are 16-1-1 when they head to the locker room with a lead after 20 minutes, and 22-0-1 when they're ahead after two periods.

"I think we are getting comfortable in that shutdown game. We’re understanding the chances for and against. We know when we get in those low-chances games we can win those," Connor Hellebuyck said after recording his fourth shutout of the year.

The fact the Jets lead the NHL in percentage of time played with a lead (41.8 per cent) is another feather in their cap. By contrast, the sad-sack have only led in 18.7 per cent of all their games.

Add it all up and the numbers suggest Winnipeg is playing the exact kind of hockey needed for success, especially when it comes to the playoffs where goals are hard to come by.

"I think it's part of the maturation process of our team. I think we’re able to play in those tight, low-scoring games and feel like we can win those," defenceman Josh Morrissey said after Sunday's game.

Winnipeg might want to lobby the NHL for more Sunday games going forward. Or perhaps all of them.

The Jets have been positively perfect on that particular day, now sporting a 6-0-0 record and outscoring opponents by a ridiculous margin of 26-2.

That includes a 7-1 win over Pittsburgh, a 5-0 win over , a 4-0 win over St. Louis, a 5-0 win in Edmonton, a 4-1 win over San Jose and the latest 1-0 win over Vancouver.

Day of rest? Certainly not for the Jets.

Winnipeg still has five Sunday games remaining this season: home against the , home vs. Florida, in Carolina, home against Dallas and home vs. Nashville.

For the record, Mondays are their next best day of the week with a 4-1-0 record. Saturdays have provided the biggest issue, as Winnipeg is just 4-5-2.

Connor Hellebuyck keeps piling up the hardware.

The 24-year-old Jets goaltender was named the NHL's second star of the week Monday for a dominant weekend performance.

Hellebuyck showed absolutely no rust coming out of the bye week, stopping 59 of the 60 shots he faced in Calgary and Vancouver.

He's up to a 25-6-6 overall record with a 2.29 goals-against average, .926 save percentage and four shutouts. That puts him second-overall in goalie wins, seventh in GAA, seventh in SV% and tied for second in shutouts.

Hellebuyck has been even more stellar at home, posting a league-best 17 wins to go with just one regulation loss and one loss. He has a 2.06 GAA, .932 SV% and three shutouts at Bell MTS Place.

He was named the league's first star for the week ending Dec. 31 and will represent the Jets at next week's All-Star game in Tampa Bay, along with captain Blake Wheeler.

Brendan Lemieux is rejoining the Jets for a trip south.

The 21-year-old forward was recalled from the AHL's Moose on Monday and will accompany the team to California for games Tuesday in San Jose and Thursday in Anaheim.

Winnipeg needs an extra forward for the trip, as neither centre Adam Lowry (upper body) nor Shawn Matthias (upper body) appear ready to return to active duty this week.

Lemieux has played in eight games this season, notching his first NHL goal on Oct. 29 against the .

He has 25 points (9G, 16A) in 27 games for Manitoba. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/young-jets-fans-amazing-journey- 470616523.html

Young Jets fan's amazing journey Family attending tonight's tilt with special jersey

By: Mike McIntyre

SAN JOSE, Calif. — We forget, sometimes, about just how much sport can connect us. How it can break down boundaries, teach lifelong lessons and leave lasting memories. How it can motivate and inspire. How it can bring out the best in all of us, sometimes in ways we never imagine.

And so we bring you to the SAP Center here in the beautiful Bay Area, site of tonight’s NHL game between the and . Sure, they’ll drop the puck and play a hockey game here. And yes, the results will matter in the scope of the standings as both teams continue to make strong playoff pushes.

But there will be something much bigger going on in the rink as worlds collide in a most incredible way.

Conor and his family, dad Brian Grieb and mom Michelle with Winnipeg Jets' Michael Hutchinson.

Brian Grieb, 53, is a bartender who has lived in San Francisco since 1988. But his fandom for the Jets dates back to their World Hockey Association days, when he was a young boy growing up in Pennsylvania. It only grew bigger when they won the Avco Cup in 1979, then joined the NHL a year later. Grieb was hooked. Who cared if they played in some far-flung city in another country that he’d never been?

"I was fascinated by expansion teams. And since they’d won the WHA championship coming in I said ‘That’s gotta be my team,’" Grieb told the Free Press on Monday.

"I jumped on the bandwagon and was too dumb to jump off."

Grieb’s family became fans, too, and their hearts swelled when the Jets returned to the NHL in 2011.

"I always kept the torch, hoping they’d come back. I never thought it would happen. When they came back I was really able to follow them," said Grieb, who began interacting with fellow Jets fans through Twitter, regularly tuned into game broadcasts through the internet and satellite radio and even began calling in post-game shows offering his two cents worth.

His wife, Michelle, who comes from Ireland, and their two sons, Conor and Colm, were on board. But life took a devastating turn just months later when Conor, at the tender age of four, was found to have a cancerous tumour on his kidney. It was stage four. Immediate surgery was needed, and his life was very much on the line.

As the Grieb family spent months of terrifying days and nights at the hospital, they were buoyed by a community of strangers who offered an outpouring of support. They were Jets fans, just like Grieb. They sent well-wishes through Twitter and Facebook, and mailed care packages containing Jets memorabilia. Andrew Paterson of TSN 1290 helped rally the troops.

"That kept me going. That really saved me," said Grieb. "So many people approached us. So many people who come here to the Bay Area come and see us. It’s amazing."

Conor was diagnosed at age four with stage four cancer.

Most amazing was the fact Conor, now nine, was eventually deemed cancer-free following surgery, three weeks of intense radiation and 30 chemotherapy treatments. It’s now been five years.

"They’re still doing scans and stuff. It’s a never-ending battle because of the damage that chemo and radiation can do to your body," said Grieb.

The Grieb family made their first trip to Winnipeg last winter after winning a TSN 1290 fan contest — in which many online followers nominated them. Conor got to meet his favourite player, , and his favourite goalie, Michael Hutchinson — who gave them a post- game tour of the Jets’ dressing room. They also got to meet face to face with many of the local fans who helped them in their darkest hours.

Conor’s first hockey game was seeing the Reign, then of the ECHL, playing at home in California. They were affiliated with the Jets at the time, and Hutchinson was on the team.

Connor became a fan watching him rise through the AHL and then the NHL.

Conor is now the assistant captain and first-line centre for his team, the San Francisco Sabercats. Brother Colm, 11, also plays hockey.

Grieb helps coach both teams, although he refers to himself more as a "door opener."

"My joke is that hockey has ruined my Winnipeg Jets experience because my kids are always playing," said Grieb. "I’m the coach that can’t skate backwards."

Grieb loves the passion among Jets fans but believes the Twitter debates about the team can get a little out of hand at times. He often tries to be the online mediator, saying his own life has taught him not to sweat the small stuff.

Conor is now the assistant captain and first-line centre for his team, the San Francisco Sabercats, but more importantly, he is cancer free.

"Life’s too short," he said. "A lot of those people who are the mean people on Twitter, when they found out what happened to my son they were as nice as anybody else."

Grieb has attended every Jets game in San Jose since their return to the NHL but tonight will be the most special one. Grieb and his family are tasked with holding the jersey of a late Jets fan, a jersey that will be in the building as part of a 31-city tour.

Carter Jansen was just 21 when he was killed in a car crash in May 2016 while living in the small community of Beechy, Sask. His vehicle was struck by a semi-trailer about 200 kilometres west of Regina.

A Winnipeg friend he’d met years earlier while playing Xbox video games online, Graeme Fortlage, used the power of social media to arrange to have a Jets jersey with "Carter" stitched on the back attend a game in every NHL city. The two men had planned to attend the 2016 Jets home opener, only to have tragedy make that impossible.

As part of the ongoing tribute, photos are taken and shared online, autographs from each home team’s captain are being added and the end result will ultimately make its way to Jansen’s grieving family. The hashtag #CartersJersey on Twitter displays many of the stops for the travelling memorial, which hits San Jose tonight. Grieb will be draping the special jersey over a seat in Carter’s honour.

"The jersey has a picture on every seat in every arena in the NHL," said Grieb.

The Grieb family hopes to make another trip to Winnipeg in the near future — perhaps to experience the famous "whiteout" during a playoff game.

"I don’t think their chances are great of going to the Stanley Cup this year, but I think their chances of going to the playoffs are pretty deep," said Grieb. "It seems like they all love playing in Winnipeg, which is great with all the Winnipeg hate going on. They seem like a bunch of guys who love living in Winnipeg and playing hockey there. And players will be saying ‘I want to play in that city. I want to win.’"

Winnipeg Sun http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/jets-back-in-first-place-but-rest-of- division-keeping-it-close

Jets back in first place, but rest of division keeping it close

By Ted Wyman

It’s hard to imagine there has ever been a time when parity — or at least the contrived cluster in the standings the NHL wants — has ever been greater.

As the all-star break approaches, there are only eight teams in the entire league with a points percentage below .500.

That’s right, just eight out of 31 teams lose outright more often than they win.

Say what you will about loser points and the league’s desire to have as many teams in playoff contention as possible, you can’t deny it makes the regular season highly meaningful.

It also helps to explain why teams that are having excellent seasons — take the Winnipeg Jets for example — can’t seem to definitively separate themselves from the teams that are currently on the playoff bubble.

The Jets woke up Tuesday morning back in first place in the ridiculously tight Central Division with 63 points, based on a sparkling 28-13-7 record. They are second in the Western Conference, behind only the stunning , and third overall in the league, behind only the (67 points) and the Golden Knights (66 points).

And yet, they are still just six points above the playoff line. They have 15 more wins than regulation losses and are only six points ahead of the playoff line. The Avalanche and both won on Monday night and are tied for the final wild card spot in the West with 57 points. Colorado has won 10 straight games and Minnesota is rolling too. With a 26-17-5 record, Minnesota would currently miss the playoffs based on the NHL’s tie-breaking formulas.

Jets coach has spent 19 seasons behind benches in the NHL and he’s never seen anything like it.

“I don’t remember (a season) like this where you looked at a division (like the Central) and thought every one of those teams is a playoff team or looks like they could be or has won Stanley Cups recently or is capable of going on a nine-game run.

“Every one of those teams could get hot. Everybody felt that pretty early that the Central Division was going to be jammed up and it certainly is.”

All this helps explain why the Jets are suddenly looking like a different hockey team.

This powerful offensive squad that has a stellar plus-28 goal differential seems to have shifted to a much more defensive style. They have embraced the notion that this is how it’s going to look for a team in contention in the stretch drive and into the .

Every game, every earned, is critical and the Jets see tight defensive hockey, combined with great goaltending and a few timely goals. as their path to success.

“That’s sort of the way hockey goes,” Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey said. “The pace has really picked up since the bye week and the attention to detail is so important.

“For us it’s about finding a way to be comfortable in those games. You might not be getting the same chances as you do earlier in the year but you have to be comfortable with what’s there for you. As a team we’ve been able to keep grinding,”

Despite a little slip-up before the bye week — they lost back-to-back games against Chicago and Minnesota — the Jets are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games.

They’ve scored only one goal in regulation in each of their last four games, which probably should be a concern, but hasn’t really become one because of stellar play by the blue-liners and all-star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.

With the kind of firepower the Jets have in captain Blake Wheeler, sophomore sensation Patrik Laine, roadrunner Nikolaj Ehlers and veterans Bryan Little and Mathieu Perreault — not to mention injured centre — they should be in an excellent position to keep up the success. Those snipers can make all the difference in tight defensive games, as Laine did when he scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday.

It seems likely the grinding games are going to continue, at least for the rest of this week, with the Jets going up against the defensively stingy San Jose Sharks and Tuesday and Thursday in California.

If they can pull three or four points out of these two games, the Jets might finally be able to start seeing a bit more breathing room in the standings. That is, if any of the chasing teams actually lose, which hasn’t happened often lately.

With a 10-game home stand coming up — the Jets are an impressive 17-3-1 at Bell MTS Place — the opportunity to put the playoff line in the mirror will be golden.

Hellebuyck’s cool, calm demeanour rubbing off on his teammates There were some hectic moments for the Winnipeg Jets in Sunday’s 1-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks thanks to some sloppy play in the offensive and neutral zones.

The Canucks had at least four odd-man rushes in the second and third periods, but to the Jets credit, they didn’t even record a shot on goal on any of them.

That was due to some composed play by the defencemen, particularly Toby Enstrom and Dmitry Kulikov, who both slid to take away passes on two-on-ones.

Defenceman Josh Morrissey said that composure starts with goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who has simply been outstanding this season.

“He’s just so calm in there,” Morrisey said. “He turns chances that could be a scramble or a frantic situation into an easy save, a whistle or great rebound control to the corner where nothing comes of it. He’s been huge for us. He allows us to handle some of those more frantic situations with some poise and that’s huge.”

Hellebuyck now has a 25-6-6 record, with a goals against average of 2.29 and a save percentage of .926, along with four shutouts this season. He was named the NHL’s second star of the week Monday for his weekend performance.

Asked about the calmness in his game, Hellebuyck said it has always been there.

“I’ve always described my game that way,” he said. “I like to think I’m a calm goalie. I like to have things around me at ease. I think that helps the team and I like to stick to it.” http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/five-keys-to-jets-vs-sharks-3

Five keys to Jets vs. Sharks

By Ted Wyman

Winnipeg Jets at San Jose Sharks, 9:30 p.m., SAP Center, TV: TSN3; Radio: TSN1290

FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME

RED HOT GOALIES Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck has allowed only one goal in his last two games and continues to be one of the top starters in the NHL this season. Hellebuyck is seventh in the league in both goals against average (2.29) and save percentage (.926). Aaron Dell doesn’t play as often, making only 20 starts this season, but he’s 12-3-2 with a 2.17 GAA and .929 save percentage. Dell has made the Sharks barely notice that starter Martin Jones has been injured. He is 5-0-1 in January.

WE REMEMBER Three members of the Sharks — Tomas Hertl, Justin Braun and Tim Heed — made disparaging comments about Winnipeg in a broadcast promo earlier this month. While Sharks general manager Doug Wilson apologized for the inappropriate and classless comments, many Winnipeg fans would love nothing more than for the Jets to shove it down the Sharks’ throats. The two teams have met twice before this season, with Winnipeg winning 4-1 at home and the Sharks winning 4-0 in San Jose. Maybe a season series win for the Jets will make the winter a little less cold and dark for Winnipeg fans. They might even celebrate by getting Wi-Fi in the hotels.

DEFENSIVE CLAMPDOWN While the Jets made their mark as an offensive juggernaut in the first half of the season, they’ve been a much more defensive team since their six-day break last week. They were sound in their own end in a 2-1 shootout win over the on Saturday and pretty good on Sunday in a 1-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks. There were some ugly turnovers in the neutral zone on Sunday but the Jets defencemen repeatedly neutralized threats. When the Canucks did manage to get shots off, Hellebuyck was a brick wall.

WHERE ARE THE GOALS? It’s now four games and counting. The Jets have scored only one goal in regulation time in each of the last four games. Because they’ve been good defensively, they have two wins and two losses over that span. In the last two games, the Jets generated plenty of offensive chances but struggled to put the puck in the net. Nikolaj Ehlers has been flying, Patrik Laine is getting lots of good looks and the Jets are putting up plenty of shots and shot attempts. You have to think the puck is going to start going in soon. If not, the Jets will need another outstanding defensive effort against a very stingy Sharks team (fifth in goals against per game at 2.61).

SOMETHING SPECIAL Both teams have excellent special teams and, in a defensive struggle, that could make the difference. The Jets have the second best power play in the league (24.9%), though they are not a strong on the road as they are at home, while the Sharks are fifth at 22.7%. Where the Sharks could have an advantage is their kill, which is third best in the league at 84.1%. The Jets have been good in that area lately as well, killing 14 of the last 16 opposition power plays.

THE BIG MATCHUP

Joe Thornton vs. Blake Wheeler Wheeler has excelled since moving over to centre to replace the injured Mark Scheifele and is eighth in league scoring with 54 points. There was a time when Jumbo Joe Thornton had those kinds of numbers, but while he’s currently 65th in league scoring with 35 points, he still has a strong two-way game and can make life difficult for Wheeler and the Jets top line. http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/storm-hits-jets-farm-team

Storm hits Jets farm team

By Paul Friesen

The last time we checked out the farm, fields were lush, the skies were bright and a bountiful harvest appeared only a matter of time.

The were on a 17-1-1 run at the time and had plowed their way to the top of the AHL standings.

A stormy couple of weeks, though, have battered the Winnipeg Jets affiliate.

Around the holidays, it was impossible to conceive of the Moose being out-scored, 9-1, in back- to-back games, but that’s exactly what the Texas Stars did on the weekend.

That’s four losses in their last five, all at home, in which they’ve given up 19 goals and scored just seven.

A combination of suspensions (Mike Sgarbossa), Jets call-ups (goalie Michael Hutchinson and winger ) and injuries (forwards Buddy Robinson, Chase De Leo, Peter Stoykewych and JC Lipon, along with defenceman Cameron Schilling) have played a large role in the carnage.

“That’s the beauty of the American League,” Pascal Vincent said, not meaning to sound the least bit sarcastic. “Maybe we don’t like the result, but it’s what we do. We give opportunities to different players.

“And whether they took advantage of them or not, that’s up to them.”

How patchwork has the Moose lineup been, of late?

For Saturday’s game against the Stars, the team recalled two players from the ECHL, forwards Elgin Pearce and Jansen Harkens, and signed another forward toiling in that league, Garrett Meurs, to a professional tryout contract.

Meurs, a 25-year-old journeyman in his fifth pro season, is only slightly closer to playing for the parent club than you or I.

By the end of Monday, the Jets had recalled Brendan Lemieux, too, further decimating the Moose roster.

At least Robinson is ready to come off the injured list, his back spams behind him.

“I wouldn’t say decimated,” the 6-foot-6 winger said of life on the farm. “Everyone’s still (got) positive energy in the room. We know we’re still sitting in first place. We keep an eye on that a little bit.

“But it was a nice lead we had, so we’re still riding that.”

First in the conference, maybe. But the Marlies have grabbed first, overall.

As much as the Moose are all about developing players for the Jets, franchise brass has also gotten serious about developing a culture of winning in the minors.

To that end, Vincent wasn’t thrilled with a few things he saw on the weekend.

“Nine goals against,” he lamented. “Everybody can be better, starting with our . We took too many penalties. That’s the one thing we need to fix.”

To those ends, he ran a spirited practice, Monday, ending with a hard skate as an exclamation point.

“It’s up to us to not let it linger,” captain Patrice Cormier said. “And fix it right away.”

Cormier wanted no part of the suggestion his team played OK in Saturday’s 5-1 loss – it was 2- 1 after 40 minutes — compared to Friday’s 4-0 whitewash.

“That’s kind of dangerous,” Cormier said. “The past years we were always, ‘Yeah we played alright, but …’. We can’t get our mindset to that. A lot of teams play well, but do you win games? No.”

The scary thing would be that the Moose play their next nine games on the road. Except they don’t find it scary, at all.

Not having another home game until Feb. 15 seems to warm the hearts of this bunch.

“The road helps a lot,” Cormier said. “We were able to build a lot of chemistry in that first California trip. That’s where we started our first long winning streak. We kind of need to get on the road and spend some time together, joke around and have some fun with it.”

This trip will start in Belleville, Ont., then move to Laval, Que., not exactly California, but the Moose are looking for winning vibes, not suntans.

They can’t seem to get either in Manitoba this season: they have a better winning percentage on the road (.763) than at home (.636).

“I’m not sure why we can’t bring this at home,” Cormier said. “At home it seems we’re always doing the same mistake, the same mistake – turning pucks over. On the road we simplify our game.

“It’s positive we’re spending the next three weeks on the road.”

Maybe.

We’ll see which Moose team comes back.

NBC Sports http://nhl.nbcsports.com/2018/01/23/winnipeg-jets-reaping-rewards-after-buying-into-team- defense/

Winnipeg Jets reaping rewards after buying into team defense

By Scott Billeck

WINNIPEG — There was a time in Winnipeg where a one-goal lead would end in a one-goal loss. A time when no lead was safe and it was oddly better to see the Jets trying to climb back from behind than leading heading down the home stretch.

The Jets have learned much since those days, as evidenced by their top spot in the Central Division.

A 90-second 6-on-4 to close out Sunday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks highlighted a new shift in how the Jets conduct their business on the ice.

The above scenario may have spelled doom more often than not in years gone by, but Sunday illuminated how the Jets have been able to overcome those demons and forge ahead with a new philosophy that deploys calmness instead of frantic, poise instead of instability.

The Jets simply bore down when times became tough late in Sunday’s game. Those 90 seconds showed the evolution of the maturity within the team’s defensive structure. They didn’t allow a single shot to touch All-Star goalie Connor Hellebuyck and time simply expired for the Canucks, who couldn’t solve Winnipeg’s riddle.

“I think we’re able to play in those tight games, those low-scoring games and feel we can win those,” said defenseman Josh Morrissey, who has been the Jets best blueliner this season. “I think that’s been a big growth point for our time.”

Indeed.

Winnipeg’s buy-in defensively has ushered in some outstanding results.

Hellebuyck has been nothing short of spectacular between the pipes for the Jets this season, with his recent All-Star nod a testament to an overall turnaround that went from him coming into the season as the No. 2 to the Michigan native being mentioned in part of any conversation that includes the name Vezina.

While the Jets have benefitted from timely saves from their No. 1, Hellebuyck has benefitted from the five in front of him.

No starting goalie in the NHL has seen less high-danger shot attempts than Hellebuyck.

Not . Not Sergei Bobrovsky. Not .

“That’s part of the thing where we want to limit the chances against… limiting that second and third opportunity… sort of by not panicking in those situations when a scrum happens or a chance against happens and being able to have some poise and sort it out, so to speak,” Morrissey said.

The buy-in from the fifth youngest team in the NHL, and one that scores more goals than all but three other NHL outfits, is remarkable.

“I think they have a real strong understanding of what they’re supposed to be doing (defensively),” Jets head coach Paul Maurice said after Sunday’s win. “We’re still young in just age on some guys, but the overall structure their understanding’s good. I think the back end has really helped. You take two centers (Mark Scheifele and Adam Lowry) out of your lineup it puts an awful lot of stress on your defense.”

Maurice has spoken at length about the reasons he feels his team has figured out the defensive aspects of the game of hockey. He touched on part of the equation on Sunday.

“Having six NHL defencemen makes a difference,” Maurice said, alluding to the fact the Jets spent very little time healthy on the blue line last season. “Being healthy on the back end makes a difference. They control an awful lot of the play. (We’ve got a ) goaltender who’s got a lot of confidence in the pipes. And I go back to center ice. We’ve asked Blake (Wheeler) and Andrew Copp to be really strong and they have been.”

Even the team’s most offensive and offensively gifted player is seeing the light.

“As a team, it doesn’t matter if we’re chasing or leading, we want to play the same game,” said Patrik Laine, the Finnish phenom who leads the Jets with 21 goals this season. “We want to play tight defense and give them nothing and try to be patient. We can’t open up our game.”

Laine, who played his 100th NHL game only recently, has stumbled at times this season. His offensive capabilities haven’t left him, even if his confidence has at times this year, but he’s had little choice but to work on the game played in his own zone.

And the 19-year-old seems to have a keen understanding of what lies ahead for the Jets as they grind toward their second playoff berth since relocating from Atlanta in 2011.

“It’s going to be like this for the next couple of months but everybody here in this locker room is comfortable with that kind of game and that’s the reason why we’re winning,” Laine said. “We’re a tight defensive team and we’ve got to score on the few chances that we get.”

Global Winnipeg https://globalnews.ca/news/3980028/winnipeg-jets-recall-brendan-lemieux-from-manitoba- moose/

Winnipeg Jets recall Brendan Lemieux from Manitoba Moose

By Russ Hobson Sports Anchor/Reporter

WINNIPEG – The Winnipeg Jets called up forward Brendan Lemieux from the Manitoba Moose on Monday as both teams prepared to embark on road trips.

Lemieux, 21, has appeared in eight games with the Jets this season. He played in seven games in October and November before being sent back to the Moose. He was called up again earlier in January and played in one game against the Minnesota Wild Jan. 13 and was sent back to the Moose the next day. He notched his first career NHL goal back in October against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

In 27 games with the Moose this season Lemieux has tallied nine goals and 16 assists with a team-leading 75 penalty minutes. He scored 12 goals in 61 games with the Moose in 2016-17.

After back-to-back victories the Jets start a two-game road trip on Tuesday against the San Jose Sharks and forward Adam Lowry’s status remains in doubt, last playing on Jan. 5. The Jets will then face the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday before this weekend’s all-star break.

The Moose were already shorthanded with Jack Roslovic and Michael Hutchinson still up with the Jets. With losses in five of their last six games the Moose are heading on their longest road trip of the season. They start off a nine game trip on Wednesday in Belleville.

Lemieux was originally acquired as part of the trade after being selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round, 31st overall in the 2014 NHL Draft.

FOX Sports https://www.foxsports.com/nhl/story/young-goalies-could-help-decide-sharks-jets-outcome- 012218

Young goalies could help decide Sharks-Jets outcome

By FOX Sports

The San Jose Sharks and Winnipeg Jets have players who can light up the scoreboard seemingly at will, but their goaltenders may be more valuable.

Two of the league’s better young netminders are expected man the pipes when Aaron Dell and the Sharks meet Connor Hellebuyck and the Jets on Tuesday night.

With Martin Jones sidelined by a lower-body injury and largely untested Troy Grosenick on the roster, Dell should get more chances to improve on what has already been a stellar second season.

The 27-year-old has surrendered five goals while winning his last three starts, and he is 10-0-1 with a 2.14 goals-against average, a .933 save percentage and one shutout in 12 games (10 starts) since Nov. 28.

“We all know how important goaltending is and it’s been the backbone of our group this year,” Sharks coach Peter DeBoer told the San Jose Mercury News. “The fact that we have Deller here for this type of situation is a great luxury.”

After the Jets stopped 31 shots in a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, Dell turned in a 33-save performance in a 6-2 rout of the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.

“We were under siege there for a while, and he made a couple big saves for us,” DeBoer told the league’s official website.

For Winnipeg (28-13-7), Hellebuyck has clearly emerged as their top goaltender and one of the league’s up-and-comers. The 24-year-old Michigan native is 25-6-6 with a 2.29 GAA, a .926 save percentage and four shutouts.

Hellebuyck, who needs one win to match his total in 59 games last season, turned aside 29 shots in a 1-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday.

“It was a team shutout tonight,” the third-year pro and first-time All-Star said. “The guys played really good in front of me and they kept things to the outside and made the game pretty easy.”

On Monday, Hellebuyck was named the NHL’s Second Star of the Week after going 2-0-0 with a 0.48 GAA and .983 save percentage.

What the Jets want to see from Hellebuyck is better results on the road, where he is 8-5-5 in 19 games (18 starts).

On Nov. 25, he replaced Steve Mason after one period and stopped 19 of 20 shots in a 4-0 loss to the Sharks. Hellebuyck also made 31 saves in a 4-1 home win over San Jose on Jan. 7.

Among goalies with at least 20 appearances this season, Dell is tied with injured Corey Crawford of the for first in the league in save percentage (.929). Hellebuyck is fourth at .926.

But regardless of who starts for either team, he can expect to be tested.

Since Jan 1, San Jose (26-14-6) is tied with the for the NHL lead with 35 goals. Joe Thornton leads the way with six. Mikkel Boedker — who scored twice against the Ducks, including his 100th NHL goal — Timo Meier and Marc-Edouard Vlasic have four goals each.

Also, Brent Burns has five assists in a four-game points streak and 12 for the month.

“When you’re going good, every night, you don’t know who’s going to be big line or the big player,” Thornton told the Mercury News. “We rely on everybody to contribute every night.”

Patrik Laine, who scored Sunday against Vancouver, leads the Jets with 21 goals — two more than winger Nikolaj Ehlers. Forward Kyle Connor, selected 17th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, is third among rookies with 15 goals, including eight on the road.

Winnipeg, 8-2-1 since coming out the Christmas break to move atop the Central Division, has won 13 of 16 games against Pacific Division opponents.

TSN 1290 (AUDIO LINKS) https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/noel-people-in-winnipeg-have-to-be-excited-to-have- this-team-to-cheer-for-1.975637

Noel: People in Winnipeg have to be excited to have this team to cheer for

New Jersey Devils pro scout and former Winnipeg Jets head coach Claude Noel joined the show talking hockey in California, the Winnipeg Jets and seasons, the success in Vegas and the life as an NHL scout. https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/lebrun-making-that-move-fueled-the-motivation-for- connor-hellebuyck-1.975526

LeBrun: Making that move fueled the motivation for Connor Hellebuyck

TSN Hockey insider and columnist for The Athletic, Pierre LeBrun, joined the show taking a look around the NHL talking: Charlie McAvoy's health, Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck, the NHL trade market, Hart Trophy candidates and the red hot . https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/kidd-hellebuyck-s-summer-reset-huge-part-of-jets-play- 1.975211

Kidd: Hellebuyck's summer reset huge part of Jets' play

TSN Jets analyst Trevor Kidd joined host Kevin Olszewski to talk about the play of Connor Hellebuyck after a pair of Jets wins over the weekend. He also looks ahead to NHL All-Star weekend.