PITTSBURGH – Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel rarely offers a preview of line-up decisions, but two days ago after practice in Winnipeg, he indicated that this back-to-back set in Detroit and Pittsburgh would likely utilize two goaltenders.
So, after Stuart Skinner stopped 33 of 35 in a 3-2 Jets win over Detroit on Sunday, it could very well be Clay Stevenson’s Jets debut tonight in Pittsburgh.
And if it does work out that way – the line-up will be up in the air until warm-up given the back-to-back – it would be in the same building the 27-year-old made his National Hockey League debut back on April 17, 2025.
“There is some comfortability in that building, so if it works out that way, it’s always a great challenge to play against (Sidney) Crosby and (Evgeni) Malkin and those guys,” said Stevenson after practice on Saturday in Winnipeg. “It’s an honour to get into the crease anytime.”
The Drayton Valley, AB product has five NHL games under his belt and has accumulated three wins and a 0.906 save percentage in those outings, all with the Washington Capitals. At the American Hockey League level, Stevenson won a Calder Cup and was part of the AHL’s Best Goaltending duo in 2024.
He was claimed off waivers by the Jets on September 28, and witnessing the support Skinner got from the home crowd in the home opener, Stevenson can’t wait for his opportunity to backstop his new team.
“This is a great opportunity for myself and there’s a great group of guys in this room,” Stevenson said. “It’s fun getting to know the guys and being here and learning their system and learning about what they do and how they try to be successful. It’s just fun, honestly.”
The Jets (1-0-1) had the fun of travelling into Pittsburgh on Sunday following their first road win of the season. The power play proved to be the difference early, with the Jets capitalizing on their first three opportunities and going three-for-four overall in the contest.
It’s only two games into the season, but the fact Winnipeg has four power play goals on seven opportunities is a tremendous start.
“I think we're just being direct with it,” said Cole Perfetti, who had the first of those three tallies on the man advantage. “We attacked, we recovered, made one play, attacked again. You get teams running like that and as long as we can have that mindset of attacking quick and then those retrievals, that's when you can break down penalty kills.”
On top of a possible change in the crease, Arniel hinted that, given the team’s busy schedule of five games in the first eight days of the season, there is a possibility of adjustments to the skaters in the line-up as well.
The morning skate will be the best indication of those changes. Ultimately, the coaching staff will do what they think gives the Jets the best chance to pull out a second victory in as many days.
It won’t come easy against a Penguins squad that is 2-0-0 to start the season.
“Their transition game is real strong,” Arniel said of the Penguins. “I think they’re a lot deeper. They’ve got a lot of pieces. They were young last year, now they have a year under their belt. And then the veteran guys there, we know their top four or five have been there for a few years. They transition really well, and they play fast.”
Offensively, Pittsburgh has 13 goals in their first two games thanks to a 7-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers and a 6-5 overtime win over the Montreal Canadiens.
“They're obviously really good and we don't see them often, so it's important,” said Perfetti. “Every game's important, obviously, but especially with teams you don't see very often, you want to get one in their building and make the most of it.”
Puck drop is set for 6:30 pm CT.
