The Jets are back home with the kind of momentum you don’t see very often, and the timing couldn’t be better. Winnipeg arrives for Game 17 fresh off that wild finish in Montreal, where they erased a four-goal deficit in the final minutes and somehow turned it into a 5-4 overtime win. It snapped a nine-game losing streak and gave the club a jolt after a miserable run.
Now the challenge is simple: make that comeback count by following it up against Vancouver.
The Canucks come into Winnipeg with just three wins in 17 games, a record that leaves them last in the NHL. They’ve also dropped three in a row.
Even so, they’ve scored 12 more goals than the Jets, which gives this matchup a little more shape than the standings alone might suggest. The bigger issue for Vancouver has been on the back end.
Their 77 goals against are the most in the league by a wide margin, and that’s the area Winnipeg will be eyeing after the offensive burst they found late in Montreal.
There’s also a roster wrinkle for the Jets. With Brad Lambert waived and cleared before being sent to the Moose, Winnipeg had an open spot unless Josh Morrissey was ready to come off IR.
That didn’t look likely, especially with Morrissey still in a yellow, non-contact jersey on Tuesday. So the organization went with a recall, bringing up Brayden Yager from the Moose.
Yager gets the call after a productive stretch in Manitoba, where he has scored two goals in four games since going back down, including a shorthanded beauty.
Morrissey remains in yellow, non-contact today, and both Nino Niederrieter and Isak Rosén appear to be extras.
The Jets’ projected lines have Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi on the top unit, followed by Perfetti-Yager-Mercer and Iafallo-Lowry-Björck. Barron and Koepke are together on the fourth line. On defense, it’s Samberg-Pionk, Ferraro-Salomonsson, and Fleury-DeMelo, with Bauer and Skinner listed.
Vancouver’s projected lineup has DeBrusk, Pettersson and Boeser together up front, with Öhgren-Rossi-Lekkerimäki behind them. O’Connor, Quillan and Karlsson make up the third line, while Cotter, Sasson and Gallagher are on the fourth.
On defense, the Canucks are expected to go with Pettersson-Hronek, Oleksiak-Buium, and Brisebois-Mancini. Lankinen is listed first in goal, with Meriläinen behind him.
Player media availability and coach media availability were listed as to follow.
In Other News...
Jets Try To Build Momentum As Prospect Questions Keep Growing
The Jets got back to work after a day off following their comeback win in Montreal, and the timing matters with Vancouver next on the schedule. Winnipeg has been trying to stack good days together, and the organizations prospect pipeline is part of that bigger picture, especially with several young players continuing to make their case in different leagues.
Brad Lambert is among the names drawing attention after a recent roster move, while defense prospect Garrett Brown is also working his way back with the Manitoba Moose after his prospect-tournament injury. Add in Connor Hellebuycks letter to fans after his trade to New Jersey, and it has been a busy stretch around the organization, even as the Jets try to keep their focus on the ice and build on the momentum they brought home from Montreal. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Turn To Brayden Yager As Their Offense Searches For A Spark
The Jets have turned to Brayden Yager for a little more punch, recalling the young forward from the Manitoba Moose as they look to jolt an offense that has been searching for rhythm. Yager, acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in a prospect-for-prospect deal, has been one of Manitobas more productive players this season and already got a taste of the NHL with Winnipeg in April.
For the Jets, the move is as much about opportunity as it is about need. Yager has shown he can create offense in the AHL, and with Winnipeg trying to find more finishing touch, his arrival gives the coaching staff another option to mix into the lineup and see whether his scoring touch can carry over at the next level. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Pulled Off A Comeback Montreal Fans Still Wont Believe
For much of the night, Winnipeg looked headed for another frustrating result in Montreal, staring at a 4-0 hole late in the third period before flipping the game completely on its head. Kyle Connor scored twice, Morgan Barron chipped in a goal, and the Jets found a way to drag the contest into overtime before finishing off the Canadiens 5-4, a comeback that snapped a nine-game winless streak and gave the group a badly needed lift.
Tyrell Bauer was part of the turnaround too, scoring his first NHL goal in a game that already had the feel of a season-shifting swing for Winnipeg. The Jets did not just survive the late push, they kept pressing until the final moment, and the result left Montreal with a collapse it will not soon forget while giving Winnipeg a rare road win to build on. [Read more 🡒]