DALLAS – The Winnipeg Jets aim for a winning record on their four-game road trip when they take on the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center.
So far, the Jets (22-25-27) have guaranteed at least a split on the trip, with victories in New Jersey and Florida leading up to tonight’s clash with Dallas. Their only loss came in Tampa Bay, but they rebounded from that loss well and bounced back with a win over the Panthers.
“I thought we played one hell of a hockey game,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel after the come-from-behind 2-1 win in Florida. “We stayed in it, kind of like I said the other day: nose to nose with those guys and that is what you have to do.”
The phrase ‘staying in it’ is certainly applicable for the Jets at this point of the season. Slowly, but surely, they’ve accomplished small parts of their goal to get back into contention for the wildcard in the Western Conference.
They couldn’t look at it as trying to jump over six teams. Instead, they focused on just getting by the next team in front of them. Winnipeg’s 5-3-2 record in their last 10 has pushed them by a few teams in the standings (St. Louis, Calgary, and Chicago) but there is still work to do.
Nine points separate the Jets and the wildcard spot currently held by the Los Angeles Kings. All the Jets can do is focus on Dallas – who has a pair of one-goal wins over Winnipeg this season – and keep playing the type of game that has given them success of late.
“We’re a pretty good team. I think when we put our heads together and play the right way we get a lot of chances,” said Eric Comrie, who has won his last three starts thanks to stopping 27 of 28 against Florida. “I feel like I’m getting back to just, hey, relax, you don’t have to put pressure on yourself. Just go out there and play, enjoy the game you love and let the results take care of themselves.”
Cole Perfetti’s fifth of the season tied the game in Florida and helped Winnipeg to their second win this season when trailing after 40 minutes.
“It's hopefully huge for momentum,” Perfetti said of the win. “I think the guys are feeling really good right now, and obviously we're going into Dallas, who's another tough building and division rivals, so it's going to be a good test for us.”
Winnipeg stayed off the ice on Sunday but will hold a morning skate on Monday. So stay tuned for line-up updates as they come available, including if the coaching staff keeps Perfetti on the power play unit with Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Josh Morrissey, and Gabriel Vilardi.
That was a bit of a tweak from the loss to Tampa Bay, and while Winnipeg came up empty on the man-advantage against Florida, they produced some great chances – including Perfetti hitting a post.
“I thought we had some really good looks, against a really good PK,” Perfetti said. “I thought that was a good building (block), I had some good looks on it myself. So confidence in that made some plays. And hopefully can just build off that. And you know, hopefully I can contribute for the unit.”
As for the Stars, they earned their fourth straight win with a 3-2 triumph in Utah on Saturday night. Two power play goals and an even strength marker in the opening period gave the Stars a lead that the Mammoth couldn’t recover from.
Heading into action on Monday, the Stars are third in the Central Division with a 32-14-9 record. Their power play has been a big weapon this season, sitting at second in the NHL at 30 percent. Wyatt Johnston scored his league-leading 18th power play goal of the season against Utah and is tied for fourth in the NHL with 29 power play points (equal to his teammate in Mikko Rantanen).
Tonight’s game is the second to last for both teams before the Olympic break. The Jets will host Montreal on Wednesday and the Stars will welcome the Blues that same night.
Puck drop is set for 7:30 pm CT.
