The Winnipeg Jets will now play one of the rising clubs in the Eastern Conference after losing their divisional matchup.
Therefore, the Jets’ visit to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday afternoon in Raleigh, North Carolina, doesn’t seem to be much simpler.
It was “a hard game,” according to Jets coach Rick Bowness. “They pressure you all over the ice, and we’re going to have to play a whole lot better (than Thursday).”
The Jets’ four-game winning run came to an end on Thursday night when they lost 4-1 in Dallas. As a consequence, they fell behind the Stars in first place in the Central Division; Winnipeg, on the other hand, still has four games remaining.
Vladislav Namestnikov, who had gone 12 games without scoring, scored the goal for Winnipeg.
“Getting one is nice,” Namestnikov remarked. “We still did a lot of good things.”
Bowness claimed that the Dallas game had “self-inflicted problems”.
The Hurricanes are coming off a fairly positive 4-2 victory over Columbus on Thursday night.
According to defenseman Brady Skjei, “I thought we were good.” “We knew we’d be successful when we got pucks behind their defense, so there were a few instances where we could have done a little bit better. We had a lot of opportunities from behind the goal line, I believe it showed. They successfully entered parts of our lanes, but the constant gunfire of
The Hurricanes went on a 2-0-1 road trip to end February.
Coach Rod Brind’Amour remarked following the Columbus game, “This may be a little better (than the first two games).” “You must carry out that action. You have to discover methods to complete the task even when you’re not giving it your all.”
During the trip, Brind’Amour moved a few lines, but he claimed he didn’t feel that it gave his team a significant attacking boost.
Jalen Chatfield, a defenseman for Carolina, returned to the starting lineup on Thursday following a more than week-long injury absence.
Brind’Amour remarked, “He was one of our better players.” “You note the tempo at which he was performing. With only his quickness, he was able to stop many plays in the D-zone. He was therefore OK.
Due to an upper-body injury, forward Gabe Vilardi may not play for the Jets on Sunday against the Dallas Stars. Concerns have been raised concerning Vilardi’s availability this weekend, according to Bowness.
In the third period, Namestnikov took his time on the top line with Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, and Vilardi observing.
Namestnikov declared, “I’m ready to play wherever they need me.” “It’s nice playing with two offensive-minded players.”
Therefore, changes to the opening line could be planned for the Carolina game.
Regarding Namestnikov, Bowness remarked, “We can put Vladi anywhere and he’s smart and fast enough to keep up with those guys.”
On December 4, the Jets defeated the Hurricanes 2-1 in their last match. Nikolaj Ehlers and Connor had objectives for
