JNGD.S8.G54 Flight Plan: Byfuglien Back As Jets Begin Road Trip In Montreal

By KB

5 years ago

Big Buff is back in action tonight but Josh Morrissey is out as the Jets are taking on the Canadiens in Montreal.

It’s been a long time coming for Byfuglien who has been out since December 29th with an ankle injury. He will be rearing to go as the Jets faceoff against the Canadiens for the first time this season. It’s the start of a three game road trip for Winnipeg who move on to face the Senators on Saturday before playing back to back against the Sabres on Sunday.

Just as the Jets get one top defenseman back, they lose another as Josh Morrissey will sit after blocking a shot and leaving the game against San Jose on Tuesday night. Morrissey remains day-to-day and likely will play Saturday in Ottawa.

Winnipeg Jets (30-14-2)
@
Montreal Canadiens (30-18-6)

February 7, 2019 – Puck drop: 6:30 PM CST
Bell Centre – Montreal, QC
TV: TSN 3 – Radio: TSN 1290


VS SJS: 3-2 LOSS	Last Game	VS ANA: 4-1 WIN
3-1-1 (1 L)	Last 5 Games	3-1-1 (2 W)
MARK SCHEIFELE – 26	Goal Leader	BRENDAN GALLAGHER – 21
BLAKE WHEELER – 54	Assist Leader	MAX DOMI – 30
BLAKE WHEELER – 65	Points Leader	MAX DOMI – 47
26.80% (4TH)	The Power Play	12.90% (31ST)
80.70% (13TH)	The Penalty Kill	78.70% (22ND)
CONNOR HELLEBUYCK (24-14-2 / .910 SV%)	Starting Goalie	CAREY PRICE (22-13-4 / .916 SV%)
L VS SJS (35-38 / .921 SV%)	Last Goalie Start	W VS ANA (24-25) / (.960 SV%)
14-10-0 ON ROAD	Road v Home Record	16-10-3 AT HOME

Canadiens Player To Watch

#40 Joel Armia – Right Wing

While there are other players more electrifying than Armia, being a former Jet, he will have something to prove to the team that traded him away last year. It’s been a solid year for Armia who is on pace for new career highs in nearly every offensive category. While Armia is certainly having a solid season, he’s getting a great opportunity on a Canadiens team that lacks depth. He has been playing nearly 17 minutes per game and is getting a better opportunity to showcase his offensive ability. Playing former teams always give some extra motivation so Armia will be the one to keep an eye on during this game.

Last Canadiens Game

The Canadiens were winners in their last game as they thumped the Ducks 4-1. This is no surprise given the Ducks’ horrendous run as of late. The Canadiens used a strong first period to coast the rest of the way and win the game with relative ease.

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Canadiens Notes

From the Montreal Gazette: ‘Off the Charts effort drives Canadiens’ Brendan Gallagher‘
From the Montreal Gazette: ‘Kotkaniemi, fellow Finns a top trio for Canadiens‘
From awinninghabit.com: ‘The Karl Alzner yo-yo continues‘

Jets Player To Watch

#33 Dustin Byfuglien – Defense

Is there any question about who to watch for the Winnipeg Jets? Clearly not as Byfuglien is back on the ice for the first time in over a month. He will be a welcome addition to the blueline, especially after Morrissey went down after blocking a shot against the Sharks. Byfuglien is a vital piece of the Jets roster and his presence will likely provide a boost to the team. His impact will hopefully be felt on the powerplay where the top unit has gone cold over the past few weeks. As the playoff races are starting to heat up, it’s important that the Jets start getting healthy again. Having Byfuglien back is the first step towards getting the roster back to it’s optimal deployment.

Last Jets Game

It was a tough finish for the Jets who got scored on in overtime while on a man-advantage. This was a back and forth game that saw both teams dominate at various points in the game. In the end, it was Pavelski who was able to net the winner on a two on one after the Jets turned the puck over on the powerplay.

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Jets Notes

From the Winnipeg Sun: ‘Lemieux Cleaning Up His Act‘
As some Jets are getting healthy, others are going down with the injury bug lately. Josh Morrissey left the game against the Sharks and is currently listed as day to day. Bryan Little was also questionable to play against the Sharks although he did wind up playing the entire game. With Buff back and Ehlers returning soon, the Jets are hoping they can stay out of the sick bay for as long as possible.
Patrik Laine continues to be a hot topic in Winnipeg as he still can’t find the back of the net. He was visibly upset after missing multiple cross ice one-timers while on the powerplay against the Sharks. It seems that the coaching staff are going to let him play through it and it seems that he just needs to get lucky to get back on track.

Player ratings courtesy Corsica.Hockey

Be sure to check out our Twitter feed for any late mid-day updates to the game lineups!
You can also get up to the minute lineup combos for the Jets
including power play and penalty kill lines by checking out our line combo page.

Montreal Canadiens Lines

LW	C	RW	Forwards
JONATHAN DROUIN Rating: 75.8#48 LW	PHILLIP DANAULT Rating: 75.2#51 C	BRENDAN GALLAGHER Rating: 77.1#24 RW	FL1 Rating Rating: 76.02#25 FL1
CHARLES HUDON Rating: 71.6#90 LW	MAX DOMI Rating: 75.0#52 C	MATTHEW PECA Rating: 70.9#95 RW	FL2 Rating Rating: 72.50#29 FL2
ARTTURI LEHKONEN Rating: 74.0#42 LW	JESPERI KOTKANIEMI Rating: 74.1#65 C	JOEL ARMIA Rating: 73.1#65 RW	FL3 Rating Rating: 73.73#5 FL3
KENNY AGOSTINO Rating: 71.5#93 LW	MICHAEL CHAPUT Rating: 68.2#182 C	NICOLAS DESLAURIERS Rating: 69.6#116 RW	FL4 Rating Rating: 69.76#27 FL4

DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS		Defense
VICTOR METE Rating: 73.3#47 LD	SHEA WEBER Rating: 80.0#9 RD	DL1 Rating Rating: 76.64#13 DL1
MIKE REILLY Rating: 72.1#74 LD	JEFF PETRY Rating: 78.4#18 RD	DL2 Rating Rating: 75.26#5 DL2
BRETT KULAK Rating: 72.4#69 LD	JORDIE BENN Rating: 72.7#63 RD	DL3 Rating Rating: 72.56#11 DL3

GOALIES
CAREY PRICE Rating: 71.6#39 G1	ANTTI NIEMI Rating: 67.6#60 G2

Winnipeg Jets Lines

LW	C	RW	Forwards
KYLE CONNOR Rating: 78.1#15 LW	MARK SCHEIFELE Rating: 84.7#5 C	BLAKE WHEELER Rating: 80.6#8 RW	FL1 Rating Rating: 81.13#5 FL1
PATRIK LAINE Rating: 78.7#14 LW	BRYAN LITTLE Rating: 75.3#50 C	JACK ROSLOVIC Rating: 71.9#80 RW	FL2 Rating Rating: 75.29#13 FL2
MATHIEU PERREAULT Rating: 72.1#109 LW	ADAM LOWRY Rating: 72.2#104 C	BRANDON TANEV Rating: 70.8#100 RW	FL3 Rating Rating: 71.67#21 FL3
BRENDAN LEMIEUX Rating: 73.6#49 LW	ANDREW COPP Rating: 72.6#94 C	MASON APPLETON Rating: 73.7#51 RW	FL4 Rating Rating: 73.34#1 FL4

DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS		Defense
DMITRY KULIKOV Rating: 70.3#113 LD	JACOB TROUBA Rating: 77.7#19 RD	DL1 Rating Rating: 76.45#14 DL1
BEN CHIAROT Rating: 71.7#79 LD	DUSTIN BYFUGLIEN Rating: 74.4#36 RD	DL2 Rating Rating: 73.08#16 DL2
JOE MORROW	TYLER MYERS Rating: 71.0#84 RD	DL3 Rating Rating: 70.65#26 DL3