WINNIPEG – After being away for two weeks, the Winnipeg Jets got back to work at Canada Life Centre as they begin preparations for an important three-game homestand.
Dylan Samberg returned in Seattle after missing the first 16 games of the season and is starting to get into a comfort zone after playing over 23 minutes in Seattle and Calgary.
“Yeah, feeling good. I mean, obviously still trying to work on that conditioning,” said Samberg.
“Obviously takes a little bit of time, but obviously excited to be back and excited to be a part of it and especially get a win.”
The win he’s referring to is the 4-3 shootout win in Calgary, where the Flames tied the game late in the third period and Gabe Vilardi made sure it wasn’t back-to-back contests where the Jets blew third period leads.
“I thought that we battled throughout the entire game, obviously had huge kill there in the overtime, ended up taking us to the shootout,” said Samberg.
“So that was massive, to get a couple points there. And, yeah, I just like the way the guys finished the road trip, even though it wasn't one of our better road trips.”
Samberg’s importance to the Jets has been well documented especially during his long absence last season. Winnipeg held the fort without the 26-year-old this time thanks to a steady performance from Logan Stanley. But Jets head coach Scott Arniel dug into what it means to have Samberg back.
“Because of every team having two really good lines, being able to go head-to-head with one of the top two lines with (Neal) Pionk and then you have Mel (DeMelo) and J-Mo (Morrissey) against the other group. Being able to log those big minutes. His size. His footwork,” said Arniel.
“Obviously, the penalty kill is a big part of it but at the end of the day, just him being able to log big minutes helps J-Mo's ice time to be able to drop in the heavy category in that way. So just his all-around game. I think that each game, he got better and better. He's got some rust off him and now he looks more like the guy we need."
